What Makes a Goal Effective in a Goal Setting Process?
Psychology professor Dr. Edward Deci is commonly recognized as one of the world’s leading researchers on goals and motivation. Deci is a professor of psychology and director of the human motivation program at the University of Rochester. He is the author of 5 classic books on these topics, all which psychology experts widely accept as go to sources on the topics of goals and motivation. Moreover, his theory of self-determination is the most popular approach to understanding motivation in sports.
Unquestionably, it would be a mistake to ignore anything Deci has to say about goals and motivation. With that said, today I want to leave you with one of Deci’s simplest suggestions for goal setting. As a parent or coach, I highly recommend you take heed to Deci’s conclusion on what it takes for a goal to be effective.
He states the following:
To be most effective, goals need to be individualized–they need to be suited specifically to the person who will work toward them–and they need to be set so as to represent an optimal challenge. When they are too easy, the person is likely to be bored and unmotivated; when too difficult, anxious and inefficient.