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Goal Setting for Success

The Science of Goal Setting

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Based on 51 ratings
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Manuel Kraus

This course distills research from psychology and neuroscience from all over the world into lessons and steps that you can take to set goals that really lead to success. Master Goal-Setting to Set Yourself Up for Success

  • Define your goals to make them stick
  • Learn how to build a detailed goal system
  • Understand why SMART goals aren't enough
  • Discover all the factors behind successful goal-setting
  • Set yourself up for success
Read more

This course distills research from psychology and neuroscience from all over the world into lessons and steps that you can take to set goals that really lead to success. Master Goal-Setting to Set Yourself Up for Success

  • Define your goals to make them stick
  • Learn how to build a detailed goal system
  • Understand why SMART goals aren't enough
  • Discover all the factors behind successful goal-setting
  • Set yourself up for success

Get a full-fledged goal-setting course that covers every single factor that will contribute to successfully reaching your goals.

Among all the factors affecting our lives, none has as much potential influence as our ability to set goals. Goal-setting is such an important factor for success. When you set the right goals the right way, you take the single most important step to reach it. In this course you'll learn how to set goals the right way – based on the scientific research on goal setting of the last four decades.

At the beginning, we'll briefly cover the Why? of goal-setting before we learn which factors distinguish a good goal from a bad goal. Then we'll set the basis for successful goal pursuit: finding the right goal. The next step will be defining long-term goals, like life missions and life goals. We then explore how to properly define short-term goals and which factors are crucial for success later on. In the final section, we'll use worksheets, checklists and other materials to put it all into practice. I'll lead you through the exact steps you need to consider when you want to set goals successfully. Content and Overview We'll cover all the tricks and insights that come from research in psychology and neuroscience. Right goal-setting is much more than using the widely known SMART framework – there is research on goal-setting from all over the world, including psychology labs from the best universities of the world. You also learn why it's often best to avoid do-your-best goals and how you can use thinking errors for your benefit. We look at how to prime your unconsciousness, at intention implementations and much, much more. There you learn how to best set goals by actually doing it. We present a wide range of exercises that are the ideal preparation for achieving your goals, there are more than ten worksheets, a couple of quizzes and a variety of other ways of learning and putting the insights into practice. You will have a thorough understanding of how to approach any goal you will set yourself in the future. And you will have the tools and resources you need to set yourself up for success.

It allows you to study the course for 30 days and if you are in any way unhappy with it, you will get a full refund, no questions asked. Enrolling in the course is absolutely risk free.

Click the "Take This Course" button now and enroll.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Prepare a comprehensive goal system to tackle complex and ambitious goals effectively
  • Understand what factors are important for success
  • Use their values to guide their behavior
  • Set their life goals
  • Set short-term goals that lead to success
  • Create sticky goals
  • Use implementation intentions to increase self-discipline
  • Use priming to help reach your goals
  • Set up your environment to increase commitment
  • Know how to best set a goal

Syllabus

Let's start our journey together. I'll set the right expectations, and you'll get an overview of the course and a chance to tell me your needs and reasons for taking this course.
Read more

Goals and good performance are highly related. Whether it's in sports, education or business - setting the right goals is a primary factor for success. This lecture looks at the five ways goals contribute to better performance: motivation, focus, persistence, beliefs and through indirect ways.

Use this quick activity to reflect on what your past goals and your past successes.

Goals and happiness are also related but in a more complex way. People commonly think that they will be happy when they reach their goals, but research suggests otherwise. It is in fact the process of striving for our goals that makes us happy and lets us live a fulfilled life.

Time to reflect again! How did your past goals contribute to your life (in terms of happiness)?

The first defining factor of a 'good' goal is that it's approach-oriented. That means it's positive and the main objective is not to prevent something bad (= avoidance-oriented goals) but it's about gaining or achieving something.

After this short time-out, you'll be clearer which role approach-oriented goals play in your life.

