Goals are good for you. Without them, you probably wouldn’t have much direction, and you likely wouldn’t have the drive to pursue anything meaningful with your life. Having something to look forward to can help keep you focused and firmly on your path — usually. Too much of a good thing can be bad for you, and that’s especially true when it comes to goals.
Why Goals Are Important
One key to success is to make clear, concise goals and make a plan toward meeting them. Put it all in writing, so you can measure your progress and adjust your strategy periodically to stay on track. According to Forbes, goals trigger positive behaviors, guide your focus and help you sustain momentum. What’s more, achieving goals builds character, which can help you grow into the type of person who can set and achieve even bigger goals.
The Danger of Setting Too Many
Having too many goals may undermine your success and leave you spinning your wheels. When you have too many goals, you can’t focus. It’s too difficult to make any progress when you’re overloaded, so it’s only natural that you’ll fail or fall short somewhere. This can have a profound effect on your self-esteem and may even lead to serial quitting.
To be successful, you should only set one or two goals at a time. When you succeed with one or both of them, you can move on to the next items on your list. It’s also important to set a realistic timeline. Trying to do one goal in an unrealistically short amount of time can have the same effect as having too many goals.
What to Do When You Set Too Many
If you’ve already set too many goals, don’t fret. You can get a handle on it all. The Muse recommends looking for overlaps in your goals and eliminating any redundancies. For example, if you want to exercise more and train for a marathon, why not count your training time as exercise time as well?
If you still have too much to do at once, try working on your goals consecutively instead of concurrently. To do this, make a list and rate them from most to least important. Then, work your way through the list, from the top to the bottom. You can also lighten your load by giving yourself more time to achieve certain goals.
Goals are an important tool that you can use to better yourself, slay college and get the life you want. However, setting too many may overwhelm you, making it impossible for you to do anything. If you find yourself struggling under the weight of too many goals, you need to take a step back and prioritize. This will allow you to gain traction in achieving the most important items on your list. When those are accomplished, you can tackle more.
~Here’s to Your Success!
Copyright 2019, DegreeAdvisers.com
