If you want to achieve success in your life you need to have goals. Whether you want to make a certain amount of money each year or you want to lose a certain amount of weight, goals are key.
Having clearly defined goals will help to keep you focused and stay on track. Imagine your goals are like the rudder on a ship. The purpose of the rudder is to steer the ship towards its desired destination. Goals serve the same purpose.
Writing down your goals will increase you chances of reaching your desired destination in life.
In fact, research has shown this to be true. A study that was done at Dominican University of California showed that people who wrote down their goals were on average 33% more successful in accomplishing their stated goals than those who merely thought about their goals.
However, not all goals writing techniques are created equal. If you want to give yourself the best chance of achieving your goals, you need to know how to write them.
You need to be SMART about writing down your goals. In this article I am going to show you how to use the S.M.A.R.T. method to effectively write down your goals so you have the best chance of achieving them.
To get the most out of this technique I recommend you take notes. So, get a pen and piece of paper and let’s get started.
What are S.M.A.R.T. goals?
The idea of S.M.A.R.T. goals were first introduced by George T. Doran in 1981. George was a consultant and former director of corporate planning for Washington Water Power Company.
In 1981 he wrote an article for Management Review titled “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives”. In this article he introduced the S.M.A.R.T. goals strategy as a way to improve goal setting and achievement.
SMART is an acronym and it stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You may have seen other variations where “realistic” is used in place of “relevant”. It’s still effective either way.
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible to visible.” – Tony Robbins
Table of Contents
S = Specific
When writing out your goals, it’s important to be as specific as possible. Set a clear intention and try to be clear and concise. This will ensure that you are giving your subconscious mind a clear objective.
Having specific goals will also help to keep you motivated when things get tough. It’s easier to persevere through difficult times when we know exactly what it is that we are fighting for.
When thinking of your goal it might help to use the 5 common “W” questions:
- Who – Who are the people that need to be involved so that I can accomplish my goal?
- What – What am I trying to accomplish?
- When – When Do I want my goal completed?
- Where – Where do I need to be in order to achieve my goal? This one might not apply. It depends on your goal.
- Why – Why do I want to achieve this goal?
Example
Goal: Lose weight
If your goal was to lose some extra weight, you could be more specific and say, “my goal is to lose 25 pounds in an easy and enjoyable way”.
M = Measurable
In order to track your progress, your goals must be measurable. Measuring your goals will also help to keep you motivated. It will allow you to see the progress you are making and know that your hard work paying off.
Being able to measure your goals will keep you motivated to push through the difficult periods. If you can see that your hard work is leading to progress, then you will be more likely to persevere when things get tough.
Example
Goal: Lose weight
A good example of making your weight loss goal measurable would be:
“My goal is to lose 25 pounds in the next 60 days”.
This would allow you to measure your progress every week. If your goal is to lose 25 pounds in 60 days that would be about 3 pounds per week.
A = Achievable
An important part of setting SMART goals is making sure they are attainable. It’s ok to have big goals and dreams but make sure your goals are something that you believe you can achieve. In other words, if you want to make a million dollars a year but you are currently only making $50,000, don’t set your goal to make $1 million.
In order for the SMART goal system to work your goals must be believable and achievable. So, start by setting your goal at $100,000. After you achieve that goal set your next goal at $200,000. This way your you are proving to yourself that you can achieve your goals, and this will give you the confidence to keep going.
If you make your goals unrealistic then you will get frustrated and burned out when you’re not making the progress that you expect.
Example
Goal: Weight lose
A good example of making your weight lose goal achievable would be “my goal is to lose 2 pounds per week for the next 8 weeks with diet and exercise”. This is a realistic and attainable goal.
R = Relevant
It’s also important for your goal to be relevant. It must align with your business or personal objectives. It can be easy to get sidetracked and take on other people’s goals that don’t align with our own personal values, don’t let this happen.
It’s ok to take on challenges that other people set for you, if they are moving you toward your goals. Make sure your goals are personal and relevant so you will have the motivation and determination to achieve them.
