Do you have problems with goal setting?
We’ve all struggled with goal setting sometime or another. From not knowing exactly what our goals even are, to setting unrealistic goals to setting too many goals and thinking we can tackle our biggest goals in a short amount of time.
Who hasn’t been there, made those common goal-setting mistakes.
So many of us aspire to greatness, but then falter when we realize we’ve made a mistake with our goal setting or plans.
Have you ever thought, “how did I think I could get this all done?” You’re not the only one!
Table of Contents:
Top Goal Setting Mistakes:
- Not Setting Small Achievable Goals
- Not Writing Down Goals or Making To-Do Lists
- Not Having a Realistic Timeline or Schedule
- Not Breaking Your Goal Down
- Not Setting Specific and Measurable Goals
- Not Focusing on Taking Action
- Not Knowing Your Why or Purpose
- Not Having the Right Mindset
- Not Being Fully Committed to Your Goal
- Not Having the Right Resources or Support
It’s often said that we, “overestimate what we can get done in a day, but underestimate what we can in a year.”
That’s the simple truth about goal setting and why we have so many problems with it.
All those goal setting mistakes are part of the journey to achieving your goals. No one sets goals right the first time, it’s a process of constant revisions, redirections, and revelations that lead you to success.
Are you ready to avoid some of the biggest goal setting mistakes?
Great, I’ve enlisted the help of goal setting experts to each share the #1 goal setting mistake you need to avoid. Collectively, it’s our hope that revealing these top 10 goal setting mistakes helps you set better goals in the future, and maybe even start again today.
Let’s get goal setting!
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.
IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE FROM THESE LINKS, I MAY EARN A SMALL COMMISSION.
CLICK HERE FOR MY FULL DISCLAIMER STATEMENT.
Not Setting Small Achievable Goals
Chelsea Day, Just Sea for Yourself
“When people set too large or broad of a goal, they are already setting themselves up for failure.
Sometimes people set unattainable goals because they think it will push themselves to try harder when in reality, it is next to impossible to achieve.
It’s better to set smaller and more attainable goals that lead up to the big goal you’re trying to reach.”
👉🏽 Just Sea For Yourself is for you if you’re looking for some lifestyle advice with some humor on the side.
Joanna Stephens, Mom with Cookies
“I think the biggest mistake people make when it comes to achieving their goals is trying to do too much at one time.
This leads to so much burnout and loss of motivation. It’s important to take things one step at a time to be more successful.
As a mom, I have experienced this first-hand many times and my tip for other moms would be to limit your commitments (baking for school parties, PTA, etc). When we have fewer things going on at once, we are able to put a lot better effort into them.”
👉🏽 Mom with Cookies has Sweet Advice From One Mom to Another.
Carla, Exciting Adventure
“People want to do big things, but don’t want to start by doing small things. Every big dream started with a small task, building up small habits.
That is why setting a big goal is good, you need to have big dreams to achieve big things. But you need to set the small steps needed to reach it too and work every day on it. That is the truth, and it is very easy to follow but most people won’t.”
👉🏽 Exciting Adventure is for nomads trying to go digital.
Juliette Acker, Growth Hive
“Setting too many goals. They end up multitasking, which is proven not to work, and they get overwhelmed by all that they have to do.
It affects their momentum and before long, instead of achieving one goal they have a bunch of half accomplished goals.
👉🏽 Growth Hive is here to help you create the business of your dreams.
Summer Salut, Do You Salut
“My biggest goal setting mistake is ‘biting off more than I can chew.’ I get all these ideas in my head and become overzealous in my plans.
Then my to-do list or ideas list ends up being so long and overwhelming. I end up getting stuck because I don’t know where to start!
This in turns paralyzes me because my lists end up having lists and nothing ends up getting done. That’s why I make an effort every day to be mindful when creating my goals and taking the extra time to stop and think is this really possible!”
👉🏽 Visit Do You Salut for master pep-talks, and tips on travel, life, and everything in between.
Not Writing Down Goals or Making To-Do Lists
Ashley Fields, SavvyAF
“What if I told you that you could double your shot at getting that promotion you want, by completing one simple task? What would be willing to do?
Studies have shown that people who write their goals down are more than twice as likely to achieve them.
Writing your goals down is a must. It may sound trivial, but it’s not. There’s something about putting pen to paper and bringing what was once just words into a tangible commitment you can hold onto and put in front of you.”
👉🏽 SavvyAF is all about intentional living for busy women.
Alexandra Weisser, The Happy Life Formula
“I think the number one mistake that people make with goal setting is not writing down what they want to achieve!
Too many people get so focused on how they are going to achieve something that they don’t put the goal on their list. I like to think of my goals list as a wish list that I am asking the Universe for. I may not know all of the steps to get me to my end goal, but just writing it down and setting my intention will get me one step closer to achieving!”
👉🏽 The Happy Life Formula inspires women to take action towards living their happy life. Alexandra shares Three Things You Can Do Today to Start Achieving Your Goals, including a goals planner that you need to succeed!
Samantha Erb, Journey to SAHM
“My worst goal setting mistake is not making a physical to-do list.
We create a list in our heads and think we have it all planned out, then at the end of the night, we realize how many things we actually didn’t do. It happens all the time and I guess I never learn!
Always write down your to-dos!”
👉🏽 Journey to SAHM helps you learn to save money, relax and just feel accomplished. Learn how to Meal Plan to Save Money.
Paula Hickey, Paula Sexton Hickey
“We set a goal. But we often forget to plan out all the steps we need to take to reach that goal.
