Editing Goal setting (section)

==In personal life==

=== Identifying sub-goals ===
Common personal goals include losing weight, achieving good grades, and saving money. The strategy for goal setting begins with the big picture; taking a look at the big picture before breaking it into smaller components allows one to focus on the primary goal. Once the main goal is set, breaking it up into smaller, more achievable components helps in the planning portion of setting the goal.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=William E. |last2=Kelley |first2=Nicholas J. |last3=Kim |first3=Jinhyung |last4=Tang |first4=David |last5=Hicks |first5=Joshua A. |date=2015-12-10 |title=Motivating the academic mind: high-level construal of academic goals enhances goal meaningfulness, motivation, and self-concordance |journal=Motivation and Emotion |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=193–202 |doi=10.1007/s11031-015-9522-x |s2cid=39475261 |url=http://sites.northwestern.edu/nkelley/files/2015/12/DavisetalMOEM2016-2gs4z46.pdf |issn=0146-7239 |access-date=2016-05-13 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001250/http://sites.northwestern.edu/nkelley/files/2015/12/DavisetalMOEM2016-2gs4z46.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> These smaller, more obtainable objectives promote self-esteem and provide instant feedback to keep the individual on task.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mouratidis |first1=Athanasios |last2=Lens |first2=Willy |date=2015-09-29 |title=Adolescents' psychological functioning at school and in sports: the role of future time perspective and domain-specific and situation-specific self-determined motivation |journal=Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology |volume=34 |issue=8 |pages=643–673 |doi=10.1521/jscp.2015.34.8.643 |issn=0736-7236}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lens |first1=Willy |last2=Paixao |first2=Maria Paula |last3=Herrera |first3=Dora |last4=Grobler |first4=Adelene |date=2012-05-12 |title=Future time perspective as a motivational variable: content and extension of future goals affect the quantity and quality of motivation |journal=Japanese Psychological Research |doi=10.1111/j.1468-5884.2012.00520.x |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234795359 |access-date=2016-05-13 |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=321–333}}</ref>

=== Time and task management ===
[[Time management]] is the practice of systematically finishing tasks assigned by superiors or one's self in an efficient and timely manner. Time management steps require identifying the objective and laying out a plan that maximizes efficiency and execution of the objective.<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of business and finance |editor-last=Kaliski |editor-first=Burton S |publisher=Macmillan Reference USA |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-02-866061-5 |oclc=64084686 |edition=2nd |location=Detroit |pages=733–735 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofbu0000unse |url-access=registration }}</ref> There are many useful [[mobile app]]s that help with personal goal setting; some of the categories include budgeting, wellness, calendar and productivity apps.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/588-best-productivity-apps.html |title=20 best productivity apps |last=Corpuz |first=John |date=2016-05-04 |website=[[Tom's Guide]] |access-date=2016-05-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2485287,00.asp |title=The 25 best fitness apps for 2016 |last=Duffy |first=Jill |date=2016-01-06 |website=[[PC Magazine]] |access-date=2016-05-13}}</ref>

The book ''What They Don't Teach You in the Harvard Business School'' is known for citing a study which found that written goals have a significant effect on financial success, but in 1996 ''Fast Company'' determined that this study did not occur.<ref name="dominican">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dominican.edu/dominicannews/study-highlights-strategies-for-achieving-goals|title=Study focuses on strategies for achieving goals, resolutions — Dominican University of California|website=www.dominican.edu|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115170659/http://www.dominican.edu/dominicannews/study-highlights-strategies-for-achieving-goals|archive-date=2020-01-15|access-date=2016-09-30}}</ref> In 2015, a research study on goals found those who wrote them down accomplished them at a significantly higher rate than those who did not.<ref name="dominican" />

=== Life goals ===
There is evidence that setting and reflecting on progress life goals are an effective intervention to provide both a sense of purpose and increase happiness.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schippers|first=Michaéla|title=Ikigai: Reflection on life goals optimizes human performance and happiness|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/154420667.pdf|access-date=3 April 2021}}</ref> In particular, setting life goals based on others leads to more positive emotions and therefore has a more positive impact on happiness than goals focused on oneself. Further evidence for this effect is provided by the more broader personal benefits of prosocial behavior and acts of kindness towards others rather than self care/focusing on oneself.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nelson|first1=S. Katherine|last2=Layous|first2=Kristin|last3=Cole|first3=Steven W.|last4=Lyubomirsky|first4=Sonja|date=September 2016|title=Do unto others or treat yourself? The effects of prosocial and self-focused behavior on psychological flourishing|journal=[[Emotion (journal)|Emotion]]|volume=16|issue=6|pages=850–861|doi=10.1037/emo0000178|issn=1931-1516|pmid=27100366|s2cid=3964903 |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7pf57270}}</ref>

=== Recovery from illness and injury ===
There is evidence from randomized control trials that goal setting treatments improved executive function, attention/working memory, and learning in stroke patients. As well as suggesting that there is a motivational element to vascular cognitive impairment caused by strokes, or at least in terms of recovering from them, goal setting does appear to be a useful, easy to implement and cost effective solution to improve cognitive outcomes in stroke patients.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fishman Keera N.|last2=Ashbaugh Andrea R.|last3=Swartz Richard H.|date=2021-02-01|title=Goal Setting Improves Cognitive Performance in a Randomized Trial of Chronic Stroke Survivors|journal=Stroke|volume=52|issue=2|pages=458–470|doi=10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.032131| issn=0039-2499|pmid=33467876|doi-access=free}}</ref>