Self-concordance is the second of the three defining factors of good goals. You will understand why it is important and what it means to have self-concordant (or intrinsic) goals.

Take a time out and reflect again.

A goal should generally be performance-oriented (meaning there should be a clear defined outcome to be achieved). This, however, is not true for learning situations.

Performance goals are very common in our education systems even though learning goals would be much more helpful. Take some time to think back on your time in school (and maybe even university).

In order to set self-concordant goals, we need to understand the goal-hierarchy. It starts with very high-level goals and becomes more and more specific as we continue to define what we want to achieve.

This exercise will help you to get in touch with your True Self and become clearer about what you really want in your life.

Values are the highest-level goals.

What is really important to you? This activity will help shed some more light on this question.

The Wheel of Life is a tool that's designed to bring more balance and clarity to our goal pursuit. It's a great exercise to help understand our lives better.

There's a powerful lesson that the psychologist Viktor Frankl learned in the concentration camps in WW2: Humans need to have meaning in their lives.

Corporate mission statements are very common. But they can be a great tool for individuals, too. This lecture looks at examples and how to write such a personal mission statement.

Time to reflect on your personal mission in life.

Writing about life goals is a well-research activity. This video presents the instructions.

Time out: What would you do if money didn't exist?

The SMART framework is the archetypical goal-setting framework of our time. It is widely known and cannot be missed in a goal-setting course. S (Specific), M (Measureable), A (Attainable), R (Relevant), and T (Time-bound) is what is behind this goal-setting system.

The researcher Edwin Locke has defined five goal-setting principles: clarity, commitment, feedback, challenge, and task complexity.

Three more factors that are relevant for our goals: Stickiness, triggers and social context.

Use this worksheet to set your goals. It's the blue-print for this section and will be an invaluable tool (I hope!) when you set goals in the future.

First factor to consider: Goals have to be clearly defined.

While we are pursuing our goals, obstacles will come our way. This, however, is something we have to account for beforehand.

In this lecture, you learn and identify the three different kinds of resources that you have available to reach your goals.

Goal commitment is crucial. Use the goal commitment scale to see if you're on to something.

Here's the Goal Commitment Scale - it's a quick tool to measure your commitment to your goals.

Being accountable to the people around us or to specific people is a great way to increase commitment.

Learn how to set up a Board of Success that supports you with your goals.

Priming means to influence our subconscious by setting up our environment for success. This video covers why it works and how to go about it.

Without planning feedback sessions in advance, it's all too easy to get side-tracked.

If-Then statements are a research-tested method to use triggers to pre-determine our behavior. This video covers how they work and how yours could look like.

A final quote and good-bye from my side. Thanks for being part of this experience!

Please use this checklist for your goals. It can be a great resource. Keep it also after you're done with the course and feel free to pass it on.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores the science of goal setting, drawing from psychology and neuroscience to provide actionable steps for achieving success, which is valuable for personal growth
Covers a range of exercises, worksheets, and quizzes designed to help learners put insights into practice, which is ideal for hands-on learners
Examines the importance of understanding one's values and aligning goals with those values, which is useful for those seeking a more meaningful approach to goal setting
Discusses the SMART framework and Edwin Locke's goal-setting principles, which are widely recognized and used in business and personal development contexts
Requires learners to reflect on their past goals and successes, which may be challenging for those who are new to self-reflection or have difficulty recalling past experiences
Includes additional materials such as a list of values, a Wheel of Life exercise, and examples of mission statements, which may require learners to dedicate additional time to complete

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
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Reviews summary

