Do you write down your goals???

If you hang around the personal development & business world long enough it is likely you will hear a story about a famous Yale study that followed a selection of students for 10 years after the completed their studies. The researchers were looking at whether people who write down goals turned out to be more successful than those that did not write down goals. The study found that the 3% who did write done goals were wealthier than the 97% combined and were also healthier.

Now I don’t blame you, after reading that, if you rush out to buy big blank paper and write out your goals and pin it to the wall. After all, it sounds like a great argument in favour of writing down goals. There is, however one problem; the study did not happen. After an exhaustive investigation from a consultation company, no one could find the study and even tracked down people who would had been at Yale at the time and none could recall this study taking place.

However despite this study not being real, it doesn’t mean there is not valid arguments to write down goals. The common thought process around writing down goals is that it keeps you focussed on the goal. The famous motivational speaker Brian Tracy says he writes down goals every day, which is great and it appears to have worked for him. I have found creatively minded people have a lot of stuff flowing around in their head and sometimes comment about being difficult to ‘switch off’. Writing down goals for this type of person can help ease the load in their head and provide more structure around which goal would be beneficial to start with first.

Alternatively I have known people who have a goal, but don’t write it down. They go straight into doing steps that move them closer to their goal. This person is intently focussed on the process and they want to get started straight away. Entrepreneurs tend to do this where they have an idea about what they want to do and rather than doing a whole goal writing ritual, they move and get started. Sure, they might write something down, but it can be as informal as writing it on a napkin.

The truth is, the act of writing down goals has to provide a function for you. If you find that writing down your goals gets you motivated and focussed on what you need to do and then you do it, it has a function and is a required cog in the ritual of achieving goals.

Yet if you find that you have a goal and it is constantly on the forefront of your mind, that might be enough. As long as you are doing action steps that are taking you closer to your goal, writing down your goals are not required.

All of this is about being aware of what works for you. Don’t consistently do something because a big shot motivational speaker told you that you need to do it. This is a quick fire way to feel frustrated when you constantly forget to do your ‘daily goal writing process’.

Listen to what other people advise, but then chisel away at the pieces that are not relevant to you until you come to a method and process that consistently works for you.

Aaron Morton
www.ajmorton.com