How to set SMART goals
Have you ever needed help following through and working to achieve a goal in life? Have you ever been working on a goal that doesn't resonate with you or feels unfulfilling? Or have you had goals that were too vague with no end date? What if we could find a simple recipe for setting more effective goals and achieving them more easily?
In searching for better answers, I found the SMART Goals method. But first, let's give ourselves some reasons why we should set goals in the first place.
Research.
If you read my article" How to think your goals into reality," I mentioned a study carried out in the Harvard MBA Program related to goal setting:
3 % of the students had written goals and plans to accomplish them.
13 % of the students had goals but had not written them anywhere.
84 % of the students had no goals.
Ten years later, the same group of students was interviewed again, showing the following result:
The 13 % of students who had goals in mind but had yet to write them down earned twice as much as the 84 % of students who didn't have any goals.
The 3 % group of the students that had written goals earned, on average, ten times as much as the other 97% of the students combined.
It highlights the significant value of putting effort into our goals. We can amplify this by making them SMART to take our goals to the next level. I recommend creating a vision board at some point in the process. You can read more about this in my articles "The Value of Creating a Vision Board" and "How to Create Your Vision Board." (LINK x 2).
What do SMART Goals mean?
I found a brilliant article on this website that helps explain the concept.
Specific.
For any goal to be effective in execution, it has to be as specific as possible. The less doubt we leave, the less chance we have of missing it. A should answer the five "W" questions: What, Why, Who, Where, and Which. By covering the five "W" questions, we figure out "what is essential, why it's important to us, who's involved, where it will happen, and which resources are involved in its achievement."
Measurable.
The most effective goals are easy to measure, and everyone should be able to understand the metrics for achievement easily. This part of the goal should answer questions like: "How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?"
Achievable.
Effective goals should be achievable. It's what separates goals from unrealistic dreams. You should be able to map a way to achieve the goal by asking: How do I accomplish this goal? It's always beneficial in terms of personal growth to stretch ourselves outside the comfort zone when working towards a goal.
Relevant.
A goal is always the most manageable when we can connect emotionally with them. The more emotional investment and ownership we put into it, the better. We can ask ourselves simple questions like: Is this goal bringing me the desired value I want in life? Is it worthwhile dedicating my time to this goal? Does this goal support my values and path in life? What of my six human needs is this goal supporting? Is this the right time to follow through with this specific goal? And remember, as Tony Robbins always says: The better questions we ask ourselves, the better answers we get.
Time-bound.
A magic component to a goal is a clearly defined start and finish date. Together with being realistic, making a goal time-bound is the main difference between goals and dreams. Making a clear deadline for our goals increases our sense of urgency, which will help us achieve our goals quickly.
Add accountability as topping on the ice and work on goals to increase the sense of achievement even further.
Minor adjustments, significant improvements.
Let's use the example shown in the article as an illustration.
Specific: "I will get fit -> I will run
Measurable: more often -> twice a week
Achievable: for at least 20 miles -> for at least 2 miles
Relevant: so I can finish a marathon
Timely: one day -> by the end of 2024."
By making our SMART' er, we came up with the following goal sentence: I will run twice a week for at least 2 miles so I can finish a marathon by the end of 2024. That's a significant improvement, as we are conscious of our wording when working on our goals.
Now, it's time to sit down and tweak our goals.
