Goals for the Long Haul

Some big goals.

Ever try to set a time-bound goal and you run out of time?

Yea, me too. That’s a common problem with setting goals with time as a guide. Here are some of my thoughts on the goal setting process and how to approach this dilemma.

I struggle with setting goals based off of time. For years I’d beat myself up because of it. School projects always got me. Projects at my ex-employer always got me. Especially the really boring ones. The ADHD here is real folks. But I’m not the only one and it’s not just ADHDers.

Psychologists, sport psychologists and mental performance consultants, have for years traditionally taught us when goal setting, to use the acronym: SMART S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Acheivable, R-Relavant, T-Time-bound.

That last one. “Time-bound” gets me every time. I can set a goal of two hours to write this and I’ll guarantee you that’s not going to happen.

I have really no idea how long this will take.

For someone who gravitates to writing they may be able to better guess - and produce the work. Not me. Not yet.

Set a bigger scarier goal and the time-bound piece gets more challenging. Take for example my initial attempt at qualifying for the Boston Marathon that I thought would take a year or two, not the eight years it did… Now, with experience, and having qualified four times prior, I know what it takes and I know with reasonable certainty I can qualify this year.

Experience equals self-efficacy and confidence.

The time-bound piece can wreck havoc on our ego’s and confidence. We say we’re going to do something by ‘X’ date but in reality we can’t control what happens tomorrow.

I’m not about to suggest we throw the time-bound piece away. I think we can still use time-bound, but for different types of goals. Goals that are short-term and process driven.

“I’m going to get this blog done by tomorrow.” That’s more realistic.

A big scary goal - qualifying for the Boston Marathon or Finishing Lead Challenge (Like i’ve been trying for the last nine years) may have to be broken into smaller pieces. Bite size chunks or atomic habits as James Clear suggests in his book Atomic Habits.

I’m going to run today.

I’m going to complete my interval work on Thursday.

I am going to run 18 miles on Sunday.

Now you see the picture. These smaller goals and habits become achievable when time-bound.

For this blog - I’m going to write several paragraphs this afternoon.

Whoa…looky here. I just got that done and I’m on to the next.

Stack them up brick-by-brick. That’s what the time-bound piece is for.

Stacking them and inching forward.

Here are several ways to look at goal-setting that may help you address this struggle:

Don’t Use SMART Goals for Big Scary Goals. Use WOOP Goals.

WOOP goal setting is a well researched formula that helps us tackle long range goals developed by psychologist Gabriele Oettingen.

W- What’s the wish you’d like to achive.

O-What’s the Outcome look and feel like?

O-Obstacles, what obstacles do you currently forsee in the way?

P-Plan for the obstacles.

Use SMART Goals for Smaller Chunks

I use a slightly different version of SMART Goals. This verision was revised by Russ Harris a medical doctor and Acceptance and Committment Therapy therapist and educator.

S-Specific

M-Motivated by Values

A-Adaptive (is this a wise goal to pursue?)

R-Realistic, do I have the time and resources to pursue it?

T-Time-based.

Now, I’m sure there are those of you who will argue that time-bound outcome goals will help motivate you - that’s awesome. I think that’s a driving force. However, they can also force us into imperitives that we don’t necessarily have control over “I NEED” to get this done this year. What if I don’t?

If I can set them flexibly and dig deep into the obstacles like when I use WOOP Goals, then I’m going to have a better chance of achieving it. Then I can use the SMART goals to drive my daily goals and systems to get to the big HAIRY Goal.

Process Goals

These are the small controllable steps we can take every single day. When we work here in systems and processes. We start to stack those bricks.

I’m going to write for 15-minutes. (brick stacked) I’m going to take a gel every 25-minutes during the race.

Brick stacked. Step-by-step, inch-by-inch we get closer.

Setting Intentions

Intentions are purposeful, guiding thoughts or aims that reflect what you want to focus on or embody in your actions, mindset, or behavior. Unlike goals, which are often outcome-focused, intentions emphasize the process and are rooted in the present moment. They serve as an anchor for your values, helping you align your daily actions with what truly matters to you.

Example: Your goal might be to “run a marathon in under four hours,” while an intention could be “to approach my training with curiosity and self-compassion.”

Lastly, bring to the equation personal values.

How do you want to treat yourself, others and the world around you? For every goal there’s a personal value that can be linked to it. (I’ll be talking about that next week.) I’m running a marathon because I value ’fitness and competition.’

Obviously, there are so many spins on goal setting. The key piece that I’m trying to share here is that we need to be flexible, patient and compassionate in our approach. When we do that we’re more likely to see the success in the long haul

If you’ve found this interesting please pass it along - I’m also running a webinar on January 29, 2025 to dig into goal setting a bit deeper. Hope to see you there. - Neal