Science-backed practical goal setting

According to the course description and syllabus, this course aims to provide a science-backed approach to goal setting, drawing on psychology and neuroscience. It moves beyond traditional SMART goals, focusing instead on building a comprehensive goal system rooted in personal values and long-term vision. Learners can expect practical tools and worksheets designed to help them apply the concepts immediately, including setting life missions and short-term objectives. The course emphasizes the importance of factors like self-concordance, approach orientation, and implementation intentions. While promising a thorough understanding and tools for success, the effectiveness ultimately depends on the learner's engagement with the exercises and activities.
Explores goal factors beyond SMART.
"Understand why SMART goals aren't enough and discover other factors."
"Right goal-setting is much more than using the widely known SMART framework."
"The SMART framework is covered but placed in a broader context."
Connects goals to values and meaning.
"Need to become more aware of what our values are and where we truly want to go."
"Uses tools like the Wheel of Life to connect goals to life balance."
"Helps define long-term goals, the 'big picture' or our lives, including mission statements."
Course grounds methods in research.
"The course distills research from psychology and neuroscience into steps for goal setting."
"Learn how to set goals the right way – based on the scientific research on goal setting."
"Covers all the tricks and insights that come from research in psychology and neuroscience."
Includes worksheets and activities.
"Use worksheets, checklists and other materials to put it all into practice."
"We present a wide range of exercises that are the ideal preparation for achieving your goals."
"More than ten worksheets, a couple of quizzes and a variety of other ways of learning."
Putting concepts into practice requires effort.
"The value comes from actually doing the exercises and applying the steps."
"Success depends on using the worksheets and putting the insights into practice."
"Requires committing time and effort to defining personal values and goals."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Goal Setting for Success: The Science of Goal Setting with these activities:
Review SMART Goal Framework
Reinforce your understanding of the SMART goal framework, a foundational concept for effective goal setting.
Browse courses on SMART Goals
Show steps
  • Read articles and blog posts about the SMART goal framework.
  • Watch videos explaining the SMART goal framework.
  • Practice applying the SMART framework to sample goals.
Review 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success'
Explore the concept of mindset and its impact on goal achievement, providing a psychological foundation for the course.
View Mindset: The New Psychology of Success on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success'.
  • Identify your own dominant mindset.
  • Reflect on how your mindset affects your goal-setting approach.
Design a Personal Goal Dashboard
Create a visual dashboard to track progress towards your goals, reinforcing the importance of monitoring and feedback.
Show steps
  • Identify your key goals and metrics.
  • Choose a dashboarding tool or method.
  • Design and build your personal goal dashboard.
  • Regularly update and review your dashboard.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Vision Board
Visualize your goals and aspirations by creating a vision board, enhancing motivation and focus.
Show steps
  • Gather images and words that represent your goals.
  • Arrange the images and words on a board.
  • Display your vision board in a prominent location.
Practice Goal Decomposition
Sharpen your ability to break down large goals into smaller, manageable steps, improving planning and execution.
Show steps
  • Choose a complex goal.
  • Break the goal down into smaller sub-goals.
  • Break down each sub-goal into actionable steps.
Develop a Goal-Setting Presentation
Synthesize your knowledge of goal setting by creating a presentation to teach others, reinforcing your understanding.
Show steps
  • Outline the key concepts of goal setting.
  • Create slides with visuals and concise explanations.
  • Practice delivering your presentation.
Review 'Atomic Habits'
Learn how to build effective habits to support your goals, enhancing your ability to achieve long-term success.
View Atomic Habits on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book 'Atomic Habits'.
  • Identify habits that support your goals.
  • Apply the four laws of behavior change to build those habits.

