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Setting SMART goals

Home » Goals » Goal Setting Guidelines for SMART Goals

Written by Nate Fovaw

How many goals do you have? Do you want to reach every goal you set? Great! Here's what you need to do.

List your goals down. Then pick your #1 goal you want to achieve, and ask yourself whether it follows these goal setting guidelines - S.M.A.R.T - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound.

Specific

Have you set new year resolutions like "I'll lose weight this year" or "I want to make more money this year" or "I'll work harder this year"?

These are very general goals. And the chances of reaching these goals are VERY low!

From now on, set specific goals. Instead of saying "I want to lose weight", set a specific goal "I will lose 30 pounds by this year".

Make all your goals SPECIFIC from now on.

Measurable

Make sure you can measure your progress.

Let's say you want to improve your reading speed,

"Improving my reading speed" is not measurable goal. Make it measurable.

It should be something like ‘read 1000 words per minute’.

Can you see the difference in specific and measurable goals?

You can break it up into sub-goals.

You can aim to read 200 words per minute by a specific date. Subsequently increase it to 300 words per minute, then 400 words per minute until you reach your target of reading 1000 words per minute.

Achievable

ALL your goals are achievable, only if you write them down and commit to it.

For example if you want to lose 30 pounds by this year, setting specific and measurable goals will not ensure you reach your goal.

You must write down "I commit myself to exercise 3 times a week, every single week, for the whole year".

This is true commitment and ensures you achieve your goal.

Realistic

Setting realistic goals does not mean setting easy goals. You can aim high, but also make it realistic.

But when you aim high, do you believe that you can achieve it?

Is it realistic? To answer this question, take into account your available time, ability and resources. Ask yourself these questions:

- "Do I have enough time to reach the goal by this year?"
- "Do I have the ability to achieve my goal?"
- "Do I have the resources to reach my goal?"

If you don't have the time, find time. If you don't have the ability, upgrade your skills. If you don't have the resources, find it!

You can certainly achieve ANY goal you set but ensure that YOU make it realistic.

Time-bound

Have you noticed that you work more efficiently when a project is coming to its due date? Parkinson's Law states that "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

If you think you have a whole week left to finish your work, you will take a whole week. If you were only given one day to finish your work, you would still finish it within one day!

So set goals with deadlines. You will work more efficiently.

The Power of SMART Goals

Setting SMART goals help increase your chances of reaching your goal.

"A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln sums it up best, if you follow this simple goal setting guidelines you will undoubtedly find yourself achieving anything you want in every aspect of life!

Return from SMART goals to Goal Setting


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