Goal Setting: The Complete Guide to Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals

Goal setting is the process of deciding clearly what you want to achieve, writing it down with a measure and a deadline, and making a plan to reach it. It is one of the best-researched techniques in psychology: specific, challenging goals, combined with plans and progress tracking, reliably improve performance.

Personal development method · Themes: goals, planning, motivation, achievement

Last updated: 13 November 2026

Written by Saj Ali

Reading time: about 14 minutes

How we wrote this guide: this guide was written by Saj Ali. It brings together goal-setting research, including Locke and Latham’s goal-setting theory and meta-analyses of planning and progress monitoring, with the methods Brian Tracy taught in _Eat That Frog!_, _Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life_ and _Goals!_. Every research claim links to its source.

Goal setting in brief

• What works. Specific, challenging goals beat “do your best”, especially with feedback.
• Make a plan. “If–then” plans about when and where you will act make follow-through much more likely.
• Track progress. Monitoring progress, especially when recorded or shared, helps you reach goals.
• Brian Tracy’s method. Decide, write it down, set a deadline, list the steps, plan, act now, and do something every day.
• Start with. Our SMART goals guide for templates.

Contents

1. What Is Goal Setting?
2. What the Research Shows Works
3. Brian Tracy’s Seven-Step Method
4. The Ten-Goals Exercise
5. SMART Goals and Other Frameworks
6. How to Set Goals That Work: Step by Step
7. A Worked Example
8. A Myth to Avoid: The “3 Percent” Goals Study
9. What the Research Says: At a Glance
10. Common Goal-Setting Mistakes
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Key Takeaways
13. Explore More on Self Help Supermarket
14. Sources

What Is Goal Setting?

A goal is a result you have decided to achieve. Goal setting is the work of turning a wish (“I’d like to be fitter”) into something clear enough to act on (“I will run 5 km without stopping by 1 June”), and then planning how you will get there.

It sounds obvious, but the difference matters. Brian Tracy, who made goal setting the centre of his teaching, put it this way: “A real goal is clear, specific, measurable, and time bounded. A nongoal, a wish or a hope, is fuzzy and unclear” (Tracy, 2003). He called the ability to set goals and make plans for them “the ‘master skill’ of success” (Tracy, 2003).

Psychologists agree that how you set a goal changes how likely you are to reach it. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, summarising 35 years of research, found that specific, difficult goals consistently led to higher performance than vague instructions to “do your best” (Locke & Latham, 2002). Later research added two more ingredients: detailed plans for when and where you will act (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006), and regular tracking of progress (Harkin et al., 2016).

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What the Research Shows Works

Goal setting is unusual among self-help techniques because it has been studied intensively for decades. These are the findings that matter most.

1. Specific, challenging goals beat “do your best”

Locke and Latham’s review found that specific, difficult goals led to better performance than easy or vague goals. Goals work, they explained, by directing attention, increasing effort, encouraging persistence and prompting people to find strategies. The effect is strongest when people are committed to the goal, receive feedback on progress, and when the task is not so complex that a hard goal causes confusion (Locke & Latham, 2002).

2. If–then plans make follow-through much more likely

Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran analysed 94 independent tests of “implementation intentions”, plans in the form “If situation Y happens, then I will do X”. These plans had a medium-to-large positive effect on reaching goals (an average effect size of d = 0.65). They helped people get started, stay on track despite distractions, and disengage from failing courses of action (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).

3. Tracking progress helps, especially when you record or share it

A meta-analysis of 138 studies with nearly 20,000 participants found that interventions that increased progress monitoring promoted goal attainment. The effects were larger when progress was reported to others or made public, and when it was physically recorded (Harkin et al., 2016).

4. Writing goals down and sharing them helps

In a study by Gail Matthews at Dominican University of California, people who wrote their goals down achieved more than those who only thought about them, and those who also sent weekly progress reports to a friend achieved the most (Matthews, Dominican University).

5. Dreaming isn’t enough

Gabriele Oettingen and Doris Mayer found that positive fantasies about the future predicted less effort and success, while positive expectations based on past experience predicted more (Oettingen & Mayer, 2002). Oettingen later developed WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan), which pairs imagining the outcome with naming the obstacle and planning for it (WOOP).

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Brian Tracy’s Seven-Step Method

Tracy taught goal setting for more than 40 years, in seminars, audio programmes and books including Goals! (2003) (blank” rel=”noopener”>Tracy, 2003). His most-repeated version is the seven-step method he set out in _Eat That Frog! and Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (Tracy, 2017; Tracy, 2003).

1. Decide exactly what you want. Make it clear and specific. If you work for someone, agree your goals and their order with your manager.
2. Write it down. “Think on paper.” Tracy wrote that a goal that isn’t written down “is merely a wish or a fantasy” (Tracy, 2017).
3. Set a deadline, with sub-deadlines if needed. “A goal or decision without a deadline has no urgency” (Tracy, 2017).
4. List everything you will have to do to achieve the goal. Add to it as new tasks occur to you.
5. Organise the list into a plan by priority and sequence: what must happen first, and what depends on what.
6. Take action on your plan immediately. “An average plan vigorously executed is far better than a brilliant plan on which nothing is done” (Tracy, 2017).
7. Do something every day that moves you towards your major goal.

In Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life he added a step about cost: “Determine the price you are going to have to pay to achieve your goal”, such as extra hours, new skills or a change of job (Tracy, 2003). And he ended with a resolution: “Resolve in advance that you will never quit once you have started toward your goal” (Tracy, 2003).

You can see how goal setting runs through his whole system in our Brian Tracy article.

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The Ten-Goals Exercise

Tracy’s favourite exercise for choosing what to focus on is quick and practical (Tracy, 2003; Tracy, briantracy.com).

1. Write ten goals you would like to achieve in the next 12 months. Tracy recommended writing them in the present tense and first person, as if already achieved: “I earn…”, “I weigh…”.
2. Ask which one goal would have the greatest positive impact on your life if you achieved it right now.
3. Circle it. This is your major definite purpose for now.
4. Write it on a separate page, give it a deadline and make a plan using the seven steps.
5. Take action today, even a small step.
6. Rewrite your goals each morning, from memory, without looking at yesterday’s list. Tracy made this part of his golden hour morning routine (Tracy, briantracy.com).

A note on the present tense: Tracy’s present-tense goals work partly like affirmations. Research suggests that positive self-statements can backfire for people who don’t believe them (Wood, Perunovic & Lee, 2009). If “I earn $100,000” feels false, write “I am on track to earn $100,000 by December” or turn it into an intention with a deadline. See our affirmations guide.

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SMART Goals and Other Frameworks

Several frameworks package the research into simple checklists.

Our SMART goals guide covers that framework in detail, with templates and examples. The frameworks overlap: a good goal is specific, has a deadline and a measure, and comes with a plan for what you will do, when and what you will do when things get in the way.

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How to Set Goals That Work: Step by Step

This process combines the research findings with Tracy’s method.

1. Review each area of life. Career, money, health, relationships, learning, community. Tracy found that most people’s top three goals were a career or money goal, a family goal and a health goal (Tracy, 2017, ch. 8).
2. Write ten goals for the next year. Don’t judge them yet.
3. Pick one major goal that would make the biggest difference.
4. Make it SMART. Specific and measurable, with a deadline, and challenging but realistic.
5. Write down why it matters. Commitment is one of the conditions under which goals work best (Locke & Latham, 2002).
6. Name the main obstacle. What is most likely to stop you? (This is the “O” in WOOP.)
7. Make an if–then plan for the obstacle and for starting: “If it’s 7 a.m. on a weekday, then I run before breakfast”; “If it’s raining, then I do 20 minutes on the exercise bike.”
8. List the steps and put them in order. Break big ones down with the salami slice method.
9. Take the first step today.
10. Track your progress weekly, in writing. Share it with someone if you can (Harkin et al., 2016; Matthews, Dominican University).
11. Review every month. Adjust the plan, not the goal, unless the goal no longer makes sense. Zero-based thinking helps with that decision.

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A Worked Example

Priya wants to “get better with money”. She works through the steps.

The goal is specific, has a deadline and a measure, and the plan deals with the main obstacle automatically.

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A Myth to Avoid: The “3 Percent” Goals Study

For decades, success writers quoted a study said to have followed Yale’s (or Harvard’s) class of 1953: the 3 percent of graduates with written goals were supposed to have earned more, 20 years later, than the other 97 percent combined. Tracy repeated versions of the claim in his books.

In 1996 the journalist Lawrence Tabak investigated it for Fast Company. He traced the story through several speakers, including Tracy and Zig Ziglar, and a Yale research associate who searched the records found no evidence that the study had ever taken place (Tabak, 1996). Gail Matthews later designed her own study partly because the non-existent one was so widely quoted (Matthews, Dominican University).

The good news is that you don’t need the myth. The real research on specific goals, plans and progress tracking makes a strong case on its own. See our Zig Ziglar page and Brian Tracy article for more of the story.

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What the Research Says: At a Glance

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Common Goal-Setting Mistakes

• Too many goals. Focus on one major goal at a time, with a few smaller ones.
• Vague goals. “Get fit” gives you nothing to aim at. “Run 5 km by June” does.
• Outcome only, no process. Decide what you will do each day or week, not just the end result.
• No plan for obstacles. The obstacle you don’t plan for is usually the one that stops you.
• Never reviewing. Goals set in January and forgotten by March don’t work. Put a weekly review in your calendar.
• Goals that depend on other people. “Get promoted” depends on others; “apply for the senior role by March with three new achievements on my CV” depends on you.
• Relying on a myth. You don’t need the “3 percent” story; the real research is stronger.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to set goals?

