{"id":87401,"date":"2022-12-22T21:07:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-23T01:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=87401"},"modified":"2022-12-23T16:51:20","modified_gmt":"2022-12-23T20:51:20","slug":"areas-of-life-to-set-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/areas-of-life-to-set-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Major Areas of Life to Set Goals In\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What goals should you set for success in all aspects of your life? What are the major areas of life to set goals?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might want goals for every part of your life: finances, career, relationships, health, etc. However, it’s important to strike a balance when considering the areas of life to set goals. While you can\u2019t prioritize everything, you also shouldn\u2019t neglect everything to just focus on one or two areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some things to consider when setting goals in different areas of your life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Setting Career Goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your career is one of the most important areas of life to set goals for. If you don\u2019t set career goals, you might end up taking up opportunities that may be profitable but that don\u2019t realize your potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Peter Drucker, the author of <\/em>Managing Oneself<\/em><\/a>, the first step to setting career goals is to self-reflect to find your strengths. <\/strong>Discovering your strengths is necessary to success because working<\/em> on your strengths is the most efficient, and thus best, way to make yourself stand out and advance your career. It doesn\u2019t take much effort to improve something you have a natural ability in, and this effort could turn you into an exceptional<\/em> performer. Conversely, it would take a good deal of effort to work on areas in which you\u2019re less skilled, and the results would be less impressive\u2014taking you from poor to mediocre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Importance of Favoring Your Strengths<\/strong>

Drucker\u2019s advice to work on the things you\u2019re already good at may seem counterintuitive because you may assume that it\u2019s important to focus on improving areas of weakness. However other authors have echoed this idea. 

For example, Cal Newport, author of So Good They Can\u2019t Ignore You<\/em><\/a>, suggests that it\u2019s important to feel like you\u2019re competent at your work, which can stem from choosing to do what you\u2019re good at: <\/strong>in other words, playing to your strengths. Competence is important because it\u2019s a pillar of the principle of self-determination, which is the intrinsic motivation<\/a> you feel to perform well. In turn, self-determination brings a sense of job satisfaction. Therefore, if you play to your strengths and thus feel like you\u2019re competent at your job, your sense of job satisfaction will naturally increase. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To work from your strengths, you must first identify them. To that end, Drucker asks you to write down a prediction of what you think will happen <\/strong>every time you\u2019re at a significant crossroads in your professional life <\/strong>and have to decide on a course of action. At the end of each prediction\u2019s time period, go back and evaluate how accurate your assumptions were. Drucker\u2019s suggested time window for predictions is nine to 12 months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re reflecting on the last nine to 12 months, frame your analysis around what went well and what didn\u2019t go so well. Then, use this to infer your strengths, presuming that your successes were thanks to your strengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you know your strengths, you\u2019re in a position to set a meaningful <\/em>career goal. Start by setting a career-related target and then working backward to make a step-by-step plan for achieving it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTITLE: Managing Oneself
\nAUTHOR: Peter F. Drucker
\nTIME: 15
\nREADS: 100.9
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/managing-oneself-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: managing-oneself-summary-peter-f-drucker
\nAMZN_ID: XYZ
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Setting Social Goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Relationships are another area of life in which you should set goals. No matter how independent and skilled you are, you will not achieve success on your own. You need allies\u2014both in your personal and your professional life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In your personal life, surround yourself with people who help you and bring you joy. Reduce\u2014or ideally eliminate\u2014the time you spend with people who take more than they give. For example, if you routinely spend time with a friend who complains about everything and never offers anything positive or motivating, it\u2019s in your interests<\/a> to end that relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to personal relationships, you should put effort into developing your professional network. According to Richard Koch, the author of The 80\/20 Principle<\/em><\/a>, you should aim to build  a network of six or seven top performers<\/strong> who you trust and respect, broken down as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n