Take some time, sit down and write out all the tasks you need to do to reach your goal.
Not only will this give you direction, but it can keep the overwhelm at bay because you’re focusing on one small step at a time instead of a huge goal.”
👉🏽 Paula Sexton Hickey is a Virtual Assistant who helps female solopreneurs have more time to enjoy the road to success. Learn How to Set Goals For Your First Year of Business.
Not Having a Realistic Timeline or Schedule
Alacia Mahnken, Merry Milestones
“The #1 goal setting mistake is forgetting to set a realistic timeline. It is all about the timeline!
Your big 3-month goal should be broken up into three monthly goals which should further be broken up into 12 small weekly goals that are both actionable and purposeful.
I.e. if your goal is to increase your website traffic to 10,000 monthly viewers by July 17th: you could break that up into 3 methods for how you plan to drive traffic. Let’s say Pinterest, Google AdWords, and FB ads. Those would be your 3 smaller goals. You could focus on one method per month, but then you would have actionable smaller goals within each week.
You get the idea! You want everything to have a schedule that will come together to meet your goal timeline!
👉🏽 Merry Milestones shares tips to help you make each milestone a merry one.
Debbie Mogere, Streaks of Light
“For me, that will be overestimating how much you can do in a day and underestimating what you can do in a month/ long-term. This results in unrealistic daily goals.
Packing your day with more tasks does not translate into efficiency. You end up overwhelmed, frustrated and burnout. To avoid this mistake, set ONE goal to work on per day. You will have less to worry about, and an increased focus on the task at hand. Your success will be determined by the little progress you make over time as you achieve your daily goals.”
👉🏽 Streaks of Light offers practical solutions to daily struggles. Debora shares Why Goals Fail – Mistakes Holding You Back From Slaying Your Goals.
Fancy Paper
“The #1 goal setting mistake we can make is a false belief in time being infinite for us to achieve them within.
I find that as I grow older I thrill in reading a story about someone doing what I want to do at an older age than I am now.
Maybe the time to get started isn’t just when we are fitter, richer or happier. Maybe the time should be right now. Maybe I should stop saying maybe…”
👉🏽 Fancy Paper accounts the stories of a former fancy paper collector blogging about family life in Midlands Ireland.
Brenda Melendez, Brenda Loves Sharing
“The #1 goal setting mistake that prevents someone from achieving their goals is not making the goal time-bound. This is so important!
If you don’t put time in your goal, you won’t have any reason to stick to it!
If you give yourself forever to accomplish something, you’re always going to say, ‘there’s always tomorrow.’ However, if you give yourself a time, then you’ll say, ‘Oh, I better go on my walk today so I can make my goal by next month’.”
👉🏽 Brenda Loves Sharing helps moms eat healthy while saving time and money.
Yuwanda Black, Inkwell Editorial
“Setting it and then forgetting it. What I mean by that is, most don’t create a DEFINED, day by day, week by week, month by month plan of how they’re going to achieve their goal.
For example, in 2011, I set a goal of uploading 50 ebooks to Amazon (ones I self-published). I was failing miserably at the beginning of that year. So I sat down, wrote out a daily and weekly schedule of how I was gonna get it done. Time-blocking my days was HUGE.
It’s how I’ve accomplished a lot of goals in life, eg, I’m a marathon runner. When I did my first full one, I trained for almost a year. First thing I did? Hunt down and print out a marathon training schedule. I stuck it to my fridge so I could know EXACTLY what I should be doing day in and day out to finish within the time I wanted.
It worked. I’ve run 10 marathons; I uploaded those 50 ebooks to Amazon, etc. Time block, time block, time block your days. Can’t stress it enough.”
👉🏽 Inkwell Editorial teaches you how to make money writing, for yourself and others. Yuwanda shares Freelance Writing Goals: How to Set Yours & Meet Them Every Year
Nicole Stirling, 366 Days of Running
“Not planning ahead. To make your goal happen you need to be prepared by knowing your schedule and determining where your goal fits best.
For example, if your goal is to run 3kms every day for a week you should know exactly how much time you’ll need and where your run will fit with your other activities.
Not planning ahead runs the risk of forgetting or simply running out of time.”
👉🏽 366 Days of Running inspires you to run daily, be accountable and focused on your fitness and health goals. Nicole shares How to Make 366 Days of Running a Habit.
Marina Lotaif, Yes to Tech
“The #1 goal setting mistake is failing to create a schedule in advance and sticking to it.
This way, you’ll never start the day off staring blankly into a screen (it’s okay, we’ve all been there).
Instead, you’ll always know what you need to do and when, and be able to see what your upcoming tasks are. If you can break down those tasks into bite-sized pieces, even better. Getting small wins is crucial to achieving your far-flung goals.”
👉🏽 Yes to Tech helps you maximize your online presence as a non-techie online entrepreneur. Marina shares 3 Main Reasons Why You Need A Schedule.
Not Breaking Your Goal Down
Summer Smith, Family Financial Blog
“Most people fail to set up a system for making goals a reality! I always like to pick some baby steps to help me meet milestones on my way to achieving my goal.
To do this, break down your goal. Do you want to save $1,000 for a getaway next spring? Start by putting away $10 each week. Once you are hitting that, push your goal up to $20 each week, and then push it up again. Instead of getting discouraged when you aren’t seeing $1000 appear after a few months, you will feel great knowing you are crushing your baby-step goals and working your way towards that big goal!”
👉🏽 Family Finances believes that finances are a family matter and that the family that saves together, stays together!