Career center

Learners who complete Goal Setting for Success: The Science of Goal Setting will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Life Coach
A life coach guides clients through setting and achieving personal goals, mirroring the core principles taught in this course. The work involves helping individuals define their values, create actionable plans, and overcome obstacles, all of which are addressed in the course. This course helps build a foundation in understanding the science behind effective goal setting and provides practical tools like worksheets and checklists to set goals that stick. The course's emphasis on self-concordance, values alignment, and long-term vision is particularly useful for a life coach in helping clients discover their true potential and live fulfilling lives. This course, incorporating insights from psychology and neuroscience, may assist a life coach in refining their coaching techniques for optimal client success.
See salaries and explore the career path for Life Coach
Management Consultant
A management consultant advises organizations on improving performance and efficiency by setting goals and streamlining processes. This course is relevant because it focuses on distilling research from psychology and neuroscience into actionable steps for goal setting, a crucial element for organizational success. The consultant needs to understand how to define goals effectively, build goal systems, and address factors that contribute to successful goal pursuit. This course helps consultants establish a framework for setting goals aligned with organizational objectives. The worksheets and exercises are useful for consultants looking to implement a thorough and effective goal-setting process for their clients.
See salaries and explore the career path for Management Consultant
Project Manager
A project manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects, and goal setting sits at the heart of project planning. This course helps project managers understand the science behind effective goal setting, providing tools to define goals, build detailed project plans, and address potential obstacles. With the course, project managers may learn how to create sticky goals, use implementation intentions to increase self-discipline, and set up environments conducive to success. By leveraging the course's content, project managers may be better equipped to guide their teams toward successful project completion.
See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager
Human Resources Manager
A human resources manager oversees employee relations, training, and development, where goal setting is essential for performance management and employee growth. This course helps human resources managers understand the factors that contribute to successful goal setting, design effective performance review processes, and motivate employees to achieve their potential. This course helps human resources managers align employee goals with organizational objectives and develop strategies for employee engagement and retention, since the course provides tools to define goals and create actionable plans. The course's worksheets are useful for human resources managers looking to implement a thorough and effective goal-setting process for their workforce.
See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager
Academic Advisor
An academic advisor guides students in setting educational and career goals, making effective goal-setting techniques essential. This course may help academic advisors assist students in clarifying their values, defining long-term objectives, and breaking down large goals into manageable steps. The course's emphasis on self-concordance, values alignment, and long-term vision assists academic advisors in helping students discover their academic and ultimately career path. The course's insights from psychology and neuroscience help academic advisors refine their advising techniques for optimal student success.
See salaries and explore the career path for Academic Advisor
Business Development Manager
A business development manager focuses on identifying and pursuing new business opportunities. This role involves setting ambitious yet achievable goals, a skill honed by this course. The course's exercises, checklists, and materials help business development managers set goals successfully. The skills obtained in this course may allow business development managers to more effectively define target markets, design winning strategies, and build strong client relationships. This course helps business development managers to establish a framework for setting goals aligned with organizational objectives.
See salaries and explore the career path for Business Development Manager
Sales Manager
A sales manager leads a team of sales representatives, setting sales targets and motivating the team to achieve them. This course may help sales managers understand the factors that contribute to successful goal setting. The course may also assist sales managers in designing effective sales strategies and motivating their teams to reach their set values. The course provides tools to define goals and create plans. Worksheets can assist sales managers in implementing effective goal-setting processes for their sales teams.
See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Manager
Wellness Coach
A wellness coach guides clients in improving their overall wellbeing through goal setting and behavior modification. This course may help wellness coaches support clients in defining their objectives and assist in creating actionable and tailored exercise and diet plans. The course's emphasis on defining one's true self, life mission, and long-term vision are helpful for wellness coaches who are helping clients find and live out their best lifestyle. The insights from psychology and neuroscience may assist wellness coaches in refining their coaching techniques for optimal client success.
See salaries and explore the career path for Wellness Coach
Nonprofit Director
A nonprofit director leads a nonprofit organization, setting strategic goals and managing resources to achieve the organization's mission. This course helps nonprofit directors understand the factors that contribute to successful goal setting. The director can align organizational goals with the values and mission of the nonprofit. The director can also develop strategies for fundraising, program development, and community engagement. Worksheets may assist nonprofit directors in implementing effective goal-setting processes for their organization.
See salaries and explore the career path for Nonprofit Director
Marketing Director
A marketing director leads marketing efforts, setting goals for brand awareness, lead generation, and customer acquisition. This course helps marketing directors understand the factors that contribute to successful goal setting. Applying the course's principles helps marketing directors define marketing strategies and improve campaign effectiveness. The course provides tools to define goals and create actionable plans. Worksheets can help marketing directors implement effective goal-setting processes for their marketing teams.
See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Director
Financial Advisor
A financial advisor helps clients set financial goals, such as retirement planning, investment strategies, and debt reduction. This course may help financial advisors in creating financial plans tailored to individuals. The course places emphasis on defining one's values and developing a long-term vision, both of which are helpful for financial advisors who are helping clients invest wisely. The insights from psychology and neuroscience may help financial advisors refine their advising techniques for optimal client success.
See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Advisor
Teacher
A teacher educates students, setting learning objectives and providing feedback to help them achieve academic success. This course may help teachers understand the factors that contribute to successful goal setting. The course helps teachers design lesson plans, create engaging learning environments, and motivate students to achieve their academic potential. The course provides tools to define goals, create plans to achieve them, and checklists to measure progress. These elements may assist teachers in implementing their goal-setting processes in the classroom.
See salaries and explore the career path for Teacher
Social Worker
A social worker provides support and resources to individuals and families in need, often assisting them in setting personal goals and overcoming challenges. This course may help social workers support clients in defining their ambitions and in creating useful plans. The course's emphasis on defining values and creating a long-term vision may be helpful for social workers and their clients who are trying to escape difficult cicrumstances. The insights from psychology and neuroscience may assist social workers in refining their support techniques for optimal client success.
See salaries and explore the career path for Social Worker
Data Analyst
A data analyst examines data to identify trends and insights, and then to make recommendations that will improve business outcomes. This course may help data analysts understand the factors that contribute to successful goal setting. The course helps data analysts define metrics and then analyze data to make recommendations that will improve business outcomes. The course provides exercises to perform and checklists to measure progress. These elements may assist data analysts in implementing their insights in the business world.
See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst
Market Research Analyst
A market research analyst studies market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. This course may help a market research analyst to understand the importance of goal setting. The course may help provide data to support the analyst's studies to examine potential sales of a product or service. The analyst may also perform exercises and use checklists to measure progress. These elements may assist market research analysts in implementing their insights in the business world.
See salaries and explore the career path for Market Research Analyst

