Why You Should Set Goals

When I was a kid, my dad asked me to make a plan every summer and winter break. Looking back, I completely understand what he was trying to teach me. But in the moment, I absolutely hated it (and subsequently never did it). But in an ironic twist of fate, I now ask all of my students to set goals and make plans for their summers and for the rest of their school years as well.

Goals help you be more deliberate in your life and achieve more. Many will read “achieve more” and have their eyes light up. It’s true that achievement is very important, but in today’s world where most students are locked in a never-ending race to collect more accolades, living a deliberate life is more important than ever. Although I do not condone this brutal culture of competition and achievement, I understand the drive. But I also strongly believe that there is a healthier and more humane way to achieve everything you want: by thoughtfully setting meaningful goals. You can still be a high-achieving powerhouse. But you can also be happier and healthier throughout the process while developing meaning, personal significance, and a strong sense of identity.

First, a quick definition: A goal is a statement of intention. It is a vision of a future world and what you want that world to look like. There are many ways to write a goal; we will cover some of the best practices in a future guide. Now, here is how setting goals can help you:

Focus

First, goals help you focus your energy and resources. Without focus, your efforts are spread out across such a wide field that little motion results. You can frequently observe this in nature: sunlight, which is normally warm and harmless, can quickly start fires when focused by a magnifying glass. In the same way, if your efforts are all pointed in the same direction and are able to form overlapping synergies, then your outcomes will be much better.

Another way to think about is that goals are like destinations. If you’re traveling, having a clear destination is essential. A clear destination allows you to channel your energy and resources in the right direction and you are much better able to ensure that you are getting closer to your destination. Although you can operate without a goal in the same way that you can travel without a destination, your journey becomes more efficient with a goal in mind and you end up wasting less time.

Motivation

Goals and motivation are closely tied to each other. According the expectancy theory, motivation is tied to how much you personally value your goal and how much you believe that you can achieve your goal. If you have no goals, then you are missing out on a very important engine for generating and sustaining your motivation. Even if you are still able to achieve good outcomes, you missing out.

Goals are also motivating because they allow you to visualize your progress and estimate how much effort remains before you reach that better version of the world. Imagine running a 10k. As you see the remaining distance tick down with each step, you build the motivation to push through the burn in your lungs or the pain in your legs. What if you were running a 10k and couldn’t see your current distance? Or what if you were just running and had no idea how long you’d run or how much distance you had remaining? The uncertainty and ambiguity would quickly kill your motivation as you relied on pure discipline to get you through.

At the end of the day, goals are a tool to help you live a happier and healthier life. It can be as grand as wanting a future where you are capable, respected, and fully independent, or it can be as simple as wanting a future where you stop forgetting your keys at home. But this guide is not advocating for you to set goals for every possible thing in your life. Instead, it’s all about what you need at the moment. If you feel that you need the added focus and motivation afforded by goal-setting to achieve a small seemingly insignificant outcome, then you should still set a goal, even if it is a brief and simple one.

If you’re new to goal-setting but want to give it a try, check out these other guides for how to get started.