Nicole DaRosa, Glamorously You
“The biggest mistake I see people make when trying to achieve goals is taking on a goal that’s too big all at once.
With no actual plan, you’re setting yourself up for failure. When you wish to achieve something big, it’s best to break it down into smaller, more attainable goals.
Then, set deadlines for each one, hold yourself accountable, and see the bigger goal gradually become more of a reality!”
👉🏽 Glamoroughly You inspires women to become their most glamorous selves inside and out.
Colleen Mitchell, Inspired Forward
“In my experience, the biggest mistake people make when striving to reach their goals is that they don’t break them down into small enough pieces.
The only way to get anything done is to do it in small portions. You don’t go from deciding on your goal one day and then reaching it the next. There are steps to take, a path to follow, and discipline is needed to achieve your goals. Break it down.”
👉🏽 Inspire Forward is all about mental health awareness, personal transformation, self-care and the importance of minimizing stress.
Angel Strunk, Next Level Blogging
“I think the biggest mistake that keeps someone from achieving their goals is not including benchmarks.
Too often, people set big goals, and only measure success as a win or fail.
By setting benchmarks, you’re able to evaluate your progress towards your goal, and make adjustments to your strategies (or even your goal!), so that you’re successful.”
👉🏽 Next Level Blogging is here to help you build a successful blog and business. Achieve your business goals with this free workbook.
Jessica Foster, True Toast
“Aim for something tangible. Setting goals like ‘be happy‘ or ‘make a lot of money’ are valid goals, but they don’t set a standard for what exactly you are trying to achieve, and how to get there.
It is best to break it down into measurable chunks so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by how daunting they seem to be. You are then better able to create milestones and see your progress as you go along.”
👉🏽 True Toast is for millennial entrepreneurs, creatives, and influencers.
Not Setting Specific and Measurable Goals
Paula Musegades, I’m Busy Being Awesome
“I think one of the biggest goal setting challenges for many of us is not getting specific.
Oftentimes, we have a general idea of where we’re going, but we don’t know the exact objective. Because of this, we wander around, trying to hit that goal, without knowing the exact destination. What makes matters worse, without being specific, we often end up with broad and overwhelming goals; this makes it easy for us to simply ‘throw in the towel.’
So rather than saying, ‘I want to lose weight’ or ‘I want to write my book by the summer,’ it’s more helpful to break that statement down into precise, measurable goals. ‘I want to lose 2 lbs this week by going to the gym MWF and focusing only on low-carb foods.’ Or ‘I will work on my book for one hour every morning. Each week I will review my progress, and plan out next week’s page goal.’
By getting specific in your end goal, you have an easier time reaching your destination.”
👉🏽 I’m Busy Being Awesome is here to help you maximize productivity and discover time for fun. Paula shares 7 Key Areas of Personal Goal Setting.
Amber Florek, The Bonadife Broad
“The biggest mistake I’ve noticed people make when setting goals is to only set large abstract goals. I’ve found that setting small, measurable, and achievable goals is much more effective.
Not only does it make it possible for you to achieve more each day, but smaller goals help you track where you are in your advancement toward your larger goals. They also help you to define how to reach those big goals.
For example, setting a goal to be healthy is vague. Instead, set three smaller goals, like drinking more water, walking for 30 minutes a day, and writing in a daily food journal. See how the small goals help to define the steps toward the larger goal? Also, by achieving each smaller goal, you are well on your way to your bigger life goals.”
👉🏽 The Bonadife Broad talks about real life, in a relatable way to help women feel empowered and less adequate.
Sheri, A Busy Bee’s Life
“The #1 goals setting mistake that prevents someone from achieving their goals is setting vague and unrealistic goals. This is one of the main reasons New Year’s resolutions don’t work.
When setting a goal, however big it may be, you should always break them down into smaller achievable goals.
Let’s take a classic example. ‘In 2018, I want to get fit.’ This is a great goal, however, there is it lacks a focus, a plan, and is too vague. How about, ‘This year, I want to get my health and body back into shape. I will go to the gym for an hour 3x a week for a full cardio workout and a swim.’ Ok, now we have a plan and a focus.
Now let’s break it down a little more. Add going to the gym to your goals for the week, so even if your long-term goal for 2021 is to be fit and healthy, your short-term goals will help you get there.
Remember – Precision, plan, focus, commitment, and time.”
👉🏽 A Busy Bee’s Life is for busy moms living an intentional and purposeful life.
Amy Coats, Two Weeks Notice Society
“If you make your goals general, vague, and immeasurable, you are going to have a difficult time accomplishing them.
Some examples of general goals are: Spend less money. Grow my email list. Get more clients. Get in shape. These are all great ideas, but there isn’t any actionable step to achieving them. These goals are also difficult to achieve because they are also never done.
How do you know if it is a success? Make your goals specific and measurable.
Examples of specific and measurable goals are:
- Save $500 per month.
- Obtain 1,000 email subscribers by April 30.
- Get 3 clients by May 15.
- Lose 5 pounds by June 1.
Your goal should contain the following components:
- WHO is involved? WHAT is my desired outcome?
- WHEN do you need to achieve it? WHERE can this be accomplished?
- HOW will you achieve it?
Next, you need an action plan ready to help you achieve your goal. Be sure to write your goal down with pen and paper and create a strategic system in place to help you with the next steps.”
👉🏽 TWO WEEK NOTICE SOCIETY IS HERE TO HELP YOU LEAVE YOUR 9 TO 5 AND CREATE A LIFE OF LOVE AND FULFILLMENT.
