Thanks for your note… I did, of course, read Michael’s article. That’s how I came up with the idea to swipe from it for this post! ; ) You’ll also note too that I managed above to make a reference to that other person who is citing the Harvard study, a guy named Tom Bay. The book Bay wrote, “Look Within or Do Without” may have a footnote that leads you to the actual study you seek.

Michael also references, by the way, an older study from Yale that was done in the 1950s and produced similar results. If you happen to track down the original research, by all means share… I’d love to see it, myself.

On empirical basis, though, I can say that Michael’s core point — that setting clear and targeted goals helps improve your chances of success — is definitely true. Study or no study, I’ve just seen that proven out far too often in my own case and for friends, family, and colleagues.

Thanks again for the post!

Frankly, I’ve always been someone who makes “to do” lists and writes lots of reminders on post-it notes, but not always in an organized way.

And you’re right, it’s the active rather than semi-passive approach to goal-setting that gives you the extra edge.

When I’ve done it right, it certainly makes a big difference. Something else I’ve added: I just started making better use of my laptop’s calendar, entering projects accompanied with pre-set deadline alerts that pop up in the days/hours before the due date.

Not only does it keep things on my radar screen (the alerts have a way of popping up when I’m thinking of stopping to check my email or procrastinate in some other way), but I can also post client/person specific calendars online and/or send them a “subscribe” link. They appreciate being in the loop and I appreciate knowing that they’re now building their schedules with my deadlines in mind.