Achieve better results by setting specific goals

It's that time of year when the mantra becomes "get in shape for Summer." Well, what in the heck does "get in shape" mean? I have a colleague that says, "I'm in shape - a sphere is a shape!" Even if you've not joined in the mantra, there are lessons to be learned in this example on making goals specific to increase the chances that you'll achieve them. So bear with me.

Goals defined by specific results

What's your definition of "in shape"? Is it a certain number of pounds or a certain percentage of body fat? Is it the ability to walk to the end of the driveway to pick up the mail without being out of breath? Unless you define it in specific terms you won't know whether it's achieveable and you won't be able to measure it. So you won't ever really be able to experience the thrill of victory associated with achieving it.

Here are some examples of "get in shape" specific goals as defined by results:

• Weigh 130 healthy pounds by 5/31/08.
• Bench press 200 pounds by 10/1/08.
• Finish a half-marathon by November 30, 2008.

Goals defined by specific activities

Sometimes you don't know what the specific results are going to be, or you know that the results are so long-term that they won't keep you on track right now. So you set a goal around the activities that you expect will get you the results you want. Activity goals in and of themselves aren't necessarily the best goals - you can be busy and still going nowhere, and they need to be evaluated regularly to see whether they are indeed getting you closer to your goals. But when you've linked them to the ultimate result and you're checking them regularly against the RBG (really big goal) they can do the job well for you. Here are some examples:

• Work out at the gym for at least 1 hour 3 days per week starting 3/26/08.
• Drink 8 glasses of water per day starting 3/31/08.
• Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day starting 3/26/08.
• Schedule my free fitness assessment at the health club on or before 4/30/08.

You'll notice that the activity goals (with the exception of the last one) have no finish lines - they have only start dates. If you want to build your confidence (and your accountability) you might want to consider setting them for a month at a time. Or if you expect that they are going to be relatively difficult adaptations in behavior for you to establish, set them a week at a time. You get to define what short term and long term goal timeframes are. Match them to your level of motivation and the degree of difficulty of the goal for you.