What is a SMART goal? It’s a template that is most often used in setting project management goals and objectives (also known as strategic planning), but also highly effective for personal development. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Let’s look at each section by itself.
Any goal you set for yourself should be SPECIFIC. Have you made a Resolution to lose weight? To get out of debt? To relax more? None of these are specific. They may be the motivating factor behind your objective, but they don’t have the details needed to complete the plan. Maybe you want to lose weight. Your SMART goals may be to eat 5 servings of vegetables every day or to work out 4 times a week. This clarifies HOW you are going to get to your result. You may want to include the 5 Ws: What, Why, Who, Where, Which, but I don’t find it necessary to answer each one for each goal. The S in SMART can also stand for SIMPLE. I find it much more effective to have multiple simple goals than one larger, complicated goal.
The second part of your goal stresses the need for a Measurable goal. For project management, it is most often the answer to: how much, how many, or what is the deadline. Personal development goals may have a deadline, but are most often answered with how many or how much. A common Resolution is to spend more time with family. To put it in a SMART goal, specify how much time is “more time”: I will spend an hour a day with my family. Not being specific enough leaves too much room for excuses. This is one of the reasons Resolutions fail: you may start to justify that “more time” really means only 5 minutes a day or that “more time” doesn’t apply to every day at all…and then postponement turns into never. And then, the goal fails.
OK! On to Attainable! Do you want to lose 50 pounds by your high school reunion? Is your high school reunion in a month? That would not be attainable. Is your high school reunion 10 months from now? Attainable! I would love to travel oversees, and someday that may be a goal for me for the new year. Right now, though, I have a toddler and two elementary age children and a strict budget. Extensive travel is not attainable for me this year. Taking a vacation with my family this summer to the beach, though, would be attainable. If you can answer the question “How will I accomplish this” then you are setting an attainable goal.
You should also make sure that the goal isn’t below your standard performance, as that would be meaningless. Every goal you set should be Relevant to you. A meaningless goal for me would be to check my e-mail daily, as this is already an established routine. To someone from an older generation who is trying to keep in touch with grandchildren who e-mail, though, this would be an attainable goal! When you set goals that are within reach and important to you, you will be more motivated to learn the skills, gain the finances necessary, and have the right attitude to reach them. A relevant goal may also need support from friends and family and MUST be in alignment with your other goals. If one goal is to lose 50 pounds and the other is to bake a batch of cookies every day, then one of your goals is not relevant. Every goal you set should be worthwhile, match your values and beliefs, and it must be the right time and place for the goal to be made.
Lastly, make sure your goals all have a Time Frame to follow. It is important to set the standard for each goal so that they do not disappear into your day-to-day life. Setting a specific time frame sets a sense of urgency and helps with the planning of the activities that help you to reach the goal. Make a commitment that will help ground your goals for the year. My goals are diverse. I have some goals that have a deadline: “I will find a place for myself by the end of January.” I have other goals that are daily processes: “I will tell my husband that I love him daily.” There may be a distinct conclusion to your goal or it may be ongoing, but there needs to be a frame to guide you.
So, how are you going to set your goals for 2013? Have any ideas? Don’t forget that your goals should also be fluid. It is easy to get stuck in a rut. Maybe your goal to “clear out the clutter” gives you an organized home by July (if it does, let me know how you did it!). Don’t feel that you have to continue with this task just because it is one of your goals. Many people make their SMART goals SMARTER by adding two more steps: Evaluate and Reevaluate.
Evaluate your goals according to the time frame you have set. Or take time once a week (or month) to evaluate all your goals. Is it still enjoyable for you? Is it making a difference? Is there a reason to continue your goal? And most important, is it harming you or anyone else? These can all be clues as to the overall need for your goal to continue.
Then, use your findings to Reevaluate your overall plan. Does one goal need to change to support another? Should goals be added? Removed? Do the time frames need to change? Your plan doesn’t have to stay the same as it was first designed. Change it as it needs to be sure you are getting the most from your goals.
So, get to setting some goals for yourself. Make sure they follow the guidelines above and you will be on the road to success in whatever way you want it to be!
Happy New Year!
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