Why set goals?

A lot of people would like to make some kind of change in their life. They may want to lose weight, stop smoking, get fit, earn more money, spend more time with their friends and family, change their career... the possibilities are endless.

Regardless of what their main goals are, these goals need to be broken down into smaller more specific and manageable pieces in order to achieve them. A common acronym for this type of goal is a smart goal.

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Timely

So for example if you’d like to lose weight then possible goals could be:

“To go for a brisk walk 15 minutes a day, twice a day.”
“To have porridge for breakfast 3 times a week.”
“To have no more than 3 cans of coke a week.”

Once you've created your smart goals, the next - and probably the most important step - is to actively monitor them.

Research has shown that self-monitoring of your goals is the key to achieving them, no matter what they are. As well as reinforcing the motivation to succeed at a goal, and giving more attention to it, it also creates awareness into how you are progressing and what areas you need to improve. Goal Happy allows you to do exactly this.

Goal Happy will soon also help you to achieve you goals by letting you share them with others. You'll be able to let friends, family or health care professionals view reports and monitor your progress. Or you could give them an update on your progress using facebook or twitter. Knowing that someone else is actively monitoring your progress should provide the motivation and social stimulus to achieve your goals.