Mark a destination and know where you are going by setting approach goals (do goals) that are exciting and intrinsically motivated, rather than avoidance goals (do not goals) or chores, to increase the likelihood of achievement. Ensure goals fit your current life and other commitments.
Identify or cultivate intrinsic motivation for your goals by finding ways to enjoy the process itself, not just the long-term outcome, as this is the best predictor of engagement and sustained effort. If you don’t like an activity, find an intrinsically motivating alternative that feels good.
To make goals more inspiring and persistent, repeatedly ask “why” you are pursuing a goal to uncover its deeper meaning and connection to positive change. Stop when you can clearly link it to actionable steps, avoiding overly abstract goals like ‘being happy’.
Instead of just a to-do list, map out your main life goals and their interrelationships to ensure they don’t conflict and to identify activities that can achieve multiple goals simultaneously. This provides a clearer understanding of what is currently important in your life.
When balancing multiple goals, especially with limited resources, seek out “multifinal means” or activities that help you achieve more than one goal simultaneously. For example, combine exercising with a social activity or family vacations to get more for the same activity.
Consistently monitor your progress, as it increases motivation and provides positive feelings of satisfaction and pride. For novices or early stages (up to the midpoint), focus on what you’ve already achieved; beyond the midpoint, focus on what remains to be done to maintain momentum.
Actively savor progress and celebrate milestones through self-rewards and reflection to foster a sense of achievement and present happiness, rather than solely focusing on future goals. Recognize that goals are often there just to get you going, and the pursuit itself can be a source of satisfaction.
Actively choose to frame negative experiences and failures in terms of growth and learning, rather than as proof of inability, to maintain motivation and encourage future attempts. You have the flexibility to decide how to think about your setbacks, which significantly influences your motivation.
Cultivate self-control by first identifying temptations, recognizing that seemingly harmless single instances accumulate into problems. Anticipate upcoming temptations and obstacles in advance, as preparing for these challenges makes you more likely to resist them and adhere to your important goals.
Develop patience by making decisions about delayed gratification in advance, as it’s easier to choose larger, later rewards when the decision isn’t immediate. Additionally, waiting for a reward often increases your enjoyment of it, creating a win-win situation.
Actively enlist and provide social support for goals, as people conform to those around them and relationships strengthen when partners support each other’s objectives. Seek out people who actively want you to succeed, and foster relationships by helping others achieve their goals, as feeling “known” and supported is critical for satisfaction.
Quantify your goals with specific numbers (“how much, how soon”) to make them easy to monitor and create a sense of loss if you fall short, which can powerfully motivate you to push through. Be cautious that the number truly aligns with the ultimate goal, to avoid discouragement if the number is missed but the true goal is still served.
Refrain from setting “do not” or avoidance goals because they are harder to pursue, bring the unwanted behavior to mind when monitoring progress, and can trigger psychological reactance, making you more tempted to do the forbidden action. Focus on what you will do instead.
Actively seek and value negative feedback because it contains valuable information that teaches you how not to do something, guiding you towards success by elimination. Overcome the emotional tendency to disengage by making the mental flip to understand what alternative actions to try.
When incentivizing yourself, make rewards a bit unpredictable (not always guaranteed) to keep excitement high, like a game or lottery. Ensure the incentive is not so large that it distracts from the main goal or encourages shortcuts, but rather serves as an additional reason to pursue the desired behavior.