{"id":58512,"date":"2022-01-17T11:36:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T15:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=58512"},"modified":"2022-01-18T16:50:38","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T20:50:38","slug":"act-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/act-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"ACT: Translating Values Into Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you set goals for ACT? How do goals relate to values? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goals are the actionable components of values in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Knowing your values isn\u2019t sufficient for you to live a fulfilled life\u2014you also have to take effective action, or action aligned with your values. In order to take effective action, you have to translate your values into achievable goals<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, you’ll learn how to translate your values into action via goal-setting and action plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Setting Goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to translate these ACT values<\/a> into goals, we\u2019ll divide them into 11 more specific areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Family<\/li>
  2. Marriage and other romantic relationships<\/li>
  3. Friendships<\/li>
  4. Work and career<\/li>
  5. Education and personal development<\/li>
  6. Spirituality<\/li>
  7. Citizenship and community<\/li>
  8. Environment and nature<\/li>
  9. Health and wellness<\/li>
  10. Leisure<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: These categories aren\u2019t iron-clad. If you feel that one of the domains isn\u2019t applicable to you, feel free to eliminate it from the list. Likewise, if you find that you have a significant cluster of values related to a domain that isn\u2019t listed, create a new domain and focus your efforts<\/a> there.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now, take a look at each category and determine the one where you feel least <\/em>in touch with your values. If you\u2019ve identified more than one domain, determine which of the domains has the most urgent or pressing need for your attention. Harris emphasizes that you pick only one domain\u2014focusing on more than one is likely to be overwhelming and lead to decreased morale (or even abandonment of the process). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Now that you\u2019ve selected a domain, write a summary of the values you\u2019re interested in focusing on<\/strong>. For instance, if you selected friendship, you may want to work on the values of being an attentive, kind, and honest friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Set a goal related to one of these values that you can accomplish <\/strong>today<\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong> The easier this goal, the better. Starting small is a good way to ensure that you actually follow through with effective action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When setting a goal, list what, where, and when. The \u201cwhat\u201d should be specific\u2014for example, instead of saying, \u201cI\u2019m going to be nice,\u201d say, \u201cI\u2019m going to say one nice thing to my friend.\u201d Specifying the \u201cwhere\u201d and \u201cwhen\u201d make the goal more well-defined and achievable, which helps you avoid procrastinating or abandoning the goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Additionally, avoid setting prohibitive goals, or goals focused on not<\/em> doing something. To avoid this, consider what you would like to do instead<\/em> of doing the thing you don\u2019t want to do. Then, set a goal to do that alternative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Set some goals that you can achieve within the next week.<\/strong> Remember to specify the \u201cwhat,\u201d the \u201cwhere,\u201d and the \u201cwhen.\u201d For instance, if your value in the marriage domain is to be more affectionate with your spouse, you might say, \u201cI\u2019m going to cook a nice, intimate dinner for my spouse at the house this Friday.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Set some goals that you can achieve within the next few weeks or months.<\/strong> Again, specify the \u201cwhat,\u201d the \u201cwhere,\u201d and the \u201cwhen.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Set some goals that you can achieve with years\u2019 worth of effort.<\/strong> This is an opportunity to be ambitious with your goal-setting. It doesn\u2019t matter how realistic you think these goals are in the present moment\u2014if it occurs to you, write it down. For example, if your value in the domain of employment is doing something that truly benefits other people, you might write, \u201cI\u2019ll go back to school in order to change careers from data entry to biomedical engineering.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Set Purpose-Driven Goals<\/strong>

    In First Things First<\/em><\/a>, Stephen R. Covey has a slightly different take on how to set meaningful goals<\/a>. He suggests three strategies:

    1. Set recurring goals<\/strong>. In Covey\u2019s formulation, your goals should follow a \u201cmission,\u201d a \u201cvision,\u201d and \u201cprinciples\u201d\u2014rather than just the values that Harris has you define. Whereas Harris\u2019s approach involves setting goals that you can accomplish within one week and then moving onto the next step, Covey recommends recurring<\/em> goals that you consistently accomplish week after week. For instance, instead of setting a goal to cook dinner for your spouse on Friday this week, you would set a goal to cook dinner for your spouse every<\/em> Friday. 

    This recurring framework aligns with ACT because, as discussed, values involve consistent and repeated behavior. It\u2019s not enough to do something once and then consider the value fulfilled. 

    2. Set \u201ccontext\u201d goals<\/strong>. Covey recommends that you set mid- to long-term goals that your weekly goals build toward. In defining context goals, Covey suggests considering the \u201cwhat\u201d (the goal itself), \u201cwhy\u201d (the reason for the goal; in ACT, the \u201cwhy\u201d will also be the underlying value), and \u201chow\u201d (the means by which you will reach the goal). 
    For example, if your weekly goal is eating one serving of vegetables with every meal, your longer-term goal may be to switch to a vegetarian diet (the \u201cwhat\u201d). You set this goal because you want to eat healthier (the \u201cwhy,\u201d or value), and you\u2019re going to achieve this by setting mid-term goals to replace two servings of meat per week with legumes. 

    3. Make a \u201cperhaps\u201d list<\/strong>. A \u201cperhaps\u201d list is filled with goals that you\u2019re not fully committing to but would like to record as possibilities. This is a break from the relatively rigid structure that accompanies goal-setting, and it may help you formulate more     ambitious goals<\/a> in the future. Harris includes this kind of thinking when he recommends setting goals that aren\u2019t necessarily realistic in the long-term goals category.  <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Making an Action Plan<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Now that you\u2019ve set some goals, it\u2019s time to make an action plan<\/a>. Harris explains that an action plan breaks down each goal into manageable steps so that you don\u2019t get overwhelmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    An action plan has three parts. Ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. What steps will I need to take to achieve this goal?<\/strong> For example, if you\u2019ve set a goal of going camping, you may need to:<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n