A picture tat is split in two down the middle with the left image being of a young black businessman in a smart suit and the right image of a female goal keeping attempting a save to represent - SMART Goals: An Amazing Way To Achieve Your Aims

SMART Goals: An Amazing Way To Achieve Your Aims

In order to offer some additional help to those who’ve made New Year’s resolutions, and to build on my previous article, ‘New Year, New Me?‘, I decided to create an article about SMART goals. In my previous article, I talked about making New Year’s resolutions into goals instead, but what you really should do is make those goals, SMART goals.

 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.

 

Contents show

 

What Are Smart Goals

 

Goal setting exists in almost every aspect of our lives. But sometimes goals can be a bit vague, which can lead to us failing to reach those goals. SMART goals, on the other hand, incorporate several criteria to help us focus our efforts and increase the chances of achieving our goal (CFI Education Inc.).

 

SMART goals are designed to turn what you want to change or achieve into a well-thought-out and planned version of your goals. Creating these well-planned goals should make them easier to achieve, especially when compared to the usual New Year’s resolutions.

 

This is because too many people see the changes they want to make and the achievements they’d like to achieve, as nothing more than hopes and dreams. But these hopes and dreams are attainable if you make them SMART goals instead.

 
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Criteria

 

An image that spells out SMART to represent the topic of the article - SMART Goals: An Amazing Way To Achieve Your Aims

 

How To Create SMART Goals

 

The image says "Specific" to represent the topic of the article - SMART Goals: An Amazing Way To Achieve Your Aims

 

 

If you want your goal(s) to be achievable, then you need to make your goal(s) as specific as possible. The clearer you make your desired outcome, the easier it’ll be to plan to achieve it, and the easier it’ll be for you to achieve. Ask yourself, “What exactly do I want to accomplish?” and “What will I need to do to achieve it?”

 

The image says "Measurable" to represent the topic of the article - SMART Goals: An Amazing Way To Achieve Your Aims

 

 

In order for you to be able to track your progress and to know when you’ve achieved your goal, you need to make your goals measurable. Again, ask yourself, “What is the best way to measure my progress?” and “How will I know when I’ve achieved my goal?”

 

For example, you could break down your goal(s) into smaller steps. That way, when you accomplish each step, you’ll be able to see the progress you’ve made.

 

The image says "Achievable"

 

 

This one is fairly self-evident. You need to make sure the goal(s) you’re creating for yourself is actually achievable. So again, ask yourself, “Are the goals I’m setting for myself realistic and achievable?”

 

Also, you should make sure you have the necessary skills and resources to achieve your goal(s). If you don’t, then change your goal(s) so that you can first gain the relevant skills and resources needed first. Then circle back to your original goal once you’ve achieved these.

 

The image says "Relevant"

 

 

The more relevant your goal is to you and your broader needs and wants, the better motivated you’ll be to try to achieve them. Ask yourself, “Why is this goal and its outcome important to me?”

 

You could also ask yourself, “Is this the right time to pursue this goal?” Sometimes when we decided to try to achieve our goal is significant. For example, if you’re already under a lot of stress, then maybe pursuing a new goal isn’t the right thing to do, and self-care would be a better endeavour.

 

The image says "Time-Bound"

 

 

Every goal needs a realistic target date. Giving yourself a deadline will help you focus on achieving your goal(s). Without setting some sort of timeframe, you’ll find that you’ll start to procrastinate and will lose motivation to try to achieve your goal(s). So for the last time, ask yourself, “What is a realistic end date for my goal?” and “What are the realistic timeframes for each measurable step towards my end goal?”

 
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What Else Can Help With Your SMART Goals?

 

There are a few things you can do to help you achieve your SMART goals, which I’ve listed below. If you can think of any that I’ve missed, then please add them to the comments below.

 

Write your goal down

Writing down your SMART goals will not only help you to visualise them better but also allow you to keep track of your goal(s). Writing your goal(s) and how you plan to achieve them is an important part of creating your specific goal(s), the steps needed to achieve your goal(s), measuring your progress, and keeping to your time frame.

