The Science of Setting and Keeping Goals

Decades of research reveal what actually works in goal achievement. Here's what the science says about building lasting habits and reaching your goals.

Tend means to care for something with patience. We built this for people who want to make progress—not feel bad about the days they don't.

The Reality of Goal Achievement

What the numbers tell us

80%

Abandon resolutions by end of February*

23%

Quit within the first week*

9%

Actually achieve their resolutions*

But here's the good news:

15x Better

Process goals work 15 times better than outcome goals

What Actually Works

Three research-backed principles for goal success

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Process Goals vs Outcome Goals

Focus on actions, not results

Outcome Goals

"Win the competition" or "Lose 20 pounds"

Effect Size
d = 0.09 info Very Small Effect Barely noticeable difference

Very small effect

Process Goals

"Practice piano 30 minutes daily" or "Work out 3x per week"

Effect Size
d = 1.36 info Large Effect Big, meaningful difference

Large, meaningful effect

Research finding: Process goals produce an effect size 15 times larger than outcome goals.1 Focus on daily behaviors you can control, not distant results.

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Self-Compassion Over Self-Criticism

Treat setbacks as learning opportunities

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Self-Criticism

  • • Triggers shame spirals
  • • Leads to an all-or-nothing abandonment spiral
  • • Causes complete abandonment
  • • Reduces future effort
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Self-Compassion

  • • Treats mistakes as data
  • • Maintains motivation after setbacks
  • • Predicts greater improvement
  • • Enables course correction

Research finding: People who showed self-compassion after eating doughnuts ate less than half as much candy afterward compared to those who criticized themselves.2

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Flexible Systems Over Rigid Tracking

Prevent the abandonment spiral

Rigid Tracking

close All-or-nothing mindset
close One miss = complete failure
close Triggers abandonment

Flexible Systems

check Progress percentage tracking
check Streak forgiveness options
check Weekly vs daily views

Why Goals Fail

Understanding the abandonment timeline

23%

Week 1

First week

Jan 19

Peak dropout day

Strava data, mid-January

80%

End of Feb

Most quit

9%

Success

Actually achieve

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Vague Intentions

"Get fit" is harder to track than "Work out 3x per week"

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Rigid Tracking

All-or-nothing mindset triggers complete abandonment after one miss

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Self-Criticism

Guilt-inducing approaches trigger shame spirals and abandonment

What Actually Works

Research-backed strategies with proven results

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Daily Tracking

Frequency matters more than specificity

Daily Goals d = 0.600 info Medium Effect Noticeable difference. You'd see real improvement

Medium effect - noticeable difference

Daily + Weekly d = 0.947 info Large Effect Big, meaningful difference. Major improvement you'd definitely notice

Large effect - big, meaningful difference

Weekly Only d = 0.152 info Small Effect Barely noticeable difference. Like a tiny improvement

Small effect - barely noticeable

Daily check-ins produce 4x better results than weekly tracking alone.3

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Visual Progress

Seeing progress drives motivation

d ≈ 0.404

Progress monitoring increases goal attainment

Compared to mental tracking alone

check Progress bars showing "how far you've come"
check Heatmaps for pattern recognition
check See progress from day one
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Streak Mechanics

With forgiveness built in

The Risk:

Rigid streaks can trigger total abandonment when broken

The Solution:

Streak forgiveness or skip days prevent complete abandonment after one miss

How to Set Up Your Goals

Follow these steps to create goals that you'll actually achieve

1

Be Specific

Instead of "get fit," try "work out 3 times per week." Specific goals are easier to track and achieve.

2

Choose the Right Type

Match your goal to the right type: habits (frequency), a numeric target like a total or count (volume), or a one-time achievement (milestone).

3

Limit to Three

Research shows that focusing on 2-3 goals at a time increases success rates. Quality over quantity.

4

Set Realistic Targets

Start with achievable targets. You can always increase them as you build momentum.

How to Stay Motivated

Practical strategies to keep your momentum going

Track Daily, Review Weekly

Daily check-ins build consistency, while weekly reviews help you see the bigger picture and adjust your approach.

Build Streaks

Streaks create psychological momentum. We give you grace days so one miss doesn't break your streak—focus on building your next streak rather than dwelling on the break.

Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection

Acknowledge every step forward. Progress, not perfection, is what leads to long-term success.

Use Visual Reminders

Seeing your progress visually helps maintain motivation. We provide charts, heatmaps, progress bars, shareable journey cards, and home screen widgets.

How Tend Applies This Research

Every feature is designed based on what actually works

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Process Goals, Not Outcomes

Tend focuses on daily behaviors (frequency, output, volume) rather than distant outcomes. You track what you do, not just what you hope to achieve.

Research: Process goals have 15x larger effect size (d = 1.36 info Large Effect Big, meaningful difference vs d = 0.09 info Very Small Effect Barely noticeable difference )1

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Three Goals Maximum

Cognitive load research shows 3-5 goals is optimal. Tend limits you to three to prevent goal conflict and maintain focus.

Research: Goal conflict correlates with psychological distress (r = .34) and reduced well-being5

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Flexible, Not Rigid

Tend tracks progress as percentages, not all-or-nothing. You can view weekly patterns even if you miss a day, reducing the risk of quitting after a miss.

Research: Flexible tracking prevents abandonment after setbacks, while rigid systems trigger complete goal abandonment6

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Encouragement, Not Guilt

Tend's messaging focuses on progress and learning, not failure. Self-compassion after setbacks predicts greater improvement than self-criticism.

Research: Self-compassionate individuals show greater personal improvement after mistakes compared to those who criticize themselves2

Ready to apply the science?

Start tracking your goals with a system designed around what actually works.

Download on the App Store

References

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Resolution statistics: ~80% abandon by February and ~9% achieve goals (Norcross, J. C., & Vangarelli, D. J., 1989; Norcross et al., 2002). First-week dropout ~23% (Strava “Quitter’s Day” and similar fitness app data).

Norcross, J. C., & Vangarelli, D. J. (1989). The resolution solution. Journal of Clinical Psychology. Strava annual reports on resolution dropout.

1.

Process goals vs. outcome goals: Meta-analyses in sport and exercise psychology find process goals produce much larger effect sizes (d ≈ 1.2–1.4) than outcome goals (d ≈ 0.09).

Kyllo, W. B., & Landers, D. M. (1995). Goal setting in sport and exercise: A research synthesis. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 17(2), 117–137. Locke & Latham (2002) for goal-setting meta-analyses.

2.

Self-compassion research: Studies by Breines & Chen (2012) and others demonstrate that self-compassionate responses to setbacks predict greater personal improvement compared to self-critical responses.

Breines, J. G., & Chen, S. (2012). Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

3.

Daily vs. weekly tracking: Meta-analysis shows daily goals (d = 0.600) and daily-plus-weekly goals (d = 0.947) dramatically outperform weekly goals alone (d = 0.152).

McEwan et al. (2016) meta-analysis of goal-setting for physical activity.

4.

Visual progress tracking: Progress monitoring increases goal attainment (effect size d ≈ 0.40) compared to mental tracking alone.

Harkin, B., et al. (2016). Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198–229.

5.

Goal conflict: Goal conflict correlates with psychological distress (r = .34) and reduced well-being.

Emmons, R. A., & King, L. A. (1988). Conflict among personal strivings: Immediate and long-term implications for psychological and physical well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1040–1048.

6.

Flexible vs. rigid tracking: Rigid, all-or-nothing tracking can trigger complete abandonment after a perceived failure (counter-regulation effect). Flexible systems and streak forgiveness reduce this risk.

Cochran, W., & Tesser, A. (1996). The “what the hell” effect: Some effects of goal proximity and goal framing on performance. In L. L. Martin & A. Tesser (Eds.), Striving and feeling (pp. 99–120). Erlbaum. See also Herman & Polivy (1975) on restraint and disinhibition.

7.

For further reading: Implementation intentions (“if-then” planning): Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006) meta-analysis (d ≈ 0.65 across 94 studies). Not currently a Tend feature.

Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.

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About Effect Sizes (d values):

Effect sizes tell us how much better one method works compared to another:

  • Small (d < 0.5): Barely noticeable difference (e.g., d = 0.09)
  • Medium (0.5 ≤ d < 0.8): Noticeable difference you'd see in real life (e.g., d = 0.65)
  • Large (d ≥ 0.8): Big, meaningful difference (e.g., d = 1.36)