Dr. Elise Ho, Ask Dr. Ho
“One of the biggest mistakes that I see when people are setting goals is not being specific enough.
A specific goal is a goal in which you pinpoint exactly what you wish to achieve.
A good idea is to make a goal sheet listing 3-5 SPECIFIC goals that you wish to achieve in 3 months, 6 months, and one year. You might also choose to go further than this time frame if it makes sense for the obstacle.”
👉🏽 ASK DR. HO IS DEDICATED TO HELPING YOUR GET CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT, WHY YOU WANT IT AND HOW TO GET IT. Elise asks, Do You Truly Have SMART Goals?
Lynn Neville, Emma & Rose
“The biggest goal setting mistake I see women make when they want to lose weight is not defining every part of a SMART goal for themselves: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
‘I want to lose weight’ is too vague. A SMART goal would be ‘I want to lose 5 lbs. in 6 weeks so I can fit into the LBD I bought for my class reunion’.”
👉🏽 Emma & Rose shows you how to live healthier, be stronger, and feel more confident in your own skin.
Not Focusing on Taking Action
Leesa Klich
“Setting outcome-based goals and not action-based goals.
An outcome-based goal is one based on an outcome, like “getting # blog post views” or “earning $X.” The problem with these is that you’re not in control of those outcomes.
But you ARE in control of your actions. For example, “publishing a new blog post every week” or “promoting each blog post 4 times during the week I publish it.” Those are actions that you can easily tick off your list and be proud of your accomplishment!”
👉🏽 Leesa Klich helps you get more readers to sign up for your email list and attract more ideal clients using your blog posts. Learn How to promote blog posts.
Miranda Crane, The Healthy Lifestyle Regimen
“I Believe the #1 Goal Setting Mistake is Thinking VS Doing.
Most of us have the desire or need to be a better person or version of ourselves. Maybe it’s to run a marathon, eat healthier, get a promotion, do volunteer work, learn a new skill.
Whatever the case maybe you will never achieve it without a plan or system in place to get there. However, most of us spend more time planning or “thinking” about what we need to do VS just doing it! Results come to those who “act” while others are researching the “right” way to generate results.”
👉🏽 The Healthy Lifestyle Regiment has Articles based on Holistic Health Remedies, all sorts of Health and Fitness related information.
Vineet Gupta, ProProfs Project
“PROCRASTINATION – The #1 Goal Setting Mistake.
I feel there are too many people who know that Goal Setting is important in order to achieve their goals but unfortunately, most of them will never take the pain or are just too lazy to take out the time & write down their goals.
As a result, their Goals are just a Dream – WITHOUT A DEADLINE! Unless & Until you have your goals written on a piece of paper, with proper planning, what you want to achieve when, I am sorry, but, it will be very very difficult to achieve anything big.”
👉🏽 ProProfs Project is an easy to use online project management tool you’ll love. Learn more about The Importance of Goal Setting.
Mica Gonzalez, Mind of Mica
“Number#1 mistake in goal-setting? Not showing up to achieve the goals!
So many people set targets and goals, make plans and fill out planners – but they don’t actually do the work. It’s always better to show up consistently.
After all, what we do every day matters more than what we do every once in a while.”
👉🏽 Mind of Mica helps millennials and millennials-at-heart figure out how to live our lives on our terms through creative passion projects and side hustles. Mica shares How to Focus on Just One Goal.
Tamara Mason, Empowered Single Moms
“The major reason people don’t achieve their goals is lack of prioritizing. We want to do everything and so we spin around like a child’s top taking a lot of action buzzing from thing to thing, but lacking focus.
Prioritizing needs to happen in two phases. The first is to decide what is the major goal we want to accomplish next. The second is to break the major goal down into bite-size tasks and set a timeline for when to accomplish those smaller steps toward reaching the major goal.”
👉🏽 Empowered Single Moms empowers single parents in parenting, dating, and life. Learn how to achieve Work-Life Balance: Set Priorities.
Not Knowing Your Why or Purpose
Tina Milnes, Blonde Beet Nirvana
“I’m a big believer that goals should be defined by what feeling we’re trying to evoke rather simply an end result or ‘achievement’. The emotion from reaching an achievement often tends to be fleeting and temporary.
Concentrate on tapping into whatever feeling you’re seeking, and the journey to the tangible accomplishment will be much more pleasurable, sustainable, and worthwhile!“
👉🏽 Blonde Beet Nirvana encourages and guides you to create your own #LifeInColor.
Sarah Dew, A Simple and Contented Life
“The #1 goal setting mistake? Not understanding your ‘why’.
It’s all very well setting a goal but if you don’t know why you’re setting it in the first place, finding the drive and determination to achieve it is going to be tough.
Ask yourself what you’re hoping to achieve from accomplishing your goal. What will you gain? How will you feel? How will things be different?
Establish your ‘why’ and you’ll establish whether the goal is something you WANT to do or if it’s just something you think you ‘should’ do. Understand that and you’ll find the motivation you need.”
👉🏽 A Simple and Contented Life is here to help you slow things down, take back control and create a life they love live. Sarah shares Six Reasons to Start Achieving Your Goals Right Now.
Cassie & Joseph, No Compass Necessary
“Having no purpose, or a weak reasoning for “WHY” you want to achieve your goals will hinder your ability to reach them.
If you can nest a strong purpose that’s in line with your principals, then you’re that much more likely to succeed.
Wanting to be in shape so that other people find you attractive is a weak reason, but wanting to be healthy because you value your life and want to be around for your family is strong.
