The Power Of Writing Down Your Goals (+ How Often You Should Be Doing It)

Have you ever set goals and forgot about them? Devoting time to writing down your goals not only helps you remember your goals, but gives you the stronger chance of achieving them. It helps you to clearly identify the things you want to accomplish in the future. The physical act takes the goals out of your mind and makes them real. But don’t stop there. Along with your goals, you should be identifying and writing down the reason for your goals. How are you going to feel when you achieve them? How will your life change? It is these thoughts that will keep you committed. Once you have determined your goals and your reasons, you can come up with a step-by-step plan to achieve your goals.

The Importance of Writing Down Your Goals

Helps clarify your goals.

Writing down your goals will give you a better picture of the kind of future you want to achieve. It’s easy for goals to get overcrowded and lost among all of the other thoughts and ideas you have on a daily basis. Writing down clear and defined goals will keep you focussed on what is truly important, and filter out distractions. To ensure your goals are as clear as possible, use the SMART goal Method which states that a goal must be

Specific, and structured
Measurable, and maintainable
Action oriented, and attitude & result driven
Relevant and relatable
Time specific and trackable
… And scare you a little.

Get your free smart goal checklist here.

Align your intention with your behaviour.

Knowing your goals by heart will make it easier for you to firmly establish specific behaviors that support your goals. When you write down your goals, you become motivated and you are setting a momentum. Of course, this whole thing will not get you anywhere if you don’t take action. Your notes are only a guide and it’s still the action that counts. With this written list, you can check the progress you are making and you can lay out plans for your next move. It keeps you on track and always reminds you that by sticking to your action plan, you will become the person who you’ve always wanted to be.

Hold yourself accountable.

The physical act of putting pen to paper and writing down your goals transforms them from a cluster of thoughts and ideas into reality. When you write them down you develop a sense of ownership and responsibility to yourself and to others who might be relying on you too. It is a way of communicating that they are a priority and that you are truly committed to them. They are no longer ideas in your head, but written, concrete, and actionable objectives. Hold yourself accountable and  you will see right before your eyes the consequences of every action you take.

Tip: if you find it hard to keep yourself on track, consider finding someone to be accountable to. Someone who will push you to achieve your highest self.

How Often You Should Be Writing Down Your Goals?

I write my goals down every single day. Why? Because achieving goals requires commitment. You need to recommit now and you will need to recommit again and again. The reality is that you won’t wake up every single morning motivated and excited to take on the day. It is on these days especially that you must remind yourself what you are doing and more importantly, why you are doing it. In the short term, it will boost your mood, narrow your focus, and  increase your daily productivity. In the long term, you will feel more confident, motivated and more able to take on the stressors of daily life. As Aristotle once said,

“We are what we repeatedly do”

Your daily practices demonstrate your dedication to reaching your goals. Your actions define how focused you are on your ambition. If your habits all exhibit mediocrity, you can only achieve mediocre results. But if you strive for greatness everyday, you will end up having great results. Re-committing to your goals on a daily basis will lead you to becoming the person who achieves those goals.

“What you do once in a while is not as important as what you do every day.”

Gretchen Rubin, an American Author who writes a lot about habits and happiness, reminds us of the importance of consistency in our work and in our life. Small changes lead to big results, which is why I set goals every single day. Achieving small wins each and every day boosts your momentum and gets you into the habit of executing your goals.

Tip: Break your big goals down into smaller pieces to avoid becoming overwhelmed. What is one thing you can do today that will get you one step closer to your goal?

Write it down in your Goal Setting and Achieving Workbook.

Writing down your goals helps you visualize what you want to achieve in life. Seeing your goals in black and white increases your motivation and makes you focused on your efforts. You are provided with parameters which you can compare with the actions you take.

Are you ready to make a change in your life? Are you ready to commit to yourself and your success? Put your action where your vision is! Start now.