Is it time to give up? The benefits and strategies of goal disengagement

Throughout our lives, we are taught to have goals. In fact, my secondary school’s motto was “Believe, Aspire, Achieve”, all centred around goals. It seems completely logical that having goals would only be beneficial, providing a sense of direction and acting as an objective in which our energy can be directed towards.  

Interestingly, however, recent research has suggested that people should, in some scenarios, be giving up on their goals! This may seem completely counterintuitive – as you might be questioning how in fact someone could benefit if they give up on their goals – but let’s look at how it could be helpful! 

In our current culture, one defined by a ‘hustle mentality’ and a ‘grindset’, we are encouraged to constantly be working towards goals. There’s an abundance of research, which Marcus Credé acknowledges, that argues that grit – referring to passion and perseverance – is a defining feature of high achievement. Interestingly, however, Credé argues against this research, saying that the stronger claims about the effectiveness of grit as a predictor of success are based on statistical misunderstandings.  

Wronsch developed the Goal Adjustment Scale (GAS) as a way for people to measure whether they have a good balance of grit and flexible attitudes to their goals. In the GAS, if you have a higher score, you are more able to take a more flexible attitude to your goals. 

It doesn’t take a scientific study to indicate that a culture defined by hustle, characterised by long working hours to achieve a variety of economic and career-related goals, can lead towards feelings of exhaustion and demotivation. Here’s one anyway: Yuningsih  et al found that hustle culture is an unfavourable aspect of the work environment because it has the potential to trigger psychological distress in individual employees. 

Therefore, it has been considered that the ability to intentionally give up goals, instead of relentlessly working towards them, or being forced to abandon them, might be beneficial to your physical and mental health, as well as your outcomes.  

Carsten Wrosch, conducted research on people whose romantic relationships ended later in life, in which he found those that those who focussed on alternative life goals, as opposed to yearning for another lifelong love, were far happier. Based on this, Wronsch developed the Goal Adjustment Scale (GAS) as a way for people to measure whether they have a good balance of grit and flexible attitudes to their goals. In the GAS, if you have a higher score, you are more able to take a more flexible attitude to your goals. 

Recent studies employing the GAS, such as one conducted by Verschuren, found that people who score highly on the GAS are significantly less likely to experience anxiety than people who don’t. Therefore, it indicates that being able to give up your goals, and find new goals, is beneficial for your mental health.  

There are numerous strategies to help disengage with goals, notably, ‘goal shielding’. This refers to when you’ve dropped a goal, justifying this as a sacrifice allowing you to dedicate additional effort into a different preexisting goal

Beyond mental health, it has similarly been discovered that greater goal disengagement can benefit your physical health. Wrosch and Joelle Jobin when analysing data from the Montreal Aging and Health Study, found that greater goal disengagement correlates with reduced susceptibility to the common cold. Similar studies from Wrosch, have also found that it can also help with headaches and even constipation.

This isn’t to diminish the difficulty of giving up goals. There’s a range of reasons why we may stick with a goal, even if we can perceive it to be unfeasible, such as the fear it will diminish our reputation or indicate a character flaw, or we may even consider it a sunk-cost fallacy. 

There are numerous strategies to help disengage with goals, notably, ‘goal shielding’. This refers to when you’ve dropped a goal, justifying this as a sacrifice allowing you to dedicate additional effort into a different preexisting goal. This method often leads to increased success in a singular goal.  

Alternatively, goals can often be ‘shelved’. While some goals have harsher deadlines, certain goals – perhaps learning an instrument – can be shelved to allow yourself time to recover mentally and physically. To ensure these goals don’t gather dust, it’s advisable to set a date to pick them back up, whether it be for new years, or as the seasons change. 

Ultimately, if you find yourself overwhelmed with aspirations, and fear you’re experiencing some negative side effects, look at the broader picture, and prioritise yourself. Whether through ‘goal shielding’ or ‘goal shelfing’ methods, don’t be afraid to disengage with some of your goals!