• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • 858-456-0160
  • Member Login
  • Contact Us
The Accountability Coach

The Accountability Coach

Aim For What You Want!

  • Welcome!
  • My Podcasts
  • Business Success Resources
    • Business Success Tips and Resources Blog
    • Free Webinars
    • Free Articles
    • Coaching Options
      • One-on-One Accountability Coaching
      • Establish a Peer Coaching Team
      • Group Coaching
      • Hold Yourself Accountable
  • Success Store
    • Business Success Store
    • Join The Free Silver Membership
    • Audio Learning To Take With You
    • Books Store for Even Greater Success
    • Affiliates
  • Success Stories
  • About Us
    • Speakers & Trainers
    • Bill Bachrach, CSP, CPAE
    • Anne Bachrach

Goal Progress and Happiness 

July 22, 2021 by Anne Bachrach

Procrastination does more than just undermine performance. It undermines our happiness and satisfaction with life. Why? The consensus based on the psychology of action and personal goals clearly indicates that the successful pursuit of meaningful goals plays an important role in the development and maintenance of our psychological well-being. To the extent that we’re making progress on our goals, we’re happier emotionally and more satisfied with our lives.
The research on goal pursuit and well-being reveals an interesting cycle between progress on our goals and our reports of happiness and life satisfaction (generally referred to as “subjective well-being” or SWB). The cycle looks something like this: 
How this Cycle Works
Progress on our goals makes us feel happier and more satisfied with life (our subjective well-being, SWB, increases). Interestingly, positive emotions have the potential to motivate goal-directed behaviors and volitional processes (e.g., self-regulation to stay on task) that are necessary for further goal progress or attainment. Very clearly you can see how if you “prime the pump” by making some progress on your goals, the resulting increase in your subjective well-being enhances further action and progress.
Ah, doesn’t this sound like a mythical perpetual-motion machine? Certainly, this can’t be true. Both practical experience and research indicate that this relation between progress on our tasks and our well-being provides this sort of synergy. From experience we know, “give a job to a busy person, it will get done.” Why? Busy people are in motion. They’re making progress, feeling competent and able, so they move forward buoyed by their success and positive emotions. The research points to the same conclusion: goal progress is related to positive emotions and overall enhanced well-being.
I use this strategically daily. I begin with my most difficult tasks. I use my simple “just get started” mantra to get my focus and some momentum, and this sets in motion a successful, and happy, day.
Don’t believe me? Sound too simple? Well, you do need to “prime the pump” a little by strategically setting manageable sub-goals within the difficult task. You have to know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish. And, you have to “own” the task or goal. You have to make it your own. It has to be meaningful to you.
Ah, that’s the catch. You don’t find the task meaningful, so you put it off. Your rationalization is that this isn’t meaningful to me, so why do it? It’s not intrinsically interesting. This is an extrinsically assigned task. It’s something I “have to” do. It’s not something that “I want to” do.
The thing is, extrinsic (external) motivation has more than one flavor. As described by Richard Ryan & Edward Deci in their Self-Determination Theory, the more we internalize and identify with a goal by understanding the value behind it or even simply the importance of the task, the more likely we are to act autonomously. So, making a task your “own” doesn’t mean that you initiate or invent each task, it just means that you identify with the task at some level.
Psychologists sometimes refer to this as self-congruent or self-concordant goals. In fact as Bettina Wiese (University of Zurich) summarized our understanding to date, “. . . empirical research has repeatedly shown that striving toward self-concordant goals strengthens the link between goal progress and well-being” (p. 319).
Concluding thoughts . . .
Progress on our goals leads to more positive emotions and more satisfaction with life. It increases our well-being. In turn, positive emotions contribute to our motivation to act. This is a win-win situation if we can “just get started.”
_______
This article was written by Timothy A Pychyl Ph.D.
 

Want timely and relevant information to help you make more money and work less, so you can enjoy your ideal business and ideal life?  Subscribe to my business success tips blog by going to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/. Feel free to share this with others who you think would get value.  Let me know how else I can be of assistance to you on your goal achievement journey.

Filed Under: Blog Post, Business Success Principle, Effective and Efficient Behavior, Goal Setting, Productivity Tagged With: Accountability, accountability coach, achieve goals, anne bachrach, Bill Bachrach, business accelerator, business growth strategies, business owner training, business success principles, effective communication, enhance, entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurial tips, financial advisor accountability coach, financial advisor coaching, Financial Advisor Training, goal achievement, Goal Setting, goal setting exercises, goal setting tips, personal development, practice management, Productivity in business, professional development, revenue generation, small business owner mindset, small business owner tips, small business training, stop procrastination, time management, Timothy A Pychyl, work life balance

Primary Sidebar

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG

Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog for business success tips and resources.

Testimonials

I’ve sometimes thought of myself as not coachable – fits & starts on progress – but when I looked at where I’ve come, I can tell it works. This year, I’ve experienced over 50% growth – and with that growth came some confidence… confidence to finally go after what I know I should have done – we’ve added a flat-fee-only option to our offerings, and that’s ALL I’ll be targeting for 2014 and beyond. With that under our belts, I can foresee another 50% growth year for each of the next 2 years!

Louis Leyes, Trusted Wealth Advisors, LLP

Footer

Get In Touch

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Contact Us

PHONE
858-456-0160

EMAIL
anne@accountabilitycoach.com

MEMBER LOGIN

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · A.M. Enterprises · Anne Bachrach · The Accountability Coach™ • All Rights Reserved

Download The Guide to Stopping Procrastination Now!

Mind over matter, right? Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. When we’re faced with a laundry list of to-dos and with not enough time in the day, it can be easier to distract ourselves and push things off to the next day. And when more items get added to our list, it becomes overwhelming, and we continue to procrastinate even more. A vicious cycle, but one that can be overcome. That’s the good news!

Click Here to Get Your Free Copy!