Make your goals SMART
SMART goal setting is a way of setting goals so that you have the best chance of achieving them. To understand this, let’s start by imagining some typical goals that a person might have. Meet Freda . . .
Freda’s goals
Take a look at Freda’s goals. They are a good start, but at the moment they’re a bit vague.
How long should they take? How far must Freda go before she can say she’s achieved her goals?
Can she even be sure that she will ever reach these goals?
This is where SMART comes in. Quite simply SMART is way of focusing your goals to make sure they are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Rewarding
- Timed
Specific – means setting out exactly what will be achieved
Measurable – means deciding often something will happen, or for how long
Achievable – thinking about this ensures your goal will be realistic
Rewarding – this is a reminder to make sure your goal will be enjoyable
Timed – means planning how much time is needed to achieve the goal
If you apply these SMART rules to your goals, you’ll have a much better idea of how to go about achieving them. And you’ll be far more likely to get there!
Freda’s SMART goals
So, applying the rules described above, here’s what Freda’s goals look like now she’s made them SMART.
As you can see Freda now has some clear actions to take. They are specific so Freda has guidance on what she’s planning to do and she can measure when she’s done them.
Freda has also made sure they are realistically achieveable for her at the moment. She also knows they are things she wants to do – so achieving them will be rewarding.
And they’re timed because there’s a defined period in which Freda aims to do them – SMART!