Framework · Edwin Locke and Gary Latham

Goal-setting theory

Specific, challenging goals, with commitment and feedback, lead to better performance than vague goals.

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Specific, challenging goals, with commitment and feedback, lead to better performance than vague goals.

How to use it with a real habit

• Make goals specific.
• Pair them with feedback.
• Keep them challenging but achievable.

What the evidence says

Supported by multiple studies: Many studies, often pooled in reviews or meta-analyses, point the same way. It still works better for some people and situations than others.

Supported by decades of studies, mostly on task performance; goal setting has a small-to-medium effect on behaviour change on its own.

Limits

• Very hard goals can backfire on complex or unfamiliar tasks.
• Goals need processes (habits) to become daily action.

Sources

• Locke & Latham (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
• Epton, Currie & Armitage (2017). Unique effects of setting goals on behavior change: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. doi:10.1037/ccp0000260