Objectives are essential, and when they’re challenging, that can be a good thing. However, if your objectives are unattainable, you will have trouble meeting them. So how do you differentiate between a challenging objective and one impossible to achieve? This OKR guide covers helpful tips that help you create challenging yet achievable objectives.

OKR Guide – an indepth look at objectives

There is a difference between realistic and unrealistic objectives. Objectives can be challenging, or they can be unattainable. Identifying which is which before starting any task or project is vital. There are a few key factors to consider when determining whether an objective is realistic or unrealistic: 

• Consider what resources will actually be required to achieve the objective. If the task or project will require a lot of effort, and resources that you don’t currently have available, then the objective may be unrealistic. On the other hand, if the task or project will require minimal effort and resources, then it may be a realistic one.
• Consider how likely it is that you will achieve the objective in a specific timeframe. If attaining the objective takes longer than you initially expected, then it may be unrealistic. On the other hand, if achieving the objective happens within your deadlines, it is more realistic. 

For some people, challenging objectives have the benefit of increasing productivity. If you still pursue a goal, even if it seemed unattainable to begin with, you will make even more progress than before. If you didn’t try at all, you would have made less progress anyway.  

Finding small successes can help build confidence in your abilities and keep you motivated. You focus on the journey and the progress you are making. When working on an unattainable goal, failure is more likely and how people react to it varies greatly. Failure can be difficult to deal with for some who put a lot of time and effort into a long-shot goal. It is essential to challenge yourself with complex objectives but identify when they are unrealistic or unattainable. 

How to identify unrealistic objectives

Challenging objectives are ones that attempt to push the individual or team beyond their current capabilities and potential. They can motivate and help individuals strive for excellence, but if the objective is too challenging, it can become unattainable, leading to frustration and disappointment. Here are four tips to help identify if an objective is too challenging: 

• Take a step back and assess the goal. Is it something that you are capable of achieving? If not, is there another way to accomplish the same goal without going as far as the challenging objective? 
• Are there any feasible steps that could be taken to attain the objective? If not, does the objective require superhuman abilities, skills, or knowledge that few people have? 
• Be realistic about how long it will take to achieve the objective. Can you realistically see yourself completing all the necessary steps in a reasonable time frame? 
• Does the objective require a level of commitment or dedication that may be beyond your current bandwidth or capabilities? If so, is it something that you are willing and able to invest in? 

Challenges you might face while setting objectives

Setting objectives can be challenging, as sometimes it’s hard to know what’s achievable. Here are three signs when you have set an objective beyond your scope: 

• It’s over-ambitious and, therefore, overwhelming.
• It needs too much time and effort on your part to achieve. 
• You feel like you’re not making any progress. 

Achieving goals should not be treated as simple activities. It is critical to move from tasks to the outcomes of achieving goals. Key results help both projects as a whole and with individual goals. For example, an objective can have multiple projects with tasks. To stay on top of them, you can track your goals and objectives with a single platform, allowing you to see all your goals in one place, and your progress.

How to set challenging yet achievable objectives

Setting a challenging yet achievable objective is one of the essential steps in achieving success. It will ensure you stay motivated and focused while also setting standards for yourself that you can reach. There are three key elements to set a challenging objective: 

• Clarity: Make sure the objectives are specific, measurable, realistic, and time-bound.
• Focus: Prioritize your objectives according to their importance to your overall goal. 
• Balance: Make sure your objectives don’t become too difficult or unrealistic, or they will be ignored or forgotten. 

Conclusion

How do we distinguish between a challenging and unattainable objective? Here’s how – A challenging objective pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you grow, whereas an unattainable or ambitious one may set you up for failure, and you can feel let down. Therefore, it is helpful to break the goal down into smaller, more manageable steps. Once you understand what you need to do to reach your larger goals, you will feel more confident. Setting objectives requires careful thought and planning. OKR tools and resources offer you a template and can be a guide to understanding how to set up aspirational and challenging objectives, break them down into goals or tasks, and ensure that you stay on track when moving towards your goals.