Here are some great tips for how to set goals from the book, One Page Talent Management, by Marc Effron and Miriam Ort:
The Harder the Goal, the More It Motivates – There is a linear relationship between a goal’s difficulty and the amount of effort and performance the goal produces.
Goals Aligned with Self-Interest Motivate the Most – Self-interest is a powerful motivational tool. The more likely we are to feel good when a goal is accomplished, the more motivational that goal will be.
Specific Goals Create Higher Performance Than Urging, “Do Your Best.”
Too Many Goals Reduce the Effort on Each One – An emerging body of research indicates that the more goals an individual has, the more poorly he/she performs on each.