“Why” is the most important factor in establishing and fulfilling your goals. Always knowing “why” will give you strength!”
👉🏽 No Compass Necessary is a healthy lifestyle blog that shares tips for travel, living, recipes and more.
Audreyanna Garrett, AudriWrites
“I believe that the #1 mistake people make when setting goals is that they set empty goals.
Goals with no true purpose, impact or motivation.
Because we live in a superficial world, is easy to set and desire to set empty goals, but the consequence to those goals are often great, and/or essentially a waste of time.”
👉🏽 AudriWrites is a self-everything blog, dedicated to helping you over fear, depression, doubt and fear with encouragement. Audri asks, Are you setting empty goals?
Liane Watt, Tales of a Scrunchy Mom
“One of the number one mistakes people make when setting goals is not getting *crystal clear* on WHY they want to set this goal.
What is your reason?
Do you want to lose 20 pounds so you’ll look good in a bikini this summer or because you’re trying to overcome a chronic health condition? Is it even your goal or are you being pressured by someone else?
If we don’t know why we want this our motivation is going to stagnate and fast. Our why paves the way for a clear vision of our desired outcome. Once we know exactly what we’re doing this for we’ll be more determined to get there. Keep reminding yourself of your why!”
👉🏽 Tales of a Scrunchy Mom is here to inspire, motivate and support you in your own healthy living journey.
Darla Lee, FamLee Of Four
“Being able to set goals is one thing. However, finding the motivation to stay on task is the key.
In order to find the perfect motivation to achieve your goals, every single time ultimately depends on your reason. Once you find what …then you need to know the “why.”
For example, if my goal is to have my own business, then I must connect with the Why. It’s the prime reason people don’t meet goals successfully or become disconnected from the purpose altogether. Because if you’re why does not connect, motivate, inspire, or drive you, then the goal will fall short.”
👉🏽 FamLee of Four inspires mom to organize, set goals and go after their dreams. Darla shares A Step-by-Step Guide to Goal Setting.
Angela Leigh, Financial Freedom Footsteps
“For me, the #1 goal setting mistake is not aligning your goals with your highest values.
What’s truly important to you? Are you aware of what your highest values are? What does your life demonstrate as a priority for YOU?
If you’re not clear, take some time to reflect and confirm what these are. When you set goals that are congruent with YOUR values, you will not need the motivation to achieve your goals – achieving them will be guaranteed!”
👉🏽 Financial Freedom Footsteps helps you to achieve financial freedom one small (foot)step at a time by getting out of debt, saving, starting and growing a profitable side hustle.
Hailey Dale, Your Content Empire
“There are a lot of shoulds out there messing with everyone. The same is true with your goals.
Maybe you’re setting goals based on what you think you should want – even if it couldn’t be less aligned with how you really feel.
Sometimes it’s a matter of “keeping up with Joneses” when we spend so much time watching our peers or competitors, that we absorb their goals and begin to trick ourselves into thinking that that’s what we want too. When in actuality it couldn’t be further from what you want.
So when setting any goal, content or otherwise, examine your motivations and make sure they align with what you actually want and the vision you hold for your business.”
👉🏽 Your Content Empire is a community + content hub for small business owners to learn about content marketing from a 360-degree angle. Hailey shares “How to Set Breakthrough Content Goals You’ll Actually Accomplish.”
Not Having the Right Mindset
Shannon Lambert, Making Mommas
“Mindset. I have learned, through the process of failing repeatedly, that in order to change something in your life, you need to change how you look at it.
Our perspective clouds everything we do on a daily basis. How we view our world – and ourselves – starts with our own internal beliefs, good or bad.
If you believe something is going to be hard, it will be. If you believe you can’t do it, you won’t. If you limit yourself by what you believe, you will limit the potential to reach your goal. Change your mind. The rest will follow.”
👉🏽 Making Mommas is an amazing resource for Moms. Shannon share’s How To Commit To Your Goals.
Abby Martinez, For the Joy
“Goal setting MUST start with one thing. A mindset shift.
When you haven’t addressed a negative mindset and taken reign of your own thinking you will prevent yourself from taking action to achieve your goal.
Our thoughts create our feelings and our feelings create our actions. Your actions will only get you the goal results you want when you CHOOSE to grab hold of a positive mindset.”
👉🏽 For the Joy is here to help you build a business and life you love.
Angela Ocampo, A Serene Pursuit
“A poor mindset around your goals will hold you back from achieving them.
If you think about your goals like something that you ‘have’ to do, you’re already creating negative energy around them. They’ll quickly feel like a chore and sooner than later they’ll end up at the bottom of your to-do list.
If you flip it to something you ‘want’ to do, your goals become that much easier to not only find time for, but to commit to long-term. Figure out your “why” when setting goals and use it as fuel to upgrade your mindset and achieve them.”
👉🏽 A Serene Pursuit helps you discover the magic within yourself by exploring self-awareness, self-love, and intentional living.
Sarah Marandi-Steeves, You Must Get Healthy
“Everyone has goals and dreams, so how come not everyone is achieving them? One of the biggest reasons for this is the comparison trap! Social media, while so wonderful in so many ways, has unfortunately created a false sense of reality. Sure, we all know that everyone posts the best versions of themselves or their businesses on social media, but it’s still hard to accept that truth when we feel inadequate ourselves in comparison.
Often times, the bigger the goal the more pressure we put on ourselves. So, if you have a big goal, AWESOME! Write it down, put it on your vision board, tell your friends to make it a reality.
