Targets

There has been much debate in many fields as to whether targets are effective. Some would say that they encourage manipulation of work and cheating. Others would say that they provide an objective way of measuring effectiveness and are a vehicle for improvement.

Myself I think that the jury is out, but I would like to relate my personal experience with simple targets to further the argument. As those of you who know me will realise I have always liked exercise, although I perhaps have not been as dedicated to it as I maybe ought to have been.

Back at the beginning of the year I upgraded to an IPhone 6, not something that was important as an event. However another user pointed out to me the health app that comes as a free add-on to the phone. This measures the number of steps that you take in a day, the distance that you walk or run, and the equivalent of the number of stairs that you climb. At first I took little notice of this referring to it when asked but most of the time ignoring it.

However it has gradually become something of an obsession, I have been aiming to complete 10,000 steps a day. Now this is not a problem on a normal day but something of a challenge when I am travelling. But I have gone beyond the 10,000 steps target, I want to try to improve my weekly average, and month on month improve the cumulative number of steps that I have taken. This positively drives me to alter my behaviour patterns, so this evening I took a walk before tea; I now walk to the local shops rather than take the car. Incidentally the other indices follow on for the number of steps. The more steps you complete the more distance is covered.

So target setting and importantly my ability to monitor those targets are influencing my behaviour. Also the targets and their measurement are relatively objective, however I get immensely frustrated that my work on the rowing machine at the gym does not seem to count. All that effort for nothing. Also it is only my own pride that is keeping me to the targets. It is also quite encouraging at the moment because I am improving period on period. What will happen when I plateau or decline? Will I keep the same enthusiasm?

Well watch this space and I will report, at the moment I think that target setting is having a positive influence.