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Goal Setting for Success: The Science of Goal Setting.
Cover image
Mindset
Save
Explores the power of mindset in achieving goals. It introduces the concepts of growth and fixed mindsets and how they impact success. Understanding these mindsets can help you approach goal setting with a more resilient and adaptable attitude. This book provides a strong foundation for understanding the psychological aspects of goal pursuit.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Paperback
$$
(Español) MINDSET (Spanish Edition)
Kindle Edition
$$
The Growth Mindset Workbook: CBT Skills to Help You...
Paperback
$$
Cover image
Atomic Habits (Tamil)
Save
Provides a framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones. It emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes in achieving long-term goals. The book offers practical strategies for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. It valuable resource for translating goal setting into consistent action.
(தமிழ்) Atomic Habits
Paperback
$$

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Rating
4.5 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Empty star
Effort
2 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Manuel Kraus
Language
English
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores the science of goal setting, drawing from psychology and neuroscience to provide actionable steps for achieving success, which is valuable for personal growth
Covers a range of exercises, worksheets, and quizzes designed to help learners put insights into practice, which is ideal for hands-on learners
Examines the importance of understanding one's values and aligning goals with those values, which is useful for those seeking a more meaningful approach to goal setting
Discusses the SMART framework and Edwin Locke's goal-setting principles, which are widely recognized and used in business and personal development contexts
Requires learners to reflect on their past goals and successes, which may be challenging for those who are new to self-reflection or have difficulty recalling past experiences
Includes additional materials such as a list of values, a Wheel of Life exercise, and examples of mission statements, which may require learners to dedicate additional time to complete
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