42%! That is the percentage that you are more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. Research, including a well-known study by Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University, found that people who wrote down their goals were significantly more likely to achieve them than those who kept them only in their heads.
In cognitive psychology, the generation effect suggests that individuals have better memory for information they create themselves rather than information they simply read. When you move a goal from your mind to paper, your brain encodes it more deeply, making you more likely to remember and prioritize it. This gives you a 42% better chance of remembering and achieving the goals if you didn’t write it down.
Your brain is constantly bombarded with sensory data every minute of every day. By writing your goals down, you are telling your Reticular Activating System (RAS)—the part of the brain that filters what you pay attention to—that this specific information is important. The Result is that you notice opportunities, people, or resources related to that goal that you might have otherwise ignored.
Writing your goals down creates cognitive clarity. It forces your level of precision that thinking does not. Mental goals can become fuzzy, but when you write down your goals it creates structure, and it creates clarity and allows the brain to focus on the execution of the goal rather than trying to define it.
Writing your goals down creates an emotional commitment to yourself. You create a contract within yourself. You create a mental image of what you want and what your goal looks like. Writing down your goal also reduces anxiety by breaking large, daunting goals into smaller, manageable, and realistic steps. When that task is completed, you get a sense of accomplishment by crossing off the completed task.
This creates accomplishment, which stimulates and fuels more actions. The brain likes completing things and wants more of that feeling. It wants more dopamine. Your brain likes when you trigger the reward system. Did you know accomplishing a goal can boost motivation and put you in a good mood? Who doesn’t feel good when they accomplish something?
Whether it is a work goal (to do list) or a life goal, write it down. Turn writing your goals into a habit. Have a set time every day that you write down, review, and focus on what goals are currently important to you. Have multiple lists of short term and long-term goals. You want to review your goals a minimum of daily if not weekly. Weekly progress updates can lead to up to a 76% higher success rate for achieving your goals that if you don’t review.
When you are writing down your goals be specific and instead of saying “I want to” write your goals starting with “I will”. Instead of I want to start working out, write down “I will start working out on XX date”. Create, write and visualize yourself completing the goals to create the emotional connection.
Writing down your goals forces you to clarify what you want. It is going to motivate you to act. It is going to help you create a filter for what is important. It is going to help you overcome resistance. It is going to allow you to celebrate your progress and success. That “FUCK YES” or “hell ya” feeling of accomplishment might just be the jump start that you need to get your ass in gear and moving in the right direction.
It’s great to have goals, but it is even better to write them down. Write your goals down like your life depends on it, because depending on what the goal is, your life just might. Need to help defining your goals or setting up a goal tracking process, give me a call and we can set up a one-on-one coaching session to kick start the goals that you want to achieve and accomplish.
