1. Stop fantasizing

The biggest enemy of any goal is excessive positive fantasies. Research into "goal-setting" shows that positive fantasies are associated with failure in relation to finding a job or a partner, passing an exam and coping with an operation. The people whose fantasies were less positive did better.

2. Commit to "mental contrasting"

Mental contrasting is a three-step technique:

1. Imagine a positive version of what you would like us to achieve
2. Imagine the negative things about the current situation
3. First imagine the positive version, then think about the negative of the status quo. Be aware of both of these, do a reality check comparing the fantasy with the reality.

It is a difficult exercise, but at the same time one that means a greater commitment to the targets that survive the exercise.

3. Begin by beginning

You can use The Zeigarnik effect, to pull you towards your goal. A Russian psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnik, discovered that waiters remembered unfinished orders better than completed ones.

What you can learn from the Zeigarnik effect is that you can fight smugness by starting - anywhere. Just taking the first step can mean the difference between failure and success. Once you've started, the goal will 'stick' in your brain.

4. Visualize the process, NOT the result

We all commit simulation error because we expect everything to go smoothly, even if it doesn't. When visualizing the process required to achieve a goal, focus on the parts of the process that must be completed before you can achieve your goal.

5. Avoid the what-the-hell effect

When we don't reach our goals, we can suffer from the "what-the-hell" effect. It is best known in connection with dieters who exhibit so-mighty-be-so-much behavior. And eats another piece of cake. The ability to achieve goals is also vulnerable to this effect, but you can combat this by setting long-term goals that are also about acquisition (as opposed to stopping doing something).

6. Avoid the hesitation

When your goals become difficult to achieve and you start to consider whether it is really worth it, there is a high risk that you start to slack off and postpone your tasks until later. You can overcome this by not thinking about the goal and instead focusing on the details. You can also set some deadlines for yourself.

7. Change focus

You cannot be 100% focused all the time, therefore it is important that you occasionally switch focus between your goal and the task you are solving. Research shows that when evaluating your progress, especially on difficult tasks, it is best to be task-focused. But when tasks are easy or the goal is close, then it is better to focus on the final goal.

8. Decline automatic actions

Often our actions are automatic. We do things not because we have thought about them, but because it is a habit or because we unconsciously copy what others do. This type of behavior can prevent you from reaching your goal. Therefore, ask yourself if what you are doing will really bring you closer to your goal.

9. Forget the goal, what is the purpose?

There are several traps it's easy to fall into when setting goals. When your goals are too specific, it's easy to get "stuck". When there are too many goals, we tend to prioritize the easy, unimportant ones first. When the time horizon is too short, your short-term thinking is reinforced.

Therefore, be aware of what was the purpose of your goal in the first place.

10. Know when to stop

Sometimes getting started isn't the problem. Often it's about knowing when to stop. Psychologists have found that so-called "sunk costs" can make us do strange things. "Sunk costs" refers to us trying to "protect" the money or effort we've already spent by fighting on even though our plan is about to fail.

Research shows that the more a person invests in a goal, the more she believes it will be successful. Whether likely or not.

11. Make if-now plans

What all this research emphasizes is how important it is to have self-control when you want to achieve a goal. But we all know how hard it can be to control yourself.

One strategy that is supported by a lot of research is to make 'if-then' plans. You simply consider in advance what you want to do in a given situation: "If this happens... Then I will do this..." Even though it sounds simple, we typically prefer to improvise rather than plan. With a little ingenuity, 'if-then' plans can be used to overcome the obstacles described above.