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ID: 13204899
Updated: 2022-01-28
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![](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article4.6bc1851654a0.png)

# About
Title: [[Other/Obsidian Starter Vault(Second Brain)/Readwise/Articles/The Surprising Science of Goal Setting]]
Author: [[Editorial Process]]
Category: #articles
Number of Highlights: ==8==
Last Highlighted: *2022-01-19*
Readwise URL: https://readwise.io/bookreview/13204899
Source URL: https://markmanson.net/goal-setting


# Highlights 
There are a million articles on the internet about how to set goals and how to achieve them. And sure, I will cover some of that here.  ^278319091

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It didn’t even take three months for me to shut the whole project down. I deleted half of the new content written by others. I reverted the website back to the old blog. And I continued publishing at a meager pace.  ^278319092

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I wanted to publish over 100 articles on it that year.  ^278319093

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Sometimes it can be advantageous to set goals you know you are unlikely to achieve. Sometimes it is better to give up or change goals midstream. Sometimes it’s actually better to have no goals at all.  ^278319094

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Setting specific, measurable goals works extremely well in helping us achieve tangible, external achievements.  ^278319095

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the strategic failure of our goals can be far more valuable than their achievement.  ^278319096

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goals can be a great source of satisfaction and purpose in our lives.1,2 Goals give us something to look forward to, they give us direction. Goals help us track and measure our progress and understand our shortcomings. Goals are popular for a reason: they work.  ^278319097

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Specific Goals Are Best for External Pursuits  ^278319098