And remember, everyone on social media is exactly like you. Everyone started somewhere. No one achieved instant success.
What makes them different from you? Nothing, aside from the fact that they didn’t let anything stop them. You can achieve anything you put your mind to, so don’t let social media fool you into thinking you are not good enough to do what you feel called to do.“
👉🏽 Sarah is helping children and their families lead happier, healthier lifestyles through the use of various evidence-based practices. You Must Get Healthy dishes out health information with passion and concern for your health. How do you define success?
Tom Fox, Another Success Blog
“Most people are setting goals, which they think are achievable for them. The problem is that with that approach you are not even scratching the surface of your potential! Your goals are just not big enough, to achieve big things in life.
Let’s say, you are driving a car, and your goal is to drive the new model. Because you have done it already, you can surely strongly believe to reach it, but does this really push yourself outside your comfort zone?
No, it does not. You will stay where you are, and keep on living the life you have lived until today.
You can achieve EVERYTHING, why would you bother aiming for the second best?
👉🏽 ANOTHER SUCCESS BLOG (NOW SELF MADE LADIES) ALSO HELPS YOU APPLY THE LAW OF ATTRACTION TO YOUR LIFE, BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE 21 DAY CHALLENGE.
Not Being Fully Committed to Your Goal
Dee Jackson, My Dee Dee’s Diary
“I honestly believe that someone fails to accomplish their goals because they give up when things get tough.
The one thing I learned from my mentor was that in the pursuit of my dreams, the road will get bumpy and many parking spaces will appear.
The key is, even if you stop at a parking space, never make it your permanent residence. Keep going. Remember why you started the journey and let that help you get to your destination“
👉🏽 My Dee Dee’s Diary enjoy’s helping millennials create the life they want by making small, intentional changes in the way they think and live that have a big impact!
Mandy Curry, Inspiration Cove
“The number one mistake most people make when goal-setting is not going ‘all in.’
Contrary to popular belief, success rarely falls right into people’s laps. Those who have achieved great things will almost always mention the hard work, time, and dedication it took to build their aspirations.
By going ‘all in’ and investing 100% in yourself, you can achieve ANYTHING.”
👉🏽 Inspiration Cove is a lifestyle blog dedicated to helping millennial women kick-start their side hustles and start living their best damn lives.
Ambar, It’s Ambar Not Amber
“Lack of patience. It is so easy to not see the results you want when you’ve set your goal and begun doing the work.
Sometimes, that work includes sitting still and waiting. When we lack patience, we might make the mistake of moving on too quickly and missing the very thing we were waiting for.
Be patient. What is meant to be yours will come your way when it’s ready and when the time is right.“
👉🏽 Follow Ambar’s personal blog where she discusses mental health, life after school and other topics. Check out From Graduate Student to Unemployed.
Jean Lane
“Managing expectations. When we expect a good or bad outcome we set ourselves up for how we THINK something should go or feel. Set the goal but let go of the expectation.
A pessimist will self-sabotage when they expect to fail. But an optimist will create disappointment when the goal doesn’t go how they imagined and never feel they hit their goals.
The true road to goal setting happiness is to be clear about what you want, but let go of how it will happen.”
👉🏽 Jean Lane utilizes branches of psychology & science to change how people see themselves & their business.
Ivana Skorić, la ivana
“What prevents you from achieving your goal is your focus. You’re focusing on the end goal and you’re forgetting about the journey that will take you there.
You forget about the process and then you get lazy trying to catch that goal and you quit.
So make sure you’re enjoying the process. Change things up along the way, shift your perspective and make the process of reaching the goal fun.
It’s not all about the end goal, it’s about how much you will grow in the meantime.”
👉🏽 La ivana shares inspiration for you to decide to live the life you want and motivation to go for it.
Marc Andre, Vital Dollar
“I think one common problem with goal setting is not 100% committing to achieving the goal.
Most of us set a goal, but then as soon as some obstacles come up we make excuses for why we can’t do it. Most good things in life aren’t easy.
If you commit to sticking with it and continuing to work until you achieve the goal, you’ll have a much better chance for success.”
👉🏽 At Vital Dollar, you’ll find articles about how you can improve your own financial situation by saving more of what you already have, and by making more money.
Waheeda, Habits Buzz
“Not going completely in.
If you want to achieve your goal, do not have a plan B. It shows you lack belief. It will prevent you from giving your best to your current goal.
You are starting a new business. Mistake: You think, “If this doesn’t work, I’ll go back to my corporate job.”
What you should be thinking: This business is the only option I have and I am going to make it happen no matter what.
You will face challenges everywhere in life. If you aren’t committed to it completely, you will quit sooner. Have unshakeable belief in your goal and you’ll see it materialize.”
👉🏽 Habit Buzz helps you change your life, by changing your habits. Waheeda share’s 3 Mistakes to Avoid if You Want to Achieve Your Goals.
Not Having the Right Resources or Support
Andrea Charles, Sharing My Favorites
“The #1 mistake is having a goal but not getting the resources to help you follow through.
There are tons of free printables online to help you tackle your goals. You can find printables for cleaning, organization, budgeting, fitness, and so on. These printables are usually attached to a blog post that’s full of great advice.
Take advantage of the resources that are available to help you rock that goal!”
👉🏽 Sharing My Favorites helps women balance family, home, and work.
Jess Mannion, Intentional Families With Jess
“What good is planning a goal if we forget the most crucial part?
Most people, including myself, have the best intentions when goal planning, though one thing we miss is creating an inventory.
