A goal-setting strategy is a means to get to the desired end result. It's a way of finding and defining concrete tasks to reach your goal. What you want to achieve and what you actually do are two different things.
I will demonstrate here a few strategies on how you can set goals in the Habinator App and how to work towards your goal. To be clear: These strategies below are what we usually mean when we talk about general goal setting strategies. All the standard and proven strategies are implemented in the App's goal-setting process. So in this post, we mean the approaches that you can do when setting goals in the Habinator app
Setting yourself up for success begins by having the right strategy, and you will learn these soon enough.
Let's take a couple of common goals as examples, which all of us are probably familiar:
A: Lose weight*
B: Reduce Alcohol consumption
* "Losing weight" is not a good goal because it's not specific. One should write it in the form of: "Reduce body fat to 15%". That's because losing water or muscle is not what you want.
Let's begin!
Simple goal setting
This is the most straightforward way of setting a goal. Write your objective down as a goal name. Then make an exact plan of how you are going to do it, when, how, how much, with whom and what if..?
Example A: Lose weight
Goal 1: "Lose Weight to 15% Body Fat"
Example B: Reduce Alcohol
Goal 1: "Reduce Alcohol consumption on Weekdays"
This works for all goals and is the way goals are usually set. Notice that I adjusted the goal names to be more specific. This App will guide you through defining a goal, using the strategy in question.
If you haven't set goals before, start with this strategy. The next strategies I will show you are slightly more complex.
"The App will guide you through defining a goal."
Set a goal and plan tasks to get you there
Setting a goal as your highest priority is the first step. After this, you set tasks (actions) to do regularly to reach your goal. These tasks are goals supporting your main goal.
Example A: Lose Weight
Goal 1: "Reduce body fat to 15%"
Tasks for the new goals:
Goal 2: "Drink Water Every Two Hours"
Goal 3: "Follow the Paleo Diet "
So when you start following your plan, you will move closer to the ultimate goal, which is to lose weight (reduce fat tissue). Two other goals support this and are defined as clear as the priority one goal. Now you can set notifications to drink water regularly, so you won't mix thirst with hunger. When you start to follow the Paleolithic diet, you automatically begin to eat healthier. This way you move towards your priority goal while following these smaller goals.
Example B: Reduce Alcohol
Goal 1: "Reduce Alcohol"
Tasks for the next goals:
Goal 2: "Walk in a Park"
This might be a task for you if you drink in the evening if you are bored or exhausted from work. Or you can choose any other goal to keep you occupied, away from the fridge, and lift your mood [75, s38].
Goal 3: "Drink Ice Tee"
Because we all need to drink something and we want to replace alcohol with a non-alcohol beverage.
Set tasks to support your goal.
This one is similar to the previous approach, but we don't write down the main goal - just the tasks. We make a list of goals that work in synergy and create a virtuous cycle where the goals support one another.
Example A: Lose Weight
We choose: Goal 1: "Paleo Diet".
Next we add some weight loss supporting activity - meaning exercise. Let's choose Goal 2: "Weight Training". We don't want to stress out our body too much, so we pick from "Days of the Week" to be done on Mon, Wed and Fri.
Goal 3: "7-9 Hours of Restful Sleep", this helps us recover and sets our circadian rhythm, which regulates the hormones in our body, which positively influences our dietary choices [83, s51].
If you want, you can set a goal "Lose Weight", but it's not necessary. If you carry out all three of tasks, your body will certainly begin to lose fat tissue and even gain some muscles - so your bodyweight might not drop and you will miss the goal "Lose Weight", but it's actually exactly the result that one should pursue for optimal health.
You could even replace one of the goals with "Reduce Alcohol" if you don't like to exercise. That's because alcohol contains a lot of empty calories and negatively affects the quality of sleep. So this might be a better plan for you!
Example B: Reduce Alcohol
You can create a plan like:
Goal 1: "Drink Only One Beer Per Day", which you can follow from Monday to Friday.
Goal 2: "Take a Walk", which keeps you away from the fridge when you are bored.
Goal 3: "Replace Alcohol", so you start to think about alternatives to alcoholic beverages.
In this plan the priorities are important and you don't need to do all at once. The third goal is just to remind you to find alternatives and maybe someday you'll find something that you like to drink.
"You will have the full synergy of positive tasks."
EXTRA NOTE
You should first create one task like "Paleo Diet" or "Drink Only One Beer Per day". After two weeks - or when the realization of the task is getting easier and your mind has acknowledged the behavior - you will add the second goal (task). After about six weeks, you will have the full synergy of positive tasks, and you have conditioned yourself gradually to move towards your end goal. Personally, I usually use this method.
Just a reminder
If you have been thinking about a lifestyle change or you have a dream like "Writing a Novel" or "Find a Place to Study", just define a goal and see what happens. You don't need to do anything else at first.
You can set a couple of extra reminders but just ignore them. These reminders will still put the thought in your unconscious mind, keeping your focus on your goal. Every once in a while, you can check-in to Habinator and add another reason to achieve the goal if you feel like it.
When the time is right, you will begin to take action.
This strategy is suitable for goals that are not crucial for your well-being. You can even set a motivational one like "Book a Holiday" to remind yourself about something beautiful to come.
Lastly
If you are accustomed to setting and reaching goals, this is nothing new to you. Motivating yourself for success is a different process for us all, and it depends on the nature of the goal. Finding tasks that are doable and take you closer to your goal every single time is the key. Take some time to find out the tasks you need to achieve, and the rest is execution.
Remember, you will learn and get better with this every time you set a goal.
You will find out more about the theory of behavioral change in the App's Help & Exercises section
