People usually set goals at the beginning of the year, as part of the whole New-Year’s-Resolution movement. But let’s explore a little more about the benefits of setting goals overall.

Professionals are usually categorized as being the “masters” of goal setting. They seemingly have this seamless ability to work full-time, spend time with family, be active in their community, and still have time for hobbies, travel, etc.

Effective Time Management

While setting goals can be attributable to attaining a successful balance with these facets of life, it’s the derived benefit of goal setting that’s important here: effective time management. These ‘models’ of success have the same 24 hours as everyone else. The secret lies in their ability to manage their time wisely, effectively. Solid and constructive goal setting relies on proper time management. Conversely, time management is a benefit of setting goals. The two concepts are intertwined.

Benefits of Setting Goals

People considered professionals aren’t the only ones benefiting from setting goals. Goal setting is paramount for achieving facets of success in life. Successful entertainers, reporters, doctors, athletes would surely list goal setting as a key component to their prominent success. Even those without ‘prominent’ success likely had a plan with measurable milestones. ‘Success’ is relative.

As a fiction writer, my goals center around book-writing things: finishing a character profile, wrapping up a chapter, completing some facet of editing—that sort of thing. I also have goals associated with attaining a certain level of ‘success’ in terms of my readership. However, my book-writing goals are the stepping stones to reaching that bigger goal.

A primary benefit of goal setting: it serves as a roadmap. Goals identify areas of your life you want to improve. Even a solitary goal impacts multiple areas of your life or requires diverse skills in attaining it. If the goal is realistic, meaningful, feasible, and specific, you have some direction for focusing your energies. The goal. The steps getting there. Roadmap.

Setting Goals: the “Time” factor

Getting back to the time aspect of setting goals, another crucial component (and derived benefit) is setting a date. Without a date, the goal has no ‘compass,’ and amounts to little more than a daydream. Having a date provides a way for measuring progress. With a realistic date in mind, there’s also a mechanism for breaking the goal into manageable baby steps. Managing the steps to a goal is a building block for developing time management.

Lastly, another benefit from setting goals, is having vision. Whereas the roadmap aspect of goal setting provides direction, and a date provides measurement and time management, the vision component enables you ‘see’ yourself. You get perspective on who you are and where you are in life. Being able to see yourself in terms of your goal(s) brings a clarity offering contentment or possibly new insight into who you are … or want to be.

You may not be able to predict the future, but, after gaining the benefits of proper goal setting and achievement, it’ll sure look that way.

Who knew? Well,… you did.

Until next time, stay serif.