 

To download your own free copy of a SMART Goals workbook, click here.

 

Set regular check-ins

By setting yourself regular check-ins, you’ll be able to keep track of your progress towards your goal(s). It’ll also help to stop your procrastinating or getting distracted. You can do this by simply setting calendar reminders on your phone to check and review your SMART goals.

 

A business woman in a suit which represents - SMART Goals: An Amazing Way To Achieve Your Aims

 

Celebrate your wins, big and small

A good way to keep yourself motivated is to create a list of healthy rewards and set progress points for which to reward yourself once you’ve reached them. This will be easier if you’ve already broken down your goal(s) into several steps. If you’ve created steps, then you can reward yourself once each step has been completed.

 

Can you make it fun

The more fun you make achieving your goal, the better motivated it’ll be for you to keep pursuing it. Having healthy rewards at different stages in your progress can help, but that’s not the same as making the goal enjoyable to do. So if you can, try to create fun ways to achieve each step towards your goal.

 

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Re-examine

If you find that part of your goals plan doesn’t work, then change it. Sometimes we don’t know if something will work or not until we try, and if we find it doesn’t work, then replace it with something else. Your SMART goals shouldn’t be rigidly stuck too if something within it is stopping your progress. Thus, examine and adapt so you can achieve your goal.

 

Button to click to download the SMART Goals Worksheet PDF from the Freebies and Resources page

 

As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, feel free to share your experiences with SMART goals or how to improve their outcomes in the comments section below as well. If you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, then sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, get push notifications for new articles by clicking the red bell icon in the bottom right corner.

 

Lastly, if you’d like to support my blog, then you can make a donation of any size below as well. Until next time, Unwanted Life readers.

 

 

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37 thoughts on “SMART Goals: An Amazing Way To Achieve Your Aims”

  2. This is an absolutely fantastic post! I have fairly ambitious and lofty goals, but I never thought to break it down into smaller more achievable pieces. I mostly throw a bunch of stuff out there and see what sticks. This is a great way to make a “smart”er more measured approach. Thanks!

  3. I love this formula, and it is aptly named. I feel like it makes goals more achievable while still moving us forward. Smaller goals as opposed to one big are how I move with life.
    Happy New Year!

  5. Happy New Year! I totally agree about making SMART goals. This will help define what the person really wants out of their roadmap. Love that you mentioned about small wins. That’s what counts the most.

    Nancy ♥

  6. This is like the blueprint for setting professional goals. There are those who love SMART goals while others love SMARTER goals,. The latter includes a segment for evaluation and re-adjustment.

    Personal preferences determine the route one wants to take as they set goals. The application for each facet of life would be of better value. For example, financial goals and business goals are not the same. When writing a business plan, a financial plan is an integral piece of the puzzle.

    I live by setting daily goals and targets. My yardstick is to see how better I am today than yesterday. And tomorrow’s yardstick would be how better I will be than today. This is easier for me to measure and track.

    Great blog. I have queued to schedule.

  9. We have SMART goals at work only we call them Rocks and Milestones. Same principle though and you’re right, it makes achieving them much easier. Great post! Lisa

  10. Setting goals up like this would make them so much more attainable this new year. Thanks for this

  13. These are great tips. The perfect way to go about your goals. It helps to put everything in perspective.

  14. Thank you for reminding me first of all that SMART goals exist. I remember learning about this method in a self-help group I attended a year or so ago and it changed my experience with actually achieving goals. Somewhere along the way I seemed to have fallen back into the old trap of setting non time sensitive goals and therefore just put them off another day. I need to get back into writing them down in this format! Thanks for posting!

  16. One of the great benefits of taking the SMART approach is that it is essentially a useful tool to drive forward your goals, even if you don’t quite achieve them as originally planned.

    For example, there have been goals where I’ve not achieved it to the original envisioned timescale, but it has created the opportunity to motivate me to make more progress than if I hadn’t used such a method! 🙂

  17. This is such a useful post in achieving and setting goals, and then how to do it. I liked the idea of reevaluation, and as well rewarding yourself for hitting a target.

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