Bessy Ebule | November 19, 2025

Do you have dreams, ambitions, and desires that you wish would one day become reality? You are probably one in about 84% of people who do not have goals at all! Research shows that only 3% of people set goals and achieve them. So, why are you not among that 3%?

You may be finding it very hard to achieve your goals because you never articulate them in writing. It seems a very simple step, but research shows that writing down your goals dramatically increases your chances of achieving them up to 42% according to a study conducted at Dominican University by psychologist Dr. Gail Matthews.

You may have your goals in mind. E.g. I will finish my degree someday. I will soon start exercising or saving a part of my income etc. These are not bad, but goals can be easily forgotten, mixed up with daily worries, or replaced by temporary feelings when they are not written down because the brain handles about 70,000 thoughts each day!

Writing by hand is a cognitively demanding process, that requires the brain to engage in deep encoding of the information. Encoding is the biological process by which the things we perceive travel to our brain’s hippocampus where they’re analysed. From there, decisions are made about what gets stored in our long-term memory and, in turn, what gets discarded. Writing improves that encoding process. In other words, when you write something down, it has a much greater chance of being remembered, and better, than when you just think about it. This can help you stay focused on your goals and avoid distractions.

When you don’t write your goals down, there’s neither clarity or direction, no accountability, and you tend to forget them. There’s also a lack of motivation to chase them and difficulty measuring progress. You can see why you may have genuinely set goals in the past and yet failed to achieve them.

So, here’s how to effectively write goals using a structured process so that you can increase your chances of achieving them.

1. Let Your Goals Be Clear

Writing down your goals helps you clarify what you want to achieve. When you write them down, you must think about what you really want and what steps you need to take to get there. This clarity makes it easier to stay focused on your goals and make progress towards them.

Your written goal must answer the question: What exactly do I want? Avoid vague goals like “I want to be successful”. What would success mean for you? Completing a degree? Getting married? Getting a dream job or managing your own business? It was this clarity of goals that made Michael Phelps—American swimmer—the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 gold medals. Phelps’ training was not just physical; he wrote down every training goal under the supervision of his coach. This clarity helped to shape his routine that made him successful.

You should always be intentional about your goals. If you go to the gym, how many minutes will you do cardio? How many calories do you hope to burn? If you are a student, how many topics would you want to cover when you study? If you are reading a book, how many pages or chapters will you be reading at a time.

Have a dedicated notebook, app, or device where you can write down your goals depending on your preference. Ensure it is consistent and visible. Do not leave your goals to chance. For example, I will exercise if I have the time. The chances are you will not have the time!

Start with three simple goals or one if you like. The good thing about personal development is that you set your own rules. So, take the opportunity to define what you are chasing. You can categorise into different areas: personal e.g., health or character growth; professional e.g., job, business, study; financial e.g., savings or investments.

I personally believe an old Chinese proverb: “The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory.” No matter how small the goal is, write it down. If you want to shape your future, do not just think about your goals, write them. When you write your goals daily, your brain begins to believe them, and your actions naturally align.

2. Break Your Goals Into Small Chunks

It’s good to have a big goal such as writing a book, finishing a course, or getting married. But it’s also very necessary to understand the many small processes that culminate into this goal. If you want to write a book of 200 pages, how many words, pages, or chapters will you write in a week or day? If you want to finish a degree, how will you structure your studying so you can excel in the individual courses?

Often, your goals might seem very big and almost impossible to achieve. However, having several smaller goals makes each of them a bit easier and gives you a feeling of success along the way, which also makes it more likely that you’ll stay on track towards your bigger goal. For example, writing a hundred words will seem insignificant compared to completing thirty thousand words if you were writing a book.

It is always very easy to announce your big goals out of excitement, but what keeps you going would be the structure you put in place to sustain the momentum and keep you going when there is no motivation.

3. Review Your Goals Regularly

It is a good idea to regularly review your goals to see what is working or not. Do away with unrealistic goals. For example, wanting to run in a marathon next week when you hardly exercise your body currently. Or hoping to set up a business and start making profit immediately. Try reviewing weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and yearly.

If you had the goal of reading one book a week, ask yourself at the end of the week why you finished or could not finish the book within a week. Did you dedicate enough time to reading? Did you have other commitments that did not allow you to focus on the book? Did life get in the way, or was the book too big for you to finish within the time? If you find the answers to these questions, then it would be a good idea to adjust as necessary, then review again the following weekend.

Writing your goals is not just a motivational activity; it is a scientifically supported tool that increases achievement, builds confidence, and strengthens identity. So why don’t you start writing your goals down today.

I have created a free Personal Development Plan/goal setting template that you can download by clicking on this link bessyebule.com.

I will love to hear if it helps you in any way! So let me know how you go by sending an email to Hello@bessyebule.com.

Remember if others can do it, you too can, and with God all things are possible. See you next time. God bless you.

Bessy Ebule is a personal development, purpose, and courage coach.

Keywords: goal setting, personal development, success, motivation, Bessy Ebule

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