drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
Shut Up About Your Goals
Studies show that telling others about your goals makes you less likely to achieve them. Here's why, plus a better method.
by Chris Shugart
The typical advice about goal setting: Set a goal then tell people about it. That will keep you accountable. The problem? It seldom works. In fact, it can have the opposite effect. Multiple psychological studies, some going back as far as 1927, back this up. But here's the gist: When you tell someone about your goal, you get a sense of satisfaction and even a little tingling sense of achievement. Your mind becomes somewhat content, as if you've already achieved that goal. Announcing the goal makes you feel closer to achieving it even though you haven't actually done any work yet. Psychologists call this a problem of "social reality" or "social acknowledgment." You've identified with an end goal and get a little smug about the thing you haven't done yet. This is also known as having a premature sense of completeness.
A Better Method: First, shut up. Resist the urge to talk about your goal. Delay the sense of gratification. Be the person that achieves cool things, not the person who talks about achieving cool things and never does. Or do as Derek Sivers says: Go ahead and talk about your goal but do so in way that doesn't give you much satisfaction. Two examples: 1. My goal is to stop drinking sodas. It's going to suck. 2. My goal is to bench press 400 pounds. It'll take a year or more of intense effort.
Another problem: people are dicks. Or at least some of them are. They're dealing with their own inner whirlwind of insecurities, and when someone decides to do something great, well, that hurts their wittle feelings. They usually won't blatantly discourage you, but they will do it in more subtle ways: little comments or small actions that cause you to waver. Tell your coworker your goal is to lose 10 pounds and sure enough she'll shove a cookie in your face because, "You deserve a reward." The bitch. Better to keep your mouth closed, do your thing, and celebrate your actual achievements, not your make-believe good intentions.
Studies show that telling others about your goals makes you less likely to achieve them. Here's why, plus a better method.
by Chris Shugart
The typical advice about goal setting: Set a goal then tell people about it. That will keep you accountable. The problem? It seldom works. In fact, it can have the opposite effect. Multiple psychological studies, some going back as far as 1927, back this up. But here's the gist: When you tell someone about your goal, you get a sense of satisfaction and even a little tingling sense of achievement. Your mind becomes somewhat content, as if you've already achieved that goal. Announcing the goal makes you feel closer to achieving it even though you haven't actually done any work yet. Psychologists call this a problem of "social reality" or "social acknowledgment." You've identified with an end goal and get a little smug about the thing you haven't done yet. This is also known as having a premature sense of completeness.
A Better Method: First, shut up. Resist the urge to talk about your goal. Delay the sense of gratification. Be the person that achieves cool things, not the person who talks about achieving cool things and never does. Or do as Derek Sivers says: Go ahead and talk about your goal but do so in way that doesn't give you much satisfaction. Two examples: 1. My goal is to stop drinking sodas. It's going to suck. 2. My goal is to bench press 400 pounds. It'll take a year or more of intense effort.
Another problem: people are dicks. Or at least some of them are. They're dealing with their own inner whirlwind of insecurities, and when someone decides to do something great, well, that hurts their wittle feelings. They usually won't blatantly discourage you, but they will do it in more subtle ways: little comments or small actions that cause you to waver. Tell your coworker your goal is to lose 10 pounds and sure enough she'll shove a cookie in your face because, "You deserve a reward." The bitch. Better to keep your mouth closed, do your thing, and celebrate your actual achievements, not your make-believe good intentions.
