While many are familiar with SMART goals, few are aware of something called SMART+ Goals. Luckily, in a positive psychology class SMART+ goals were introduced and have proven to be an incredibly useful tool. Below provides a brief overview of SMART+ Goals.
Approach vs. Avoidance
It is imperative we leverage thoughtful rhetoric when we frame our goals. Specifically, framing them in a way that is approach-based instead of avoidance-based. Our minds respond differently to the way in which we phrase a goal.
For example, all golfers can relate to this one. If someone says, “Hey see that pond over there, yah do not hit into it”.
Well, that is clear and an obvious goal. However, our mind is now focused on the water. Sometimes our minds do not differentiate or even digest the word “don’t”. Our mind simply hears water and hitting. Subconsciously we then swing the golf club with the intention of not hitting it in the water, but the mind and body forget the “not” part, and we do exactly what we did not want to do.
A simple tool is to frame goals in a positive way. Instead of thinking avoid the water, avoid the water. Reframe it in a way such as, I will hit the ball over here in this area, as I will have a better opportunity to play the hole successfully. Approach the shot with confidence and be thoughtful of your rhetoric. Lean in.
“Avoiding something takes more mental and physical energy than approaching it.”
Miller & Frish, 2009, p.54
Goal Priming Affects Behavior
Of all the aspects of SMART+ Goals, priming has proven to be the most beneficial for me.
Primers are conscious or unconscious cues that are paired together and create a behavioral change. Examples are reminders on your phone, post-its, vision boards, etc.
In grad school, a few courses assigned case studies in place of exams. Case studies were intense, heavily weighted (from a grade perspective), challenging, and time-intensive. To approach the case study in a thoughtful manner, I would block off times to work on it. Specifically, a time when I would experience the least number of interruptions or distractions (for me this was usually in the evening). I would also set up my desk, computer, and any other materials prior to my blocked time. So, when it work time, I could simply sit down and jump right into it. I was priming my environment to be productive.
In the past, I found myself spending valuable time, to get the windows open I needed, preparing the textbooks, the case study materials, etc. Priming my environment helped me save valuable cognitive energy that others wise would have been wasted. Instead, I set my environment up before (primed my environment). Specifically at a time in which my cognitive energy was depleted, as this task doesn’t require extreme focus.
I now do this for writing, reading, and other important projects. Priming not only saves cognitive energy for the task, but it reduces time wasted.
Commitment and Goal Achievement
Accountability can help us accomplish our goals, especially to do tasks we know are important, but we really do not want to do. Many times, we must hold ourselves accountable. If we take the time to reflect on why we are pursuing “X” goal, and the importance of the steps to see it through we can find the motivation required to do the things we don’t want to do but need to do. (Questions below are to be reflected on, and discussed with the individual who will hold you accountable)
- “What is it about this goal that is important to you?”
- “What will achieving this goal do for you.”
- “What effect will this goal have on your life?”
In a behavior and emotion modification study, goal setting was combined with writing a contract to oneself. The study included college students who wrote and signed contracts to themselves committing to do all their reading and assignments for a class (Miller & Frisch, 2009).
Example: I, John Smith, commit to doing all my reading and assignments for English 203.
While the other controlled group did not write themselves a contract. The students who wrote themselves a contract did more work than students who did not make a contract to themselves.
Having a written contract helped the participants increase the probability of meeting their goal by 86%
Miller & Frish, 2009
Implementation Intentions:
Implementation Intentions, is about, setting intentions and preventing pitfalls. Dr. Peter Gollwitzer (1999) coined the term Implementations Intentions, to describe statements in the form of, when situation “x” arises, I will perform response “y” (Gollwitzer, 1999).
Research shows that using implementation intentions tripled the chances of a goal’s success. Interestingly enough, the process proved to particularly effective for hard goals.
The reason this approach works is that it removes ambivalence. You as an individual are affirming what the goal is. There is no “Will I?” or “Will I not?” do this. You are committing to doing it. You take possibly negative experiences… rejection, embarrassment, self-defeat, and you reframe it through the lens of, “What I will do about it,” which is empowering.
The less energy something takes to do the better, creating these mini contracts with yourself makes it easier to create habits. In other words, you are creating multiple pathways to reach the destination and more importantly are accepting that they are multiple ways to achieve or arrive somewhere.
According to Adams-Miller and Frisch (2009), this process works because:
- Removes ambivalence
- Reframes negative experiences into positive ones
- Saves energy and builds good habits
Accountability
Accountability is defined as an organizational situation where individuals are “answerable to external audiences for performing up to certain prescribed standards thereby fulfilling obligations, duties, expectations, and other charges.” (Schlenker et al 1994). Any coach out there knows that Accountability is a critical component of their craft.
To leverage accountability in your life, identify someone other than yourself, that knows and cares about your success, who will help you accomplish whatever goal identified.
- What will you do?
- When will you do it by?
- How will I know?
A study of participants completing a difficult decision-making task that required a lot of information processing was put into groups: (Schlenker et al, 1994). Group 1 was told they would have to report their decision (accountability). While Group 2 was told they would not have to justify their decisions to anyone (no accountability).
Results: Those in the accountability group scored 243% higher on their decisions.
Celebrate Small Wins
Human beings are biologically wired to react well to rewards. Appropriately celebrating what is working helps people want to replicate that behavior more. Energy begets more energy. It gives people something to look forward to. Celebrating small wins can take the form of acknowledging, appropriate complimenting, and gratitude.
The term appropriate is important to note because it is easy to interpret that you should become overly enthusiastic and receive a prize over accomplishing every small task. Celebrating small wins is more about creating rituals where the intention is to be supportive in an authentic way.
Create rituals that celebrate the completion of small tasks, which in turn lead to the completion of larger goals. When appropriately used, celebration facilitates increased motivation and self-efficacy. The celebration does not need to be big or lofty. In order for small wins to be effective, we have to otherwise “curb out enthusiasm”.
References:
Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493
Miller, C. A., & Frisch, M. B. (2011). Creating your best life: the ultimate life list guide. Sterling.
Schlenker, B. R., Britt, T. W., Pennington, J. W., Murphy, R., & Doherty, K. J. (1994). The triangle model of responsibility. Psychological Review, 101, 632-652.
