Most readers will be familiar with the concept of goal setting, but not everyone will be practicing it effectively. Although your To-Do List will contain a selection of short-term objectives, your goals should be targets with which you have an emotional attachment, providing you with the motivation needed to achieve what’s necessary.

With September’s theme being ‘who stole my day?’, it’s important for employees to understand how goal setting can help them win back vital hours by becoming more productive.

In its most basic form, goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to achieve over a particular period. However, your goals can and should be categorised further, making a clear distinction between short and long-term goals, as well as group goals that an entire team of people can work towards.

Once you have identified a set of clearly-defined goals and have built an emotional attachment to achieving them, this will automatically fuel the self-motivation needed to complete the tasks at hand, overcoming any obstacles that stand in the way.

Personal goal setting

It goes without saying that employees are more motivated to complete tasks that feed into their long and short-term goals. Although there will be times when tasks are assigned out of necessity, the quality of work usually improves when an individual is emotionally invested in their work.

This means taking the time to understand the benefits to be gained by the accomplishment of each goal, including the personal satisfaction of the progress that’s been made and the achievement of small and large victories.

Once you get into the daily and weekly routine of setting clear and attainable goals, in line with the greater objectives, you’ll become much more productive as you feed off the self-motivation created by completing tasks.

In order to build a strong emotional attachment with your short and long-term goals, it’s best practice to physically write them down on paper, as research shows you have a stronger commitment to goals recorded in this way.

It’s important to set personal and professional goals too, as success in one area breeds motivation in others, allowing you to speed up your development.

Common goal

Whilst setting personal goals will fuel the self-motivation needed to complete tasks promptly, it’s crucial that your team also establishes a ‘common goal’, ensuring everyone is pulling in the same direction for the greater good of the organisation.

Once people have a clear understanding of their individual roles and their importance in helping the entire team succeed, they are much more likely to remain focussed and deliver high-quality results consistently.

During an uncertain period, like the global pandemic, one shared goal could be as simple as reminding employees that only through hard work and continued productivity, will the business be able to overcome the financial challenges presented.

With the personal and professional success of your colleagues also dependent on your performance, this group mentality and togetherness will boost your daily productivity, helping you achieve more in your day.