Goals also need to be broken down.  If you are too busy you will need to take control of your time; if you want to do something with your partner, this needs to be negotiated and a mutually convenient time made.  

Goal setting also needs to be SMART and problems and goals need to be measured and recorded. This is explained in the table.

Goal setting enables specific and achievable targets for individuals to focus on. The process breaks down problems or behaviours that need to change into small achievable goals. By breaking down goals, it highlights goals which are not SMART and prevents the frustration and disappointment of not achieving what is planned.

Motivational interviewing

Motivational interviewing (MI) was discussed in module 2.5 as an effective process to support behaviour change and to deal with barriers. There has been recent interest in using MI to support change in health behaviours and conditions such as smoking, diet and physical activity^{(1, 2)} and MI has shown to be successful with individuals who are low in terms of readiness to change.⁽³⁾

The aim is to provide a process for thinking about and expressing reasons for and against change, how current health behaviour may conflict with health goals and how current behaviour or health status impacts on achieving  life goals. Numerous studies on the impact of MI in modifying chronic disease behaviours such as diet and physical activity, smoking cessation and medical adherence, indicate that MI can be incorporated into a range of health promotion and disease prevention interventions.⁽⁴⁾

Reflective exercise

Complete a goal statement with guidance from the following questions.

This activity can be completed using motivational interviewing or the worksheets provided at the end of this page (SMART worksheet; Goal setting worksheet; Advantages and disadvantages of change worksheet).

Please keep a record of your thoughts and comments.