Make your goal specific and challenging, with a measure and a deadline; write it down; make an if–then plan for when and where you will act and for the main obstacle; and track your progress regularly, ideally sharing it with someone.

What are Brian Tracy’s seven steps of goal setting?

Decide exactly what you want; write it down; set a deadline; list everything you will need to do; organise the list into a plan; take action immediately; and do something every day towards your major goal.

Does writing goals down really work?

Evidence suggests it helps. In a study by Gail Matthews, people who wrote their goals down achieved more than those who didn’t, and those who also sent weekly progress reports to a friend did best. Recording progress also strengthens the effect of monitoring.

Is the Yale or Harvard goals study real?

No evidence has been found that it ever took place. A 1996 investigation by Fast Company found no record of the study, and it is now widely regarded as a myth.

What is the difference between SMART goals and WOOP?

SMART is a checklist for writing a clear goal: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. WOOP is a planning method: you imagine your wish and its best outcome, then name your main obstacle and make a plan for it.

How many goals should I have?

Most people do best with one major goal at a time, plus a few smaller ones. Brian Tracy suggested writing ten and then choosing the one that would make the biggest difference.

What is an implementation intention?

It is a plan in the form “If situation Y happens, then I will do X”, such as “If it’s 7 a.m., then I go for a run”. A meta-analysis of 94 tests found these plans had a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals.

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Key Takeaways

• Specific, challenging goals beat “do your best” goals.
• If–then plans make follow-through much more likely.
• Track progress in writing, and share it if you can.
• Brian Tracy’s seven steps turn a goal into a plan and a daily habit.
• Pair your vision of success with a plan for the obstacles.
• Skip the “3 percent” myth; the real research is stronger.

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Explore More on Self Help Supermarket

Use these pages alongside this one:

• SMART Goals – templates and examples for writing clear goals
• Eat That Frog – act on your most important goal every day
• Mindstorming – generate 20 ways to reach a goal
• Morning Routine: The Golden Hour – rewrite your goals each morning
• Salami Slice and Swiss Cheese – break goals into small steps
• Visualisation – picture the steps as well as the result
• Brian Tracy: His Life, Philosophy, Techniques and Legacy – the full system behind the seven steps
• Brian Tracy: expert profile – his books, videos and key ideas
• Motivation – ways to get and stay motivated
• Browse all self-help techniques – compare every method on Self Help Supermarket.

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Sources

1. Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
2. Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601%2806%2938002-1
3. Harkin, B., Webb, T. L., Chang, B. P. I., Prestwich, A., et al. (2016). Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000025
4. Matthews, G. “Goals Research Summary”, Dominican University of California. https://www.dominican.edu/sites/default/files/2020-02/gailmatthews-harvard-goals-researchsummary.pdf
5. Oettingen, G., & Mayer, D. (2002). The motivating function of thinking about the future: Expectations versus fantasies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(5), 1198–1212. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.5.1198
6. WOOP My Life. Official site for Gabriele Oettingen’s WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) method. https://woopmylife.org/
7. Tracy, B. Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: How to Unlock Your Full Potential for Success and Achievement. Wiley, 2003. Internet Archive record. https://archive.org/details/changeyourthinki0000trac
8. Tracy, B. Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, 3rd edition. Berrett-Koehler, 2017. O’Reilly listing. https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/eat-that-frog/9781626569430/
9. Tracy, B. Eat That Frog!, 3rd edition, chapter 8, “Apply the Law of Three”. O’Reilly. https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/eat-that-frog/9781626569430/xhtml/ch08.html
10. Tracy, B. Goals! How to Get Everything You Want, Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible. Berrett-Koehler, 2003. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books/about/Goals.html?id=YlpJ00jYoDkC
11. Tracy, B. “The Golden Hour: My Most Powerful Success Factor in Personal Development”, briantracy.com. https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/the-most-powerful-success-factor-personal-development-and-the-golden-hour/
12. Wood, J. V., Perunovic, W. Q. E., & Lee, J. W. (2009). Positive self-statements: Power for some, peril for others. Psychological Science, 20(7), 860–866. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02370.x
13. Doran, G. T. (1981). There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35–36.
14. Tabak, L. “If Your Goal Is Success, Don’t Consult These Gurus”, Fast Company, December 1996. https://www.fastcompany.com/27953/if-your-goal-success-dont-consult-these-gurus
15. Bandura, A., & Schunk, D. H. (1981). Cultivating competence, self-efficacy, and intrinsic interest through proximal self-motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41(3), 586–598. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.586
16. Self Help Supermarket. “Brian Tracy (1944–2026): His Life, Philosophy, Techniques and Legacy”. https://www.selfhelpsupermarket.com/brian-tracy-tribute/