Effective goal-setting would require that you have a system or a plan. There are processes that take place before you can set your goals or even begin to plan – you need to know the exact activities you need to engage in for your goals to be met, that is where GTD gets into play.

For new readers who do not know what GTD (Getting Things Done) stands for, you can check out this in-depth article:

GTD Implementation: The Ultimate Hack to Getting Things Done

Here are the 10 keys steps to effective goal-setting:

1. Know exactly what you want

This might seem very obvious, but having a clear vision of your goals and the activities you want to accomplish is the first step in achieving them. I would be very wrong to minus it from this list.

Let’s take for instance you plan on going on a road trip – you would have to map out the route you are traveling through, know the weather conditions you are going to face there so that you can bring the right clothing, the culture on political atmosphere of the region etc. Knowing all these information beforehand helps that you have an interesting and stress free trip.

For an effective goal-setting process, you need to start by having a clear vision. I am not saying that the goals might not evolve as you advance, but it would be easier for you to overcome those challenges if you already have a guideline.

2. Write down your goals

For effective goal-setting, it is very essential that you write them out. A research that was carried out by David M. Kohl of Virginia Tech showed that 80 percent of Americans have no goals and 16 percent of them do not bother to write them down. That is a whole lot of goals going down the drain.

Out of the 16 percent of them that have goals, only 4 of them bother to write them down and one 1 percent go back to review them and see how much progress they have made. You should also note that the 1 percent is the select few that are high-achievers.

Research have also shown that people who wrote down their goals earned about nine more than their counter parts who do not bother to do so. Individuals who set their goals mentally earn only three times as much.

When setting goals, you should make use of the SMART Goals formula. This formula ensures that your productivity is optimized and your goals are met.

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Attainable

R – Relevant

T – Time-bound

When your goals meet each of the criteria’s listed above, it would become much easier for you to achieve them. I recommend that you develop two set of SMART goals. One of them would be for your short term goals and the other would be for long term goals.

3. Practise Getting Things Done (GTD)

Getting organized and having a plan of action would help you in effective goal-setting. The founder of the system of GTD, David in an article wrote on the benefits that you derive when you apply order to Chaos. The principle here is that you have a system where everything is categorized, organized and assigned to its proper place.

What does this organization do for you? You fee yourself to become creative, Instead of you to continue worry about forgetting what you are supposed to do, you already have a system in places and plans on how to go about your activities. These plans would include a step by step guide on the activities you need to engage in for you to be able to achieve your goals. Your GTD system works like a to-do list – you’ll be able to tick off the task you have engaged in and move on to the next one.

An important part of the GTD system is having a weekly review. They are very crucial in allowing you know how effective you are and if they are areas you would need to make changes.

3b. The basic steps to performing a weekly review:

Reassess all your notes

Process your inbox. Organize your receipts, loose papers, post its etc.

Review your calendar and assess your upcoming actions, projects lists, waiting on lists and maybe list

Empty your head of everything that is not already in your GTD system.

Review your goals

4. Believe in yourself

One of the most crucial steps for effective goal-setting is having total belief in not just yourself but the process as well. If you don’t believe that setting goals can change your life for the better, then you can be sure that you would not get what you want. Whenever you begin to doubt yourself, look around you. Everything awesome thing you find around you started with the belief that it can all get better. It’s up to you to make your thought become a reality.

5. Be committed

This pretty obvious to do but if not taken seriously, the repercussions might be disastrous. You should make conscious effort to ensure that you are committed to the goals that you have set and ensure that you see them through. These are key points to note:

Why and how are you committing to each goal?

Why is this goal important to you?

Why the outcome is very necessary?

What are the lengths you are willing to take to make it happen?

Without true commitment, your dreams might never be actualized.

6. Remain focused

A lot of us never live up to our potential because we always give up halfway. One reason why we give up is because we do not know how we are going to reach those goals. Truth is when you remain focus and keep moving one step at a time, you are moving further to actualizing your goals without even realizing it. You have to train your mind to focus on the task ahead to avoid distractions. One was of establish focus is by using the GTD system of writing your goals down.

7. Start now

Procrastination kills. It is one of the major reasons we never get to fulfill our dreams. Always remember that there is no time like the present. Whatever it is that would help you actualizing your goals, do it now. Don’t wait for a later time or date – that is procrastination talking. You would be surprised how the simple act of taking action now can help you in reaching your goals.

Ask yourself this question – If you are not motivated to do something now, how would you be motivated to do it tomorrow?

8. Be accountable

Being accountable is the one character trait that would help you to push through when things begin to get tough. You can also use an outside help that can provide valuable insights and feedback that can also assist you with accountability. This individual can be a mentor, a coach, family or friends. Discussing your goals with another person can help you with the accountability that you need.

9. Review, review, review

For effective goal-setting, the importance of doing proper review cannot be underestimated. It should be an integral part of your day – always review your goals and take action where it is needed. Doing a review keeps your goals in focus and allows you to plan on the steps you have to take for the remainder of the week. A review also helps you to know when you are stuck and need to make changes.

When you diligently follow these steps, you would have all the tools you would require in achieving your goals. It is not ever easy but with determination and hard work, the sky is the limit. If you keep on being focused on your goals, little by little, you would be amazed by the progress you make.