What's The Most Effective Way To Set Goals?

Research recently conducted by Psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews of Dominican University of California shows that people who wrote down their goals, shared this information with a friend, and sent weekly progress to that friend were on average 33% more successful in accomplishing their stated goals than those who just set goals but did not write them down.

Participants came from the United States, Belgium, England, India, Australia and Japan and included a variety of entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare professionals, artists, attorneys, bankers, marketers, human services providers, managers, vice presidents, and directors of non-profit companies.

What happened in this study?

Participants were randomly assigned to one of 5 conditions (groups):
Group 1 - were simply asked to think about their goals - Unwritten Goal
Group 2 - Written Goal
Group 3 - Written Goal & Action Commitments
Group 4 - Written Goal, Action Commitments to a Friend
Group 5 - Written Goal, Action Commitments and Progress Reports to a Friend

Broadly categorized, participants’ goals included completing a project, increasing income, increasing productivity, improving organization, enhancing performance/achievement, enhancing life balance, reducing work anxiety, and learning a new skill.  Specific goals ranged from writing a chapter of a book to listing and selling a house.

At the end of 4 weeks participants were asked to rate their progress and the degree to which they had successfully completed their goals.

What did the evidence show?

Group 1 - (Unwritten Goals) only accomplished 43 % of their stated goals.
Group 2 - (written goal) achieved 61% of their goals.
Group 3 - (Written Goal & Action Commitments) successfully completed 51%
Group 4 - (Written Goal, Action Commitments to a Friend) accomplished 64% of their stated goals.
Group 5 - (Written Goal, Action Commitments & Progress Reports to a Friend.) were the most successful, with an average 76% of their goals accomplished.

In conclusion

“My study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of three coaching tools: accountability, commitment, and writing down one’s goals,” Matthews said.

Those who wrote their goals accomplished significantly more than those who did not write their goals.  Secondly those who sent their commitments to a friend accomplished significantly more than those who wrote action commitments alone or did not write their goals at all. Finally, the study shows that Written Goal, Action Commitments & Progress Reports is the most effective way to set goals. The corporate world has many similarities to elite sports. This final group uses high performance goal setting strategies that many of the leading professionals and elite athletes use. This is one tool the best use to get better!

[i] Gail Matthews, Ph.D., “Written Goal Study,” Dominican University of California, 2007