With the uncertainty that poker throws at us, it’s difficult to set goals and see them through with consistency. Luck has so much to do with your outcomes, and planning can really only get you ready to make good decisions. But without some sort of goal to push for it can become difficult to remain motivated about improving. There has to be something to measure your development to, and reaching personal goals are often the only way to do it. Setting a goal gives you something to aim for outside of winning a hand.
Your goals should be something that will work on an area of your game. If you’ve been going out early in tournaments, set a goal to stay in the event down to a certain number. Once you get down to your magic number you can adjust your goal to the new settings.
Having goals for the amount of poker you play is also a good idea. Practice makes perfect, and you want to play as much as you can without disrupting the other things in your life. Set goals for the number of events you’d like to play. If you’re a cash game player, set goals for a certain number of hands you’d like to play in a week.
The thing about poker goals is that you have to be able to shrug off the times when your goals don’t come to fruition. As long as you try your best to reach them, you should take something positive from it. As you achieve some of the goals you set out to do, you’ll begin to believe that you can achieve more.