How Writing Your Goals Helps You Achieve More

I know we have all heard it said how writing your goals helps you achieve them. Why doesn't everyone do it then? If it is something that has constantly shown to help, then why aren't people doing it every day? 

We wanted to see specifically how writing you goals has helped individuals. We asked a number of successful individuals how writing their goals has helped them and combined 15 of their answers here for us to learn from.

Here are 15 ways writing your goals will help you achieve more:

1. Gives You An Action Plan For Your Team

"In 2002, my friend, Clint, and I decided to research starting a property insurance company. Not an agency, but an actual carrier. We met every Monday evening, every week, to draft our business plan. After each session, we left with a physical, written To-Do list: areas to be researched, experts to be contacted, information to be compiled. Each week, at our regular meeting, we confirmed that each task had been performed. We held each other accountable on the few times that a task wasn’t completed. Writing down each task allowed us to see the hurdles we had to overcome, week by week, and focused us on the end goal. Today, we have a $300M insurance company which covers over 150,000 homeowners."

- Mr. Stacey A. Giulianti, Esq. | Co-Founder | Florida Peninsula Ins

2. Writing Your Goals Shows Your Have Them

"Since my first day in sales I have been a goal writer, this habit followed when I became a business owner. Few reasons why I believe goal writing can make a difference. First, it holds your accountable in your own mind. If you write down a goal and put it somewhere you continue to see it daily, it reminds you of what you are striving for and in a way pushes you to get off your butt that day. It holds you accountable. Second, if you don’t write down your goals then who is to say you have any? You could easily forget or just give up in your own head that day/week/month. If you break down yearly goals into monthly goals and then into daily goals bigger numbers also become somewhat easier to hit because they are small on a daily goal scale."

- Ryan Collett | CEO/Founder | Jasper Organics

3. Putting Your Goals On Paper Makes Them Real

"There's something about seeing future goals clearly written on paper that brings us closer to reaching them. It makes the goal real, puts it out in the Universe and holds us accountable. Writing our goals into a planner is a great way to stay on track. Even writing them on a Dream Board and hanging that on a fridge or in your office where you always see it works. Once you get your goals on paper, it makes them real and more attainable."

- Germaine Caprio | Owner & Designer | Majamas Earth

4. Your Goals Are Like A Partner To Keep You On Track

"Next year will be my 7th consecutive year as a full-time Entrepreneur. I’ve run, owned and sold multiple online businesses. Writing out my goals, especially my daily goals, is like having a little partner to keep you on track throughout the day.

It lets me know what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. It’s important that you write your goals or to-dos with some detail- even you just add a trigger word next to the item. 

I’ve also found it very helpful to write goals in 3’s (all pertaining to the same outcome), Basically, I write the goals in steps. 

Why? Writing in steps ensures you don’t hop around your to-dos. Lots of people hop around to the easiest thing on their list and don’t actually accomplish anything that will move the needle.  

Writing my goals has 100% been a determining factor in the success of my business. It's my road map, without it I would get lost. 

I recommend others to write down their goals because it will help you know where you going, track where you are going and you can look back one day and you’ll see where you started (that part can be really interesting)."

 - RJ Bryan |CEO & SEO | RJBryan.com

5. Helps You Know What To Do Next

"I believe being future orientated is the key to achieving long-term success and that is evidenced by codifying your goals. Written goals are especially helpful in those moments when you can’t determine what to do next. In these moments, your goals are a compass. They help me realize which activities aren’t important. Ignoring tasks that don’t achieve my goals has been the determining factor in my business' success. I highly recommend writing your goals down. Once you have them down on paper you should take it a step further and look for connections between your goals. Most goals aren’t isolated and by connecting them helps find activities that will help attain multiple at once. Focusing your effort on tasks that propel multiple goals at was the key to my business and life success."

- Paul Bromen | CEO | HelpfulHabitat.com | UponaMattress.com

6. Shows Your Progress

"That being said, I vehemently believe in the magic of putting pen to paper. Writing down my goals allows me to see the big picture and then break down my actionable steps into bite size chunks. This process also gives me the hindsight to see the progress I have made. So often we are our own worst critics, and I know that when I am able to look back and see all the areas of a project that I have completed, I am better able to shut that negative inner voice down and keep moving forward. I feel that writing down my goals and tracking my progress has led to greater success both in my small business and personal life. I strongly recommend writing down your goals because in a world of distractions, putting pen to paper helps keep us focused."

