Reasons for Writing Goals Down
At the start of each year, many people start thinking about some goals that they would like to accomplish. It might be specific resolutions or things related to a yearly word or theme. However, those goals often get forgotten or written off a few months into the new year. So what’s the point? Why should we be writing goals down? Well, there are numerous reasons and benefits to writing goals down, and I’m going to share some of them with you (along with a few resources and studies to back them up so you’ll know I’m not just making it up).
A to-do list for life
First, it’s important to set and write goals out because they become our “to-do” list for life. I don’t know about you, but I’m a “to-do” list fanatic (read more about the importance of to-do lists here.) Thus, I thrive on to-do lists (post-it notes, phone reminders, calendar notes, etc.). I LOVE crossing stuff off of lists. Goals are no different. The feeling of achieving a goal and crossing it off of a list is amazing!
Accountability and focus
It’s also important that we are writing goals down because they give us something concrete to look at, and they serve as a form of accountability. There’s something about writing something down that makes you feel like “ok, now I HAVE to do it”. Writing goals down brings them into sharper focus. Having to write our goals out forces us to clarify them and focus on what it is that we really want.
A road map and grocery list analogy
Writing goals down is kind of like taking a road map on a trip or making a grocery list before going to the store. It helps us to have a focused plan. We can determine how to get there and have a clear direction. It can also save us some stress and help us to be more efficient (saving time and money).
I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m directionally challenged. Therefore I NEED a map (well, now it’s GPS guidance) to get me places…because if I don’t have a map I may end up in Montana instead of Florida if I’m driving to Disneyworld. And the grocery store? Don’t even get me started! I actually have an app on my phone that keeps my grocery list, and it’s even ordered by aisle and has prices I’ve entered for each item so I can stay on budget. I might be a little compulsive, but at least it’s an app now—I used to do an Excel spreadsheet for my grocery list. Don’t judge me. 🙂
Without my list, I’m all over the store, thus wasting time. I buy things I don’t need, thus wasting money, or I forget things I do need, thus wasting time AND money by having to make a second trip back to the store. So, much like my grocery list, if I don’t write down my goals I could be wasting precious time, money, and energy going off in all sorts of wrong directions.
Research backs the effectiveness of goal-writing
Studies have shown that we are much more likely to achieve our goals if they are written down. Supposedly Harvard Business School (1979) and Yale (1953) did studies on the effects of writing goals down. The study was said to have shown that only 3% of the graduates had written goals down and that 10-20 years later that 3% was making ten times as much money as the other 97% combined.
Sounds really cool, right? Well, unfortunately, it was a big, fat lie—those studies are a myth and were never conducted! (Sources: Harvard Library, Fast Company, and Sid Savara) HOWEVER…there really WAS a study conducted by Gail Matthews, a clinical psychologist at Dominican University in California. Her research proved that “those who wrote their goals accomplished significantly more than those who did not write their goals.”[i]
What God’s Word says about writing goals down
- We need to be writing goals down because the Bible says it’s wise to know where we are going.
“The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.” Proverbs 14:8 (NLT)
- The Bible also says that goals are our vision and they should be written down in such a way that they are clear and easy to follow.
“Write the vision, make it plain…” Habakkuk 2:2 (ESV)
- Without vision/goals we perish, go unrestrained, and run wild.
“Where there is no vision the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
- Goals are our aim—we need something to shoot at. We should not run aimlessly without goals. We need to know what we are running toward.
“I don’t run without a goal. And I don’t box by beating my fists in the air.” 1 Corinthians 9:26 (CEV)
- Goals help us to establish priorities. Aiming at God should always be our first priority. We need to measure our goals against this aim—are they in line?
“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” Matthew 6:33 (AMP)
Writing goals down will help you be more Happy, Healthy & Prosperous! It’s been proven in studies—I’m not making it up 🙂 …
Happy
Just thinking about the good things you want out of life tends to make you project yourself into the future and expect positive things for yourself. This in turn makes you feel happy thinking of yourself in a positive light. According to this article in Psychology Today, “when people have goals to guide them, they are happier and achieve more than they would without having them. It’s a brain thing. Achieving a goal you’ve set produces dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of pleasure. Reciprocally, dopamine activates neural circuitry that makes you eager to pursue new challenges.”[ii] Having goals (and achieving them) makes you happy!
Additionally, a psychological study on writing about life goals stated that “Results provide initial evidence that writing about life goals can be a helpful aid in decreasing rumination (a negative emotional state similar to worry that focuses on bad feelings and experiences from the past) and physiological stress reactivity.”[iii] Basically having written life goals prevents us from stewing, worrying, and focusing on the negative–it keeps our thoughts more positive. This just confirms what the Bible already instructs in Philippians 4:6-8!
Healthy
Writing goals down about healthy living can help you to achieve a healthier lifestyle. In addition to making health-oriented goals, the simple act of focusing on and writing down goals for your life can boost your overall health. A study done by Oklahoma State University discovered that health benefits accrued after writing about life goals. Participants in their study that wrote about life goals had fewer illness-related health center visits compared to participants who did not write about life goals. This study also indicated that after writing about life goals, participants’ ratings of positive mood were higher, and negative mood ratings were lower (i.e. they were happier and felt better after writing down life goals).[iv]
Prosperous
By setting and writing goals down for prosperity and abundance, you are much more likely to achieve those goals…thus making you prosperous! Keep in mind we discussed previously that prosperity encompasses MUCH more than monetary or superficial gain. You can be prosperous in a number of ways and in a number of areas. Writing down your goals will help you get there!
Take a Practical Step for Writing Goals Down:
- First, make a decision right now to write down your goals—don’t just keep them in your head.
- Next, understand the benefits we discussed above for writing them, and understand that God’s Word tells us to put our goals and vision in writing too.
- Finally, read more about HOW to write goals (a step-by-step process), how to achieve your goals, and the benefits of making a Vision Board (and how to make one).
Are you in the habit of writing goals down? What goals have you achieved that you have written down? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below!
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*Update: Originally posted 3/24/2015
[i] Matthews, Gail. “Goals Research Summary.” Dominican.edu, Dominican University of California-Department of Psychology, https://www.dominican.edu/sites/default/files/2020-02/gailmatthews-harvard-goals-researchsummary.pdf.
[ii] Estroff Marano, Hara. “The Goals That Guide US | Psychology Today.” Psychology Today, Psychology Today Magazine, 22 July 2003, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200307/the-goals-guide-us.
[iii] Tobias Teismann, Serkan Het, Matthias Grillenberger, Ulrike Willutzki, Oliver T. Wolf, “Writing about life goals: Effects on rumination, mood and the cortisol awakening response”, Journal of Health Psychology, Volume 19, Issue 11, November 2014, Pages 1410-1419.
[iv] Steve Harrist, Barbara L. Carlozzi, Arthur R. McGovern, Amanda W. Harrist, “Benefits of expressive writing and expressive talking about life goals”, Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 41, Issue 4, August 2007, Pages 923-930.
