Now, Not Later

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Everyone I've met has at least one realistic dream they'd like to see come true.

They'd like to have a good body. Or be nicer. Or learn a hobby.

But when I ask them what they're doing to make it come true, almost always, stripping away the wishy-washy, what I hear is “nothing”.

Not surprising. Our brains were wired to be short-sighted.

Procrastination isn't a mark of the lazy. It's the default, a mark of normality.

Animated Hyperbolic Discounting - now not later

Although college kids are the most likely to wait until the last minute, the problem is universal. According to online goal setting community 43things.com , stop procrastination is the third most popular goal (no surprise, lose weight is #1).

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The World’s Best (Free) Guide to Goal Setting

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Dream big dreams; only big dreams have the power to move men’s souls.

-Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome

It's a paradox. It's the big goals that excite us and get us to stop hitting the snooze button. They make us feel alive. They make the boring interesting, and the frustrating exciting.

But it's the big goals that are the least likely to end up accomplished.

After a short burst of energy, the excitement and interest fizzles. And then, maybe, you get excited once again. And then, just like last time, after a short burst of energy, the excitement fizzles and takes you back to where you started, with little or no progress to show for it.

For much of my life, I've set only realistic goals. Goals that could be easily accomplished. After all, what's the point of dreaming big if the obvious result is failure?

But I've gotten greedy. I'd rather get work done AND feel inspired.

I don't want to have just enough motivation to get by. I want as much as possible. More motivation equals more energy and more life.

Are you greedy too?

Do you want more accomplishment, more energy, more happiness, more life?

Then welcome to the world's best free guide to goal setting.

Inspiration Rollercoaster

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A 2 x 2 Achievement Goal Framework

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Learn about the 2X2 achievement goal framework and understand a better way to view (and plan) your goals. What is the 2×2 achievement goal framework? Until 2001, when this study was published, goals were divided into three types: mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance: Mastery Performance-Approach Performance-Avoidance I will score higher than last time. I will score … Read more

The Relationship of Procrastination With a Mastery Goal Versus an Avoidance Goal

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Goals can be classified into many different dimensions. One of the most popular models is the 2×2, approach vs. avoidance vs. mastery vs. performance model:   Approach Avoidance Mastery Mastery-Approach Mastery-Avoidance Performance Performance-Approach Performance-Avoidance   To better understand what each of these dimensions mean, you can read this page on goal setting or this study which … Read more

Performance and Learning Goals for Emotion Regulation

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In an attempt to feel better after experiencing negative emotion, different people use different strategies. Some talk about their problems with others, other try to distract themselves from thinking those negative thoughts, others try to find something positive from the experience. There are two strategies which people can use on their own, without help from … Read more

Child Achievement and Problem-Solving: Two Experimental Studies

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What goal types are most effective for encouraging performance and happiness in children? In this study, two personality variables and three experimental conditions were investigated. Those with a high motive to achieve success performed better and reported higher satisfaction and happiness than those with a high motive to avoid failure. In addition, those with a … Read more

Goal Setting

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[Properly set] goals have been shown to increase performance on well over 100 different tasks involving more than 40,000 participants in at least eight countries working in laboratory, simulation, and field settings. The dependent variables have included quantity, quality, time spent, costs, job behavior measures, and more. The time spans have ranged from 1 minute … Read more

Recognizing the Right type of Gratitude

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This is a guest post from Ciara Conlon, one of Ireland’s best productivity and well-being bloggers. What are you grateful for today? How often do you stop to give thanks for all the gifts you have been given? Recently I met a friend for coffee who described to me the changes she’d been experiencing in … Read more