 - Jen Slezia | Owner | Journals to Freedom Printables

7. Clears The Clutter

"Writing out your goals is awesome practice! Sometimes we are so caught up with our daily issues and hurdles that our brain cannot mentally map out that goals we set. Also many times our minds get clouded with regret and notions of failure and start deleting that stored memory.. A great idea that was thought to me by my mentor, was to create an actual physical vision board. First write a title, of your ultimate goal. Then start making branches to smaller and more achievable goals. Here it is critical to add pictures, inspiration and thoughts around each goal. Visually recalling these images and thoughts are great reinforcements alongside the text. Now stay focused and keep this visionary board up to date and don't stress if it gets a little messy, this means it's working! Now a critical component is to hang it in your bedroom, office or workplace, so your continually bumping into it and thinking, "ah HA! I can't forget this goal and need to work even harder achieving it!" This technique helped me immensely and continues to give me a rhythm to the successes that come our way in business. The best is when you look back at it after a couple of months and start appreciating your progress, "Yes, I hit 4 of my goals and the higher ones are getting more and more achievable!" I would recommend the vision board to anyone, not only for your business but also your personal life. It will give you order and direction to when you are feeling down and un appreciative of your self. Going into 2020 we need to start thinking about our '2020' vision board with all the goals we set our minds and our hearts out to do."

Syed M. Rizvi | Founder & Educator  | REV MED

8. Focus From Our 1000s Of Other Thoughts

"Writing out your goals for most people who do so makes them "real". We have 1,000's of thoughts that pass through our minds on a daily basis. For a business owner this number is higher than average as on top of our normal thoughts we think about all the things that can and should be done for our companies.

 By taking our goals and putting them in writing we take them to the next level and pull them out from what we think and give them life, give them clarity, give them focus. By writing them down --  especially if we post them somewhere where we can see them -- it allows us to focus on those goals and plan on how we will reach them.

It is not just because the 3% of people write their goals that they make more than the other 97% it’s because the same people who take the time and effort to think them thru and write them down are the same people who will take the necessary daily steps to achieve them.

 Not only do I recommend writing your goals down but I also recommend sharing them with others. You can share them with a large group of people or a small group of people. By sharing them with others, it motivates you more to achieve those goals as you have put them out there for others to see. Many of those people  will also help you be accountable."

 - Paul Faust | President | RingBoost

9. There Is Value In Taking Pen To Paper

"I have journaled. I have tried every form of writing on the planet, and I have learned one thing as truth: writing is vital for success. No matter what form it takes, there is value in taking pen to paper (and I do think this method works best) and stating what goals and vision you have for your life and business. Through writing my goals, I managed to finish IRONMANtriathlons, write two books, get out of an unfulfilling legal job and start a podcast. Without writing these down, I would not have cemented the vision nearly as well."

 - Meredith Atwood | Author | Speaker | The Same 24 Hours Podcast | SwimBikeMom

10. Eliminates the actions that aren't bringing you closer

"Putting my goals in writing has been a critical factor in achieving my career goals! I have a journaling practice where I identify three goals I want to achieve every 100 days. Every morning, I rewrite the three goals, and then add the actions I'll take today to achieve them. My favorite part of the journaling is that I write the day at the top of the page (example Day 45) and then how many days I have left to make these goals become reality (example 55 Days). Every day I'm focused on my goals, rewriting them, and reminding myself how many days I have to accomplish my goals. This process helps me to eliminate actions that aren't bringing me closer to my goals (typically busy work that doesn't create value), and to focus on actions that will help me to make real progress!"

- Carla Howard | Owner| The Professional Woman's Mentor

11. Reminds you of your "why"

"Ever since I was a little girl, I would write down everything - my thoughts, my wishes, my hopes, my dreams... Literally everything! I had a little notebook with me wherever I went. And that didn't change when I grow up. As an entrepreneur, especially a solopreneur, it's extremely important to always have your goals in your sight. Why? It's so easy to forget why are we doing this, what do we want to achieve, what is our end goal... If we are not focussed on that, we can easily lose ourselves in our work and forget what was the dream behind it. Writing down my goals makes me happier and more focused. I would recommend everyone to try it." 

