Setting Healthy Goals Answers

The purpose of an action plan is to organize the specific steps, resources, and deadlines needed to reach a goal and to track progress toward completing it.

Define the goal, break it into smaller specific tasks, put the tasks in logical order, assign deadlines, and track progress by completing or revising tasks as needed.

Realistic goals are achievable within a person’s abilities, resources, and time. They reduce discouragement and make success more likely.

Measurable goals make it possible to track progress, determine when the goal has been reached, stay motivated, and make adjustments when needed.

Identify the goal, break it into manageable tasks, set priorities and deadlines, gather needed resources, and monitor and adjust progress.

The first step in developing an action plan is to clarify the goal by visualizing an outcome, determining the goal's measurability, and by looking at possible difficulties that may arise in pursuing the goal. The second step is to create a list of possible actions by brainstorming as many ideas as possible. After this brainstormed list is developed, it should be analyzed and prioritized so that only the essential actions remain. These essential actions should be organized into a plan of sequenced steps. Finally, the plan should be monitored and reviewed to determine its effectiveness toward reaching a goal. If it can be improved, the plan should be adjusted to optimize results.

Setting realistic goals is important because it keeps an individual's motivation up. An individual who sets unrealistic goals is more likely to become discouraged through the process and is therefore more likely to give up on the goal. By setting realistic goals, an individual can maintain motivation and stick to established timelines, culminating in the successful completion of a goal.

It is important to create measurable goals in order to determine the point at which the goal has been achieved. Also, a measurable goal can help improve motivation by allowing an individual to effectively track progress toward meeting the goal. This step-by-step tracking can also help an individual create a more efficient plan to achieve a goal, thereby increasing the likelihood that it will be achieved.

An action plan can identify ways that milestones and short-term goals can be reached while working toward a long-term goal.

Tasks are activities that must be done on a daily or recurring basis in order to accomplish a goal. An individual who wishes to accomplish a goal must determine what tasks must be completed in order to reach the goal. An effective list of tasks will include the necessary steps an individual should take to reach the desired goal. For example, a student wishing to obtain a driver’s license might set tasks for practicing driving, taking practice written tests for the driving exam, and reviewing the driving laws.