Example
Goal: Weight lose
If your goal is to lose weight, make sure you only set goals that are relevant to that outcome. For instance, don’t set a goal to meet friends for happy hour every Thursday. It’s important to socialize with your friends but this will not be in alignment with your weight lose goal.
T = Time Bound
Finally, your goals must be time-bound or have deadlines. If your goals don’t have a deadline you are less likely to achieve them. Having a deadline will give you a sense of urgency and it will motivate you to work towards your goal every day.
It’s important to give yourself enough time to achieve your goal and set them within a realistic time frame. Don’t set a 1-month deadline to achieve a goal if it will take at least 3 months. This will only discourage you and increase your chances of giving up.
Example:
Goal: Weight lose
“My goal is to lose 25 pounds over the next 90 days”. This is a realistic time frame and it is short enough to keep you motivated every day.
Make SMART Goals SMARTER
Over time your goals might change and evolve. This is why modifications have been made to the SMART goal strategy.
Many people are making their SMART goals SMARTER. In the SMARTER acronym, the E stands for Evaluate, and the R stands for Readjust. The reasoning behind this is that you should constantly be evaluating your goals and making sure that they are in alignment with your long-term objective.
If you find that your goal needs to be modified, you can readjust them. Readjusting your goal will allow you to make necessary changes that will help you to reach your end objective.
I have also seen some versions where the “R” stands for Reward. The idea behind this is that you set up a reward for yourself if you accomplish your goal.
Having a reward can help to keep you motivated and boost morale. Rewards are also great for reinforcing positive behavior.
Whether you use the SMART method or the SMARTER method, both methods will give you a greater chance of achieving your goals.
Just make sure to keep your goals in front of you and read them as often as you can. This way they will always be in the forefront of your mind.
“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” -Pablo Picasso
Benefits of Using SMART Goals
Using the SMART goals method will help to add clarity and purpose to your goals. This strategy will also create a sense of urgency, which will help to keep you motivated and focused.
We all know that having goals is important to success, but just having goals in not enough. We must get clear about our goals and objectives and write them down. SMART goals were created to help people get clear on their goals.
Start applying the SMART goals method to your life and business. Make it apart of your morning routine. If you can create a habit out of writing down your SMART goals every day, you will be amazed at the progress you make in your life and business.
More Examples of S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Goal #1: I want to make money this year.
- Specific: I want to increase my income to $75,000 per year. That’s $25,000 more than I am making currently. I would need to make an extra $2,000 per month.
- Measurable: If I want to be making $75,000 per year, that means I need to be making an extra $2,000 per month by January 1st of next year. That is 8 months away.
- Achievable: I estimate that my online business will be making $2,000 per month in the next 6 months. I will need to stay diligent if I want to reach my goal.
- Relevant: Making more money will allow me to buy a larger home for my family and pay off my credit card and student loan debt.
- Time Bound: I want to be making an extra $2,000 per month by January 1st of next year. Which is 8 months and 3 days away.
Goal #2: I want to have more clients.
- Specific: I want to have an additional 20 high value clients that value my work and respect my time.
- Measurable: If I want 20 additional clients, I will need to acquire at least two new clients per month.
- Achievable: If I increase the amount of networking that I do, I can realistically acquire two new clients per month.
- Time Bound: I plan on acquiring two new clients per month. At this rate I will achieve my goal of 20 new clients in the next 10 months.
Goal #3: I want to start my own business.
- Specific: I want to start my own online business that will allow me to incorporate my passion for cooking and teaching.
- Measurable: I will write a new post and every Monday and Thursday.
- Achievable: I will dedicate 3 hours to work on my business every evening after dinner.
- Time Bound: I will have my website up and running in the next 90 days.
Summary
The S.M.A.R.T. goals method is an effective time management tool that will bring clarity and insight to your goals. The acronym SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, and time-bound.
Research has shown that by simply writing down your goals, you are more likely to achieve them. However, simply writing down your goals is not maximizing your chances of success.
By following the SMART method, you will establish a more effective strategy for writing down your goals. The SMART template will help you get clear on your goals and allow you to measure your progress as you go.
The SMART method will give you a clear and measured path to achieving your goals. If your going to write down your goals, make sure to do it the SMART way.
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar
