Goal Setting

Achieving what you want

Goal setting is a tool that can help in a lot of different ways after mild traumatic brain injury, or mTBI, and concussion. Setting goals can allow you to focus on what is important, lessen stress, help you to get more done, improve motivation, and increase self-confidence.

Goal setting involves different steps:

  • First, think about what you want to accomplish in the future.
  • Then, find ways that you can work towards those goals now.
  • Next, write down specific things you want to accomplish in a short period, such as 1 or 2 weeks.
  • Finally, create a routine to check on how you are doing in meeting your goals.

You can use the SMART method as a guide to create and set your own goals. Ask yourself the related questions to help focus for successful outcomes.

  • Specific: Set clear and specific goals so that you know what you want to do. Does my goal clearly say what I want to get done?
  • Measurable: Write goals so that you can easily measure your progress and know when you have met a goal. Does my goal say how much, how many, or how often?
  • Attainable: Set goals that you can accomplish. Focus on goals that you can meet in the amount of time you have and how you are feeling. Can I meet my goal in the amount of time I have? Will I be able to get the support I need to reach my goal?
  • Relevant: Pick goals that are important to you. Choose goals that will improve your life or make you happy. Is this important to me? Will this improve my life or lead to happiness?
  • Timely: Set a specific time when you want to finish your goal. Is there a time limit on when I will get this done?

SMART goal examples

Here are some SMART goal examples to help get you started with goal setting:

To improve sleep, this week I will:

  • Go to bed at 10 p.m. on 5 to 7 nights.
  • Practice meditation before going to bed each night.

To practice taking more breaks for active recovery, this week I will:

  • Take a short break every 20 minutes while I am studying for school
  • Add a reminder in my phone to take a 5-minute break after each Zoom meeting at work

To get back to exercise and activity in a healthy way, this week I will:

  • Walk for 30 minutes on 3 to 7 days.
  • Try one online yoga class.

Here are some other strategies to help you set goals and stick with them.

  • Write down your goals and put them in a place that you will see them every day.
  • Check in on your goals often to see what is working and what isn’t.
    • Set aside a time to look over your goals every week.
    • Think about if you met your goals or if you didn’t meet them.
    • If you didn’t meet your goals, think about what got in the way and what you would do differently in the future to meet your goals.
  • Add writing and checking goals into your daily routine so that it becomes a habit.
  • Consider using technology, like a smart phone app, to be organized, and to remember your goals.
  • Let family and other people in your support system know about what you are working on and tell them how you can be supported in meeting your goals.
  • Prioritize your goals by what is most important to you if you have too many.
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