- Marina Biljak | SEO consultant | MB Digital Media 

12. Writing Your Goals Is the First Step

"Having goals is a step in the right direction, but that’s it. It’s just a step. If you really want to make that goal come true, then in my own objective opinion, YOU HAVE TO WRITE YOUR GOAL DOWN! Writing your goal down makes you part of the 3% who actually write them down. More importantly, it can lead you to earn more than 97% of others who don’t write it down! (If that statistic didn’t make you run to get paper and pen, then you must be insane!) Honestly, this is the case in my business, Mind Body Spirit Bliss. By writing my goal down and placing it in a place where I see it multiple times per day, it encourages me and motivates me constantly!, Which, is no small feat. You see, I have 3 small kids, 4 if you include my husband, 2 dogs to chase after, and a business I am building from the ground up. So, honey, I have no time to waste and would rather lay down and sleep, instead of work. But, this all changes when I pass my dresser mirror and see my goal written down. I instantly get a boost of energy, a little pep in my step, or mindset shift, whatever you would like to call it. To sum it up, I basically get a swift kick in the rear that tells me to keep going! So, if you are dead tired and you feel like you are putting your hopes and dreams on the back burner so you can do things that are more relaxing and comfortable, like watching Netflix, taking a nap, etc, it is more than likely because your goal is not in the forefront of your mind. To change that, I highly recommend you take a few minutes and write your goal down, right now! Also, don’t forget to place it somewhere where you will see it EVERY SINGLE DAY, MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY!"

 - Ree Johnson | Creator | Mind Body Spirit Bliss

13. Helps You See Where You Should Be Spending Your Time

 "I always write down my goals. Writing down your goals helps to solidify your thought process and also frees up space in your mind where you always have many thoughts that can sometimes conflict with each other. Pulling out your goals onto paper and seeing it on black and white helps me to double down on what I am focusing on and acts a mental cue as to where I should be spending my time and focus. 

Seeing my goals written down serves as a daily reminder of what I am working on and why. In today’s digital world where everything is designed to rob you of your time, focus, and attention, it is vital you have practical techniques in place that constantly remind you of what you want to work on.

As ultimately, where you put your time and attention is what will increase and flourish in your life. So if you are constantly reminding yourself of your goals that are written down and you look at them on a daily basis, this will act as a subtle and gentle cue for you to refocus on those goals."

 - Sukhi Jutla | Author| Co-Founder | MarketOrders

14. Helps Get Clarity On What Your Dreams Are

"As an entrepreneur, I’ve come a long way from dreaming about my business to having one and being successful with it.

So, writing down your goals is an end of an initial phase, the essential phase in becoming an entrepreneur. The initial phase can take a long time; during this time, the ideas and dreams are brewing together in a kind of a mess. Out of all the ideas and possible scenarios, there are just a few to finish with while writing them down.

So, striving to understand yourself, your abilities, dreams, and goals should lead you to do being able to write these things down. If you can spell them, it means you’re clear with what should happen next to fulfill these goals.

When you have ambition without goals, you might end up frustrated by your life and not moving much further. Narrowing down the specific goals will help you focus the ambition and energy, and get on a concrete road to making them happen.

Writing my goals down has helped me by giving me the certainty of what I want to do. Without being so sure what my goals were, I doubt I would've made it this far."

- Raj Vardhman | Co-founder | GoRemotely

15. Writing Your Goals Is What Makes Them Attainable

"I will put it simply if I didn't write out my goals and act on them, I would be dead. I would have lost hope so many times when life's struggles came around. I'm not talking about the struggles of "how am I going to pay my cell phone bills", I am talking about the struggles of figuring out where I am going to sleep, eat, and even live to make it another day. Writing down my goals made my goals seem attainable, even though many said my goals weren't possible. Where I am from there are not many people who has started their own business(es), written multiple books, and being a motivational speaker. Every New Year's Eve I write down my personal and business goals for the year. Every night I write down my goals for the next day. By seeing these goals written down, it holds me accountable, and when I go through my day I stick to my plan and make off the goals as I achieve them. Goals that I haven't accomplished yet, I write them down again until they are accomplished. I recommend to others to write out your long-term and short-term goals. Writing them out will bring results and change your life."

- Vid Lamonte' Buggs Jr. | Author | Athlete | Philanthropist | VidBuggs.com

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