Practical GuideHow to Set Goals You Actually Follow Through On
Why goals fall apart and how to fix it, specific targets, systems over outcomes, if-then plans, tracking, and self-compassion after the inevitable slips.
Jillian Schafer·
Selfpause Journal
Goal Setting
6 articles
Practical Guide
Research ExplainedWhy If-Then Plans Beat Willpower: The Science of Implementation Intentions
Wanting a goal isn't enough. Deciding in advance exactly when and where you'll act closes the gap, and the research is strikingly consistent.
Jillian Schafer·
ResearchYou Really Can Change Your Personality, New Study Reveals
In a 12-week program with 956 people, those who more often acted differently than their usual selves changed their underlying traits more in that same direction. Change was strongest when people genui
Jillian Schafer·
ResearchDo SMART Goals Actually Work? A Soccer Study Says Yes
When soccer beginners practiced passing under different goal strategies, everyone improved equally right after training. But days later, on retention and transfer tests, every goal-setting group beat
Jillian Schafer·
ResearchSetting Goals With a Mentor Linked to Higher Freshman GPA, Study Finds
A study of a peer-mentoring app for first-year college students found that setting goals with a mentor was significantly linked to higher first-semester GPA. Even after accounting for how much student
Jillian Schafer·
ResearchSetting a Simple Goal Made 18,000 People Meditate More, Study Finds
In a field study of 18,559 Spotify users, simply setting a goal for how many days to meditate that week was modestly linked to meditating more, and people who set higher goals meditated more. Even the
Jillian Schafer·