Everyone talks about the importance of setting goals, but how many people really understand the process of effective goal setting? Goal setting is the foundation for both personal and professional growth and should rank high on your priority list.

There are many areas in which to set goals: career, attitude, financial, artistic, social, and more! It's not necessary to set goals in all areas, but you may want to prioritize which ones you'd like to focus on immediately. Once you start setting and achieving goals in one area, there is a natural "spillover" effect into the other areas.

Goal setting should follow a formula: S.M.A.R.T- specific, measurable, action-oriented, reasonable, and timely. An example might be: Lose 20 pounds through 90 minutes of exercise (4 times per week) and changing my eating habits over a 4 month period. As you can see we have laser focus on what we want to achieve, how we are going to achieve it, and when we expect results. Much better than saying "I want to lose weight".

Another important aspect is positive language. Too often goals sound like painful work! Instead of a "to-do" list, how about an "action list" or "an action plan". Proper language should inspire, motivate and give you solutions, not cause you stress and be something you dread.

Chunking a goal into manageable steps is another helpful tool that is under utilized. Often we set goals and as we start we get overwhelmed, the goal falls by the wayside. If the goal seems too big, break it down into steps that are achievable, but still challenge you.

I suggest as you plan your weekly and daily goals that you rank them in A, B, C order. A-being critical and must be completed that day; B-important, but could wait 1 day; and C-would like to get it done, but it could wait a few days. In this way, your goals are consistently being rotated up the priority level and are accomplished much more efficiently.

Finally, I think that visualization is an awesome tool to have in your toolbox when it comes to goal setting. Seeing the concepts that you are working toward is a powerful motivator that will keep you energized and on track.

Author's Bio: 

Danielle Miller, The Toolbox Teacher, is a former special education teacher with over ten years of experience in goal-setting, steps to success, and finding your passion. She is a teacher/coach, speaker, and author. Her passion is educating and inspiring others to find and pursue their passion.