How to Set Better Goals That Will Make You More Productive

With distractions everywhere these days–from browser tabs to phone notifications–it can seem challenging if not impossible to actually get major things done. So how can we be more productive in the digital age?

One of the best things you can do to increase your productivity is to adjust the way you set your goals so you’ll be more likely to follow through and complete them.

This article will outline some common pitfalls and a better approach for goal setting and tracking, including the technical tools you can use to keep you accountable. Let’s get started.

Properly Frame Your Goal and Make It Specific

One common issue is that goals we set for ourselves are too vague, which makes it difficult to achieve consistent progress.

To give an example, I might say my goal is “writing a new book.”

The problem with this is that without more detail, there is no real way to track how I’m doing. It’s also difficult to even identify what my next step should be to get me closer to that goal.

One helpful framework you may be familiar with is to set goals that are “SMART.” This means they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

I don’t think it’s necessary to consciously apply every element of this acronym, but the idea of specificity is crucial.

Taking my “writing a book” example, a better way to phrase the goal could be “Finish a 60,000 word book draft by July 1.”

Determine the Next Step to Keep the Ball Rolling

Once you have a better-framed goal, you can next translate it into concrete steps, or daily productivity goals, to get there.

If all I have is this ambitious and intimidating goal of a fully-finished book, I won’t know what to do first to get me closer to that product.

Instead, it’s likely I’ll waste hours on social media looking for “inspiration” while feeling bad about myself for not getting things done.

But once I’ve clarified my goal with a defined word length and deadline, I can easily calculate how many words I should write each month, and then each week, and even per day day if I so choose.

If there are ancillary steps I need to do in order to complete my larger goal of finishing my book draft, like drafting an outline, doing research, or soliciting feedback from an editor, I can work those in when they are needed.

But it’s crucial to avoid getting sucked in to time-consuming but low-reward tasks that won’t move the needle on completing my larger goal.

In this example, that might be connecting with other authors on Twitter and Facebook, or designing business cards to promote the book.

These are things that eat up a lot of time but don’t actually get me closer to my larger goal.

Even if I’ve read or been told that “all authors must do these things!”, I need to personally stay focused on what is actually going to get me to finish my book.

And that’s going to be very little other than actually writing.

Set Goals, But Focus on (and Perfect) Your Habits

Setting goals is great, and necessary, but they alone aren’t what gets things done.

In order to complete your goals you need to you need to cultivate the right habits and build systems for yourself to help you perform the right behaviors.

Research on habit formation overwhelmingly shows the value of starting small.

If I’m finding it difficult to get myself to actually write, I can set a modest daily writing goal that is easy to accomplish and then build on that.

I might be tempted to say I need to write for two hours each morning, which sounds good because it is specific and measurable and will definitely get me to my overall goal of finishing my draft in time.

However, that’s a long period of time to stay focused on writing if I’m not already in the habit.

And if I keep getting distracted or losing focus during that time period, I run the risk of spiraling into a cycle of negativity and less and less productivity.

But if I instead block off just a half hour of uninterrupted time to write every day, that’s a much more realistic target for me to actually accomplish

And once I string together a few days of hitting this target, it becomes easier to gradually expand as I get more into the flow of writing and become capable of staying focused on it for longer periods.

In order to achieve this, it’s important to hone your abilities of avoiding digital distractions as well as “monotasking” instead of multitasking to ensure you are giving all of your attention to the behavior that will allow you to reach your goal.

Choose What Tools to Use to Keep Track of Goals

Along the way, you want regularly see and track your progress for long-term goals as well as your daily or weekly action steps.

I personally use Evernote for my larger and daily goals, but your tool(s) of choice may be another notetaking app or even something like your calendar app if you look at that regularly and use it to plan your days.

You may also prefer to go the low-tech route and write down your goals on a post-it note or in a physical notebook.

It’s largely a personal preference as to how exactly how you set this up, but make sure you’re reviewing progress towards your larger goals on a regular basis, setting daily productivity targets, and scheduling uninterrupted focus time to get it done.

Uncovering Your Deeper Motivations

Finally, as part of your continuing process of reflecting on your goals and progress, make sure to understand the difference between the goals you set and your larger, more abstract aspirations.

For example, let’s say that I’m dead set on writing my book, but when I think more about it (and ask why it is I want to do it), I realize that what I’m truly looking for is to become recognized as an expert in my field.

Perhaps I assume that writing a book is the only way to do this, but in reality I may be able to achieve my desire through some other means, like giving a presentation at a big conference.

And if I don’t enjoy writing every day but love speaking in front of groups, this shift is going to greatly increase my chances of achieving my goal.

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