Make Achieving Your Long-Term Goals More Fun in the Short Term

Source: The Management Tip of the Day – Harvard Business Review

Achieving a long-term objective, such as getting in shape, paying off debt, or switching careers, takes persistence. Recent research has found something that can help: incorporating immediate benefits into your pursuit of longer-term goals. Make the short-term activities fun.

If you want to work out more, select a fitness class that you enjoy. If you want to eat healthier, build a diet around healthy foods that you actually like to eat. Making activities more enjoyable — by listening to music while exercising or getting work done in your favorite coffee shop — may help you make progress in your goals. And take time to reflect on the enjoyment: If you’re eating a food you enjoy, focus more on the positive taste than the health benefit.

Adapted from “What Separates Goals We Achieve from Goals We Don’t,” by Kaitlin Woolley and Ayelet Fishbach

Long-Term Goals