setting goals

Meanings

1. 1phrase

   The activity of deciding what you want to achieve and making a plan to reach it.

   Grammar: Acts like a noun; it can be the subject or object of a sentence: Setting goals takes time.

   Patterns

   • setting goals for something
   • setting goals for yourself
   • setting goals to do something

   Setting goals at the start of the year gives me a clear direction.

   She spends every January setting goals for her career and her health.

   Setting goals without a deadline rarely leads to real progress.

2. 2phrasebusiness

   The act of choosing targets for a group, project, or organization.

   Grammar: Often used in business or school contexts, sometimes followed by "for" and the group.

   Patterns

   • setting goals for a team
   • setting goals for a project

   The manager believes in setting goals for the whole department each quarter.

   Setting goals for the project helped everyone understand their tasks.

Common combinations

setting goals for the future

Setting goals for the future can feel scary but also exciting.

setting realistic goals

Setting realistic goals is more useful than aiming too high.

setting clear goals

The coach is good at setting clear goals for each player.

setting personal goals

Setting personal goals keeps me motivated.

the importance of setting goals

Many books discuss the importance of setting goals.

Synonyms and how they differ

planning

Planning is broader and focuses on how to do something, while setting goals focuses on deciding what you want.

targeting

Targeting suggests choosing a specific aim, often in business or marketing, and sounds more technical than setting goals.

aiming

Aiming means directing your effort toward something; it does not always involve writing down or deciding on goals.

Word family

goal noun

Something you want to achieve.

goal-setting noun

The process of deciding on goals, often used before another noun.

goalless adjective

Having no goals, usually in sports.

Commonly confused: setting goals or making goals? setting goals or setting a goal?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “setting goals”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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