Setting goals is a fantastic way to motivate yourself, regardless of what it is you're trying to achieve. Of course what you're trying to achieve is an objective in itself but setting smaller goals gives you something that you can aim for in a shorter phrase which then means you obtain the satisfaction of feeling as though you're making progress as you tick things off of your list.

This specific is why 'gamification' works so well as a way to motivate yourself through challenges. What this means is turning an objective into a game title that you can score yourself on. This suggestions loop provides incentive and reward and helps you to measure your development.

The only problem? Not many people know how to set goals. Read on then and we'll look at how setting the right goal can be the perfect tool to help you complete those challenges.

The Hallmarks of a Good Aim

Exactly how can a goal be either 'good' or 'bad'?

Well, a bad goal would be something that was a) out of your hands and b) too distant to be useful.

This is really what most resolutions and weight loss goals look like. If your goal is to 'lose 30lbs by 2017' then your goal is both somewhat out there of your control and too distant and hazy. Losing 30lbs is an ambitious goal but in case you had a smaller focus on, you can't guarantee likely to ever do it. Different people respond differently to different training and that means you could work really hard for the next two years and not see improvements. Most likely you'd give up well before then after becoming sad. Not much use!

Rather then, try a goal like this: "I will exercise three times weekly for the next 3 months". This is a goal that is now incredibly possible because it's a great deal nearer. At the same time, it's a very binary thing that you can either complete or not - and it's completely down to you whether it happens.

If you give attention to smaller, tightly managed goals like this, then likely to find that you have more of a feeling of reward and the 'overarching' goals care for themselves.