New year means new plans and new aims. People can’t wait to share them with others! For example, to tell that you are going to learn a second language, lose weight, learn to draw and so on. But after a while motivation to do it disappears somewhere and created to-do list gathering dust on the shelf. We will tell you why it happens and how to set targets.
Mental traps
It may seem, what’s wrong with sharing your plans for the future? You have told, you have dreamed and… sit on your plans. It seems to be so anxious to implement the conceived as quickly as it’s possible, but soon your aspiration disappeared. That is happening because a person, who talks to someone about his or her plans, falls into a trap without noticing it. The brain does not see the difference between reality and imagination. In one of the researches published in APS, scientists have concluded that when a person wants to deliver on target, consciousness tries to help: it is looking for ways to achieve the goal, calculates all the tracks and chooses the best.
However, if people tell others about their plans, the brain takes desirable  for real. In psychology, this is called social reality, the effect of having consciousness trapped in a completed action, feeling that everything is already done.
«Smart» formula
Instead of rattling about your plans it is better to articulate the goal for yourself. A clear statement of purpose is the first step towards achieving it, so it is important to pay special attention to the correct formulation. To do this, there is a universal formula SMART, which will help to set the goal properly.
SMART is an abbreviation, each letter of which indicates what the purpose should be. SMART stands for the following:
S – specific. The goal should be specific, for this you need to define clearly the outcome, what should happen after it is achieved;
M – measurable. The formulation should contain clear quantitative or qualitative indicators that the goal has been achieved;
A – achievable. When setting a goal, it is important to understand whether you have a chance to achieve it;
R – relevant. Moving to the goal will be easier if you understand for what you need it;
T – time based. The time frame is necessary to ensure that the goal set for a year will not be postponed to the next one.
| Incorrectly | Correctly |
| To lose weight | By June, lose 7 kg (from 67 kg to 60 kg) to go to the sea |
Set goals correctly and achieve them!
By author Anastasiya Yakovleva