An inventory is a checklist to see what we have in stock, what we need, and what are the gaps to fill. Kinda like a shopping list.
Goals won’t work if we haven’t considered the time we have available, our finances, energy, resources, and so on. An inventory will guarantee that our goals will be a success because we have all we need to dive straight in.”
👉🏽 Intentional Families’ mission is to help you build healthy families.
Valarie Thomas, The Mom Goddess
“The #1 goal setting mistake that keeps people from reaching their goals is telling the wrong people about their plans.
The wrong people are people who don’t have your imagination or drive. The wrong people are the people who have never done anything as bold as what you’re dreaming of achieving. They’ll talk you out of your plans, make their fears your fears, and make you doubt yourself. Either tell only those who have been where you’re going, who truly believe in you and have no jealousy towards you, or keep your goals to yourself.”
👉🏽 The Mommie Goddess is dedicated to celebrating, cultivating, and inspiring the awesomeness within mamas. Valerie helps your Set and Slay 2018 Goals, with 33 Ways to Rock 2018 for Female Entrepreneurs.
Collins Nwokolo, You Must Get Healthy
“The No. #1 goal setting mistake is failing to find out possible falls and ways to get up from them.
When we set goals, we should expect to fail at some point, finding out ways in which we can get up when we fail beforehand can help you set goals properly.
It is essential that you have a backup plan so that you can easily maneuver any obstacle.”
👉🏽 You Must Get Healthy dishes out health information with passion and concern for your health.
Set Goals the S.M.A.R.T. Way
Stop making these top 10 goal setting mistakes, start setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals instead. Sign up below to get your FREE Smart Goals Worksheet, form-fillable and printable.
Sign up below for your FREE SMART Goals Worksheet + get weekly tips to help you slay your goals.
And please remember, the only fatal goal setting mistake is to give up and quit when things don’t work out as you hoped.
Making mistakes is normal, failing to achieve your goals is too. Be the rare person, who learns from their mistakes, then gets up and tries again.
Each time you set new goals, or revise the old one, you’ll be a better goal setter.
That’s how you set goals, then actually achieve them.
Are you making these goal setting mistakes? Click here for top 10 mistakes you need to avoid. #goalsetting #goals
What goal setting mistake have you been making?
Last Updated on April 4, 2025
Farrah says
These are all really great tips! I have a lot of small goals and love planning/writing things down but I definitely have a tendency to try to do too many things at once!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Farrah,
Aren’t they though! I just love how roundup posts have all the best advice in one place.
You’re not alone! Setting too many goals at once is probably the #1 mistake we allll make.
Paula says
So much great advice here from so many of my favorite entrepreneurs! Thank you so much for including me!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Paula,
Mine too! Love a great roundup post.
My pleasure, thank you so much for sharing your expert advice with us.
Cassie & Joseph says
Great round-up post, Nadalie! Thanks so much for featuring No Compass Necessary – we appreciate it 🙂
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Cassie & Joseph,
You’re so welcome! Thanks so much for contributing your #1 goal setting mistake to avoid.
Yuwanda Black says
Doing too much seems to be a running theme. I’m soooo guilty of that!
Thanks for including me Nadalie. Awesome list. Awesome advice. #PinningThis 🙂
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Yuwanda,
It is sure is! We’d love to get it all done, all at once. But I’m sure you know, that just doesn’t work.
Thanks for contributing and sharing!
Collins Nwokolo says
This is such an insightful article. I learned a whole lot from the 55 other experts that contributed. I’m privileged to have featured on the post too.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Collins,
Thank you so much for contributing your insight on goal setting!
Joanna Stephens says
These are some wonderful tips for overcoming the common mistakes of goal setting! I appreciate you featuring Mom With Cookies on this roundup.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Joanna,
So glad you enjoyed being a part of our newest roundup! Thanks for contributing.
Paula @ I'm Busy Being Awesome says
What an incredible round-up of resources, Natalie! I just love this. Thank you so much for including I’m Busy Being Awesome in the list; I’m honored to be amongst all of these wonderful experts 🙂
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Paula,
Thanks so much for the roundup post love! It’s always a pleasure to feature I’m Busy Being Awesome.
Kristi McAllister says
I have told you before that goal setting is one of my biggest faux pas and I sometimes wonder if I can ever really change that trend within myself. As I read through your roundup, I kept finding myself nodding yes to almost every challenge that was presented. I think that my biggest issue is that I take on too much at one time and then I get overwhelmed, so I just give up! It reminds me so much of that saying about how to eat an elephant — one bite at a time! As always, great post, Nadalie! I really do learn so much from you!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Kristi,
This post for me as well, was one of those raise the mirror and see yourself moments. I’ve made each and every one of these mistakes at one time or another. Give goal setting a try! It doesn’t have to be this big thing, just set your sights on something. Although, you probably do set goals, even if you don’t call it that. We all have things we’d like to achieve.
Haha, just one big bite at a time. And it might take a while, you eventually there will be only one bite left, if we keep eating.
Tamara @ Empowered Single Moms says
Thanks for including me in this great resource on goal setting.
Nadalie Bardo says
You’re so welcome, Tamara!
Thanks so much for contributing your goal setting mistake with us.
Brenda says
Thank you so much for including me in this awesome post! I like how you broke it down by goal setting mistakes so it’s easier for people to find the kind of help they’re looking for.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Brenda,
You’re so welcome! Thanks so much for contributing your top goal setting mistake with us.
maria says
These are very good goal setting mistakes. Sometimes its just aa helpful to hear what your doing wrong so that corrections can be made. I write down my goals because it helps to have a clear understanding of what it is I really want to accomplish.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Maria,
Love that you mention that! They say you need to hear (and probably read too) things a few times before it sinks in. I love how all our experts have a common thread. Don’t just believe me, everyone here has been there and shared from their own goal setting mistakes.
