How to Set Daily Goals

Are you not happy with the feeling of a messy life? Maybe you have big plans for life, but don’t know how to achieve them. While it’s important to write down your goals, it’s also important to find ways to realize and achieve them. You may find that with personal growth and achieving your goals, you can improve your overall well-being and happiness.

Table of Contents

Write down your goals

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Make a list of all your goals. Write down your weekly, monthly, yearly, or life goals. This list will allow you to rank your goals according to their importance to you. Take some extra time to think about how much time each goal will take and if it’s achievable. ^{[1] X Sources of Research Bandura, A. (1977). Autonomy: Towards a unified theory of behavior change. Psychology Newsletter, 84, 191–215.}^{[2] X Research Source Schunk, DH (1991). Autonomy and academic motivation. Educational psychologist, 26, 207–231.}

When listing your goals, always try to be as specific as possible. That way, you clearly understand the steps you need to take to achieve any of your life goals or short-term goals.

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Break your goal down into daily steps. Once you’ve figured out your dreams and ideals for the future, choose a few specific goals to help you achieve them. If the goal is big or long-term, break it down into smaller goals and steps. Make sure you have enough time to complete big projects or goals. That way, every day you can work towards achieving those projects or goals. ^{[3] X Sources Austin, JT, & Vancouver, JB (1996). Goal formulation in psychology: Structure, process, and content. Psychology Bulletin, 120, 338–375.}^{[4] X Research Sources Locke, EA, & Latham, GP (2006). New directions in goal setting theory. Contemporary Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 265–268.}

Break down a goal into daily goals or steps to reduce stress for yourself, making you happier in the long run. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Set milestones and deadlines. Don’t focus too much on setting daily goals or smaller goals, it will cause you to lose sight of the goal or the overall plan. Setting deadlines and meeting them will give you a sense of accomplishment, increase motivation, and let you know what’s working and what’s not.

Try to use your calendar as a visual cue to help you commit to the goals and timelines you’ve set for yourself. You will also get a sense of extreme satisfaction when crossing out a completed goal or destination.

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Apply the SMART model for goal setting . Look at each of your goals and write down if it’s specific (Specific), measurable, achievable (Attainable), relevant or realistic (Realistic), and has a timeframe time, time (Time) like. ^{[6] X Research Source} For example, here’s how you can take a vague goal, like “I want to be a healthier person”, and make it more specific using the SMART approach: ^{[7 ] X Research Source}

Specifically: “I want to improve my health by losing a few pounds.”
It can be measured: “I want to improve my health by losing 10 kg”.
Achievable: Although you can’t lose 45 kg, 10 kg is an achievable goal.
Relevant/realistic: You can remind yourself that losing 10 pounds will give you more energy and make you feel happier. Remember that you are not doing this for anyone.
Deadline: “I want to improve my health by losing 10 kg in the next year, with an average weight loss of 0.7 kg a month.”

Set achievable daily goals

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Set a specific time frame. With short-term goals, ask yourself how long the project should last and set a deadline. If it’s a longer goal, consider how long each step will take and add time to each of them. It’s best to add a little extra time (maybe days or weeks), just in case something unexpected happens. No matter what kind of goal it is, you need to make sure it’s achievable.

For example, if you’re working a full-time job, volunteering for 10 hours, exercising for 5 hours, adding 20 hours a week to your goal may not be realistic. It will make it harder for you to commit to and accomplish your goals.

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Set a daily routine. If your lifestyle and goals allow, create a daily routine. While routine may sound inflexible or boring, it can reduce your stress by keeping you on track. Habits are important in long-term goals, as they keep you on track towards your goals. They also help you develop good habits and create a structure for you. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You don’t have to frame every hour of each day, you just need to set goals for that day. For example, you might plan to work 3 hours, exercise for 1 hour, and work for the next 2 hours.

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Track your progress. Every day, pay attention to where you are on the way to your goal. If the more distant, possibly long-term goal of life is to become more flexible, it’s best to set milestones. Milestones allow you to track gradual progress, which in turn can motivate you to keep working towards your goals. Tracking your achievements will let you look back at how far you’ve come and what you’ve accomplished. ^{[9] X Trusted Source Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Go to source}

Take the time to measure your actions and achievements against your goal list and timeline. You may need to readjust your plan if you find yourself moving faster or slower than expected.

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Step by step. You may be eager to start a big project or goal. While that’s great, consider how much you can actually do. If you set unrealistic goals or have to do too much work, your motivation and interest in that project may suffer. Try to take it one step at a time and remind yourself that you are working towards your goal. ^{[10] X Trusted Source American Psychpogical Association Go to Source}

For example, if you’re interested in improving your health by making changes to your diet, regular exercise, sleep plan, and TV habits, you may be overwhelmed. Instead, focus on one problem at a time or do several things at once, but set small goals for each. It will make you more productive in the long run.

Steps

Write down your goals

Set achievable daily goals

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