Reviewing and adjusting goals

How often should you review your goals?

A short review at the end of each week or month is a sensible rhythm, with simple tracking in between. No single best interval has been shown, so choose one you will actually keep.

Goals work best when they are looked at again and changed regularly, not set once and left⁵. A practical way to do this is to sit down at the end of each week or month and set your goals for the next period¹.

• Treat anything new as a one-week trial. Try a new activity for a week, then stretch to a month or longer as you get better at managing it².
• Keep a daily record. Checking in on yourself each day gives you a better chance of changing behaviour, and it helps to make review part of your routine². Tracking your own activity and getting feedback also help goals work; feedback is most useful when it is timely, personal and non-punitive⁴.
• Ask three questions at each review: should I carry on as I am, change how I go about it, or adjust the goal? Keep the tone kind and curious, not critical².
• Consider sharing your plan with someone you trust or with your health professional¹.

Why do flexible goals work better?

Goals that adapt to your recent results tend to work better than a fixed target, because a fixed target ignores how much your activity changes from one stretch to the next³. A fixed 10,000-step goal tends to lift activity at first, then activity falls away; goals that adjust hold up better³.

Two likely reasons, though neither is proven:

• Activity varies. It changes a lot from day to day, and some people change quickly while others change slowly³.
• Goals that are too hard can feel like failure. Missing a goal can lower mood, self-esteem and motivation, even when you have become more active⁴. Aiming at things such as losing weight as fast as possible may lead to frustration and giving up⁵.

A goal also doesn't have to be exact. Looser goals give graded results rather than all-or-nothing ones, which may help you avoid feeling like a failure⁴. Adjusting goals over time may also help when keeping going gets harder after many months⁶.

How to use this:

• If a goal keeps feeling too hard, make it smaller rather than giving up. If you meet it easily week after week, consider raising it a little.
• Count a smaller week as progress, not failure.
• After a missed day or week, change the timing or the approach and carry on, rather than dropping the goal.
• Start with small amounts of activity and build up gradually.

If pain or fatigue from a long-term condition makes it harder to keep going, adjust your goals rather than pushing through⁵. Pain during activity is a signal to stop or ease off.

When to check with a health professional

If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first. For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio. If you live with a long-term condition such as diabetes, ask how to build up safely, and begin with small amounts.

Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe.

A sore muscle or joint, or soreness a day or two later, means ease off; see a doctor or other health professional if it persists or gets worse.

If thoughts of self-harm come up, contact a local crisis line (findahelpline.com lists free services in every country), or your local emergency number if you are in immediate danger.