Fashion and Style Police says
Great goal setting ideas here. I like having set goals so I know what to work on. If you don’t have a plan to work with then you plan to fail.
Nadalie Bardo says
So happy you found these goal setting tips helpful! That’s one of the best goal setting quotes, and it’s so true. Just as long as creating a plan doesn’t become your excuse for NOT taking action.
Chelsea says
This post turned out great! So many great tips and I’m so happy to be included. I can tell you worked really hard to put this post together and it really paid off. Keep up the amazing work!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Chelsea,
Thanks so much for your contribution to this expert roundup on goal setting. Haha, you wouldn’t believe how long, hence why it took a bit longer to hit publish on this one than I’d like. Thanks, I’ll do my best. =)
Sarah says
I thoroughly enjoyed being included in this article alongside so many other amazing experts, thank you so much for including me! This was a great article with wonderful tips and advice, and the feedback I have gotten back has been very positive! I am hopeful this article will continue to reach those who could utilize the information as goal setting is one of the most difficult challenges we face, yet one of the most important things we can do to achieve happiness and success!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Sarah,
It was such a pleasure having your share your goal setting wisdom with us. So happy to hear you’ve had great feedback from your community too. Everyone seems to be loving it!
We all have problems, and to quite Jay-Z, I’d go so far as to say most of the reasons (like 99 problems) stem from a goal setting mistake.
Marianne says
You are totally right. We all aspire to greatness but cower when faced with difficulty. This was a very insightful read.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Marianne,
Too many of us give up when things don’t work out the first time (or the second time). It breaks my heart how many blogs I visit just to find that they’ve disappeared. If we want it bad enough, we’ve got to be willing to own our goal setting mistakes, and just do better next time.
Szebastian says
Tell you what .. this week this is the perfect article for me. I have managed to skip so many things and the week has not even gone half way yet. I am usually excellent with my time management and goal achievements but this week is being a drag from the start. This article is going to be my savior indeed!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Szebastian,
Don’t feel too badly, that happens to me too. We need “off weeks” where we let things slide or we’ll burn out. I find that usually when I’m not the best with my time, it happens right after I’ve been pushing really hard. You’ll get back on it and get a lot done the rest of the week. I just know you will!
Pragati says
Interesting article, I do needed this today, with the great week am having. (Rolling my eyes)
Specifics are key!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Pragati,
We all those weeks, I’m just coming off of one. The good news is, you can always turn it around.
Yuyu says
To me, not having the full commitment and lack of patience are the greatest mistake.
I always find myself being impatience to see good results without even having full commitment in doing it. And it never works that way.
Setting a measurable time frame right from beginning help me to gauge the expectation.
Thanks for rounding up this great list, it’s a good read and reminder.
I’m curious what’s your take on this yourself, Nadalie?
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Yuyu,
YESSS, we need to be 100% in this, and we so need to be patient. So many of us give up because it’s too hard, we don’t see results fast enough or things don’t work on our imagined timeline. Persistence and resilience are key!
As shared in the post, I think the only truly fatal goal setting mistake is giving up. Even if things don’t go our way, we should never just walk away, we come up with a new plan, set a new goal, and get back at it again.
Yuyu says
Yep, that’s true. I’ve seen many bloggers that deleted their blogs after blogging for a couple months because they don’t see progress or traffic.
I hope I won’t come to that situation.
Nadalie Bardo says
I see it too. I’ll click over and be surprised it’s completely gone. Makes me sad, every single day bloggers are giving up.
Personally, I think part of that has to do with the reasons they started it in the first place. Sure, we want people to read our blogs, like who doesn’t want that. But, so many bloggers go into this thinking it’s an easy way to get money, to get popular or whatever. And that shallow reason isn’t enough to keep you going. You need something deeper! Or, perhaps our initial reason for starting (like to express ourselves, to be creative, to write and share our story), gets “corrupted” by the pressure of hitting all these “goals” of traffic, income, subscribers and so on.
But if you KNOW why you’re doing this, it doesn’t hurt you so badly when all of that takes time. You can just enjoy blogging, for what it is.
That’s my take on it anyways. I do this because I LOVE it, it’s what I was meant to do. All that other stuff is a bonus.
Eki Ayemenre says
Great work here Nadalie!
These are advice that will actually help. Great work here Nadalie. Keep up the good work!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Eki,
YES! I love that you say that, seriously what my hope for this post is. To really help people set better goals.
Nannette Klein says
Great tips. I especially need help sticking with it when it seems like I’m not making traction.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Nannette,
One of the best tips, you have to keep pushing, keep going, UNTIL you see progress. It will come, don’t give up. And if it isn’t, then it’s time to change it up, to pivot, not to give up.
Bartek Perkosz says
Great article because I can read so many different and helpful point of views in one place! You know, sometimes it’s all about one sentence that can change your life and it’s always wise to learn from other people’s experience. Thanks!
It's All You Boo says
Hey Bartek,
Agreed, it’s always wise to learn from other people’s experience. It’s important to know what top goal setting mistakes we should avoid to know how to deal with possible mistakes or challenges we’ll be encountering.
kohar says
this is a really very interesting article. thanks for sharing this amazing article about goal-setting mistakes.
It's All You Boo says
Glad you found it interesting!