Benefits of writing down goals

byAlanG

385 followers

Updated 10 years ago

I have observed many people in my life and found that most people don’t write their goals down — and as a result accomplish very little in their life. Alternatively, I have met many people who have clearly written goals and accomplished much more than they could ever imagined they would.

Millions of people are wondering what to do and what not to do. Millions live purposelessly and die purposelessly. On the other hand there are many successful people who achieve greatness — largely because they take the time to set goals. And work towards the achievement of those goals until they are completed.

One thing is painfully clear from what I have observed — the people who maintain clearly written goals are more successful than people who don’t write their goals down. There are many benefits of writing down your goals; it’s well worth your time. I and many others do it, so hopefully you’ll make the commitment to do so as well.

Now let’s consider the top 7 benefits of writing down your goals…

1. It will give you a road-map for what to do next. How will you achieve anything if you don’t know what to achieve? How will you reach your destination, if you don’t know where to go?

Having your goals clearly written down helps you do move forward towards your goals. It will help you to stay determined and focused. Having written goals will help you to concentrate your mind on one desired outcome (and the steps needed to see it to completion). Without knowing what to do, you can do nothing.

2. You have a reason to start your day. It also gives you the actions necessary to see the end result you’re hoping for. We waste a lot of our time in deciding what to do and what not to do. But if you have clear written goals you can kick start your day instantly. Millions of people waste their entire lives because they don’t have a reason to start their day. So, to start your day, you must write down your goals clearly (including the necessary supporting action steps).

3. It keeps you on track. If you know the destination, it will keep you on track. Suppose you are going to a place 100 miles away from home, it is possible that you might take a wrong turn, but you can ask someone for directions and get back on track quickly. Everyone has experienced this at one time or another in their life. So, knowing where to go will keep you on track if you get distracted or end up heading the wrong way. Having your goals written down — can act as a well needed road map when we find ourselves off track with regards to the direction we want our lives to go.

4. Easy to track your progress. If you know what you are heading for, you can track your progress easily. What can be analyzed can be improved as well. Tracking your progress will let you know when you need to accelerate your efforts or when to stop it. Even business keeps track of their sales progress chart. So, just like an entrepreneur, writing your goals down will help you to track your progress.

5. It compels you to give extra effort. Once you have written your goals it becomes mandatory for you to achieve your goals. It compels you to give extra efforts, it compels you to get out of your comfort zone and raise your standards. Writing your goals down will make you achieve more success.

6. You don’t get messed up. Writing down your goals will move in the right direction and you don’t get messed up. A neat and tidy study table is more useful than an untidy one. So, once you have written your goals, you can move right towards your goals.

7. Written goals are far more likely to be achieved. Every great company, every entrepreneur has short-term goals, mid-term goals and long-term goals and these goals are more likely to be achieved then goals left unwritten. So, we must write down all the goals we want to achieve. It is a must for every person who wants to achieve success in any area of their life.

Now that you know the benefits of writing down your goals, it is time to write down all your goals and put a deadline around each of them. That is, a time frame for when you want to see each accomplished. Keep all the benefits above in mind as you move forward each everyday making your goals a reality.