Creating Healthy Habits - Part 3: Goal Setting
Mindful habit formation involves four components, as shown in the following graphic. This blog focuses on one of the four components: goal setting. You may want to review previous blogs to put this information into perspective. Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2. Future blogs will include the other three components of Mindful Behavior Change.
Goal Setting
Most people know from experience that knowledge and good intentions are, by themselves, insufficient to produce behavior change. Empirical studies of behavior change find that intentions alone account for no more than 28% of the variance in behaviors (Gollizer & Sheeran, 2006). The gap between intention and goal achievement is primarily due to our inability to initiate and sustain behavior change. Goals need to contain specific details (e.g., when, where, and how they will be carried out) to influence action. Poorly elaborated goals may prompt deliberation (how should I act?) rather than action and mean that opportunities are missed.
Because goals are mental representations of desired outcomes, having clear and specific goals helps us focus our attention and prevents us from getting discouraged. Seeing movement towards our target can motivate us to stay the course. You improve your chances of achieving your goal if you consider these six characteristics.
Aligned to what is truly important to you.
Your goals should not be based on what you think you should do or what others think you should do. Instead, they need to be aligned with what is unique or special to you. This may include being healthy enough to do things with your children or grandchildren, or to engage in activities that you enjoy or interest you. Goals aligned to what is truly important might result in a higher level of commitment despite their difficulty.
Set challenging goals.
Research consistently demonstrates that challenging goals produce better results than easy goals, especially when committed to the goal (Locke et al., 2002). That's because easy goals often result in low effort and decreased progress.
Reasonable to achieve.
While it is important to set challenging goals, there is a healthy balance between challenge and achievability. Here are a couple of ideas to consider:
Break goals into short-term goals, known as "chunking" or subdividing your goals.
Develop micro-actions or steps that will lead to short-term goal achievement.
Share your goals with others.
People who write out their short-term goals and share their commitment with others are approximately 33% (Matthew, 2012) more successful than those who do not share their goals.
Approach goals vs. Avoidance goals.
Approach goals help you move toward the desired outcome, giving your brain-specific instructions of what you want to do vs. what you don't want to do. An example of an approach goal is "I am going to eat a cup of yogurt for my afternoon snack." An example of an avoidance goal is "I'm not going to eat junk food as a snack." While these goals might seem similar in promoting healthy eating, they involve different cognitive and emotional processes. Think about converting avoidance goals into approach goals. Here’s an example:
Avoidance goal: I will stop watching TV after dinner.
Approach goal: I will take a 20-minute walk after dinner.
Performance or Mastery Goals.
Performance goals involve judging and evaluating progress. An example is, "I plan to lose 10 pounds in two months." Failure to achieve this goal may be interpreted as a failure and impact our self-evaluation. Mastery goals encourage learning, problem-solving, and active engagement. For example, “I plan to prepare nutritious meals" or "I plan to learn a new form of recreational activity." Mastery goals promote self-evaluation of current efforts and do not focus on failure or an all-or-nothing approach to goal achievement.
Want more tips to live a healthier and happier life? Check out Saundra’s latest book here.
Action to Take This Week:
Over the next week, take a few minutes to develop your goals or revise goals that aren't working for you. Perfection isn't necessary. Small changes can make a big difference.
Next week's blog discusses limiting beliefs and how they sabotage obtaining our goals.
References
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57, 705–717. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
Matthews, G. (2012). Goals research summary. Retrieved from http://www.dominican.edu/academics/ahss/undergraduate-programs/psych/faculty/assets-gail-matthews/researchsummary2.pdf