The Open Goals Lab

Our focus

Helping people set the goals that move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches, and are more likely to actually work.

Goal setting is one of the most widely used strategies in society - underpinning health, promotion, rehabilitation, education, the workplace, sport and more. Yet traditional goal setting practice (including SMART goals) is often poorly aligned with the science and - for some populations - can even be unhelpful.

The Open Goals Lab brings together leading researchers from around the world who study the science of goal-setting and translate it into the real world to help people, practitioners, and organisations achieve better outcomes.

We developed open goals - a highly promising new type of goal that's easier, more flexible, and more enjoyable to pursue. As one of our participants said, "open goals take away the trauma of failing".

Our research focuses on:

• Open goals - exploratory, non-specific goals such as to "see how many steps you can reach today" - and understanding when, why and for whom they are beneficial.
• Redefining best practice in goal setting in sport, exercise and physical activity - moving beyond traditional approaches to bring practice in line with up-to-date scientific theory and evidence.
• Understanding the role of goal setting in achieving excellent performances - including how goals shape flow states, clutch performances, creativity, productivity, and wellbeing.
• Re-examining goal setting in workplace injury rehabilitation, in partnership with insurers and rehabilitation providers.
• Translating latest goal setting evidence into usable guidance for the general population, as well as influencing practice, policy, education, and continuing professional development.