Studies show that putting your SMART goals into writing and reviewing them regularly will increase your chances of success. In fact, studies show that you are as much as 42% more likely to follow through with your goals if you write them down. Writing your goals down will help you get a clear picture of your plan and what you want to accomplish.
Logging your goals will also help motivate you to complete the tasks needed in order for the success of your goal. Frequently reviewing what you’ve written will aid in reminding you of your plan, as well as remind you of your “why,” which in turn, boosts your motivation to keep progressing toward your goal. If you haven’t taken advantage of downloading my “Win the Home Stretch” goal planner, it’s not too late. Get yours here.
Why is writing down your goals helpful?
Writing your goals down as you set them will help your brain encode the plan, further solidifying your goal. The mere act of writing an idea down makes it more likely you will remember it. This is the reason college students take notes in lectures, as note-taking provides a much higher probability of remembering the information.
Similarly, when you draft your goal in writing, you have a better chance of success. After writing out your goal, be sure to place it somewhere that you can see it easily like on the fridge, your phone, a mirror, or at your desk. These are all excellent areas that you will see often throughout the day. Seeing the words you wrote out serves as a reminder and as motivation to continue with your efforts.
Where should you write and reflect on your goals?
When it comes to writing down goals, I personally love my ReMarkable tablet for distraction free writing that I can’t misplace. The ease and versatility of keeping documents organized makes it the perfect place to plan, write, and track goals. I especially love how easy it is to find my recent journaling entries, goals, and other thoughts.
Not only will you be reminded of your goal by seeing the words written, but it’s also a great chance to take some time to review your current goals and how they are going.
Regularly, actively reviewing your written goals will increase your chances of success. An active review of your goal should include contemplating the reasons behind your motivation of the goal, your “why.” This time spent thinking about the reasons you set the particular goal will boost your motivation by reminding you why the goal matters to you, why you set it, and what you expect to gain from it.
Reviewing your goal will aid in renewed purpose and incentive, ultimately bumping up your likelihood of success. If you use a digital assistant, you can set Alexa, Siri, or Google home to remind you to review your goals at the same day and time every week.
Make things easier for yourself
Countless studies find that writing out your goals produces higher success rates. Placing the words you’ve written in an easily accessible spot and reviewing them often will also help ensure that you follow through with the SMART goals you set for yourself.
I’d love to help you do just that and offer you my one-of-a-kind goal creation and tracking “Win the Home Stretch” planner with plenty of room to explore every aspect of your goals for a more effective and successful result.