Every team or company that has accomplished something phenomenal first has to set goals to get there! Teams that set smart goals have increased efficiency and can achieve anything they wish.
When we set targets, we can envisage where we want to go, what we desire and put our best foot forward to attain it.
But hitting an ambitious goal isn’t just about reaching for the stars – you need a proper path to get there. That’s where SMART goals come in! SMART is an acronym, i.e., Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound, that helps you define and set great goals. With SMART goals, you can ensure that every target, be it personal or professional, is achieved readily.
Here’s how!
What is a SMART Goal?
As we discussed above, SMART is an acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.
Defining these parameters as you set your goals help in ensuring that the targets are attainable within a specific time frame. This approach eliminates guesswork and generalities, sets a clear timeline, and makes it easier to track progress and recognize missed opportunities/ milestones.
How to write SMART Goals?
SMART goals include a specific set of criteria to ensure that objectives are clearly defined and attainable within a certain time period. This is why setting up SMART goals is essential. Let us see how you can write your SMART goals.
1. S: Specific
In order to accomplish a goal and get the desired outcome, it first needs to be specific. Ask yourself these questions:
- What needs to be accomplished?
- Who is responsible for it?
- What steps must be taken to accomplish it?
Think through these questions and identify what you are aiming for.
2. M: Measurable
A SMART goal must have a criterion for measuring progress. If there is no such criterion, you will be unable to track your progress and determine if you are nearing to achieve your goal or not. To make sure if a goal is achievable or not, ask yourself:
- How much/ many?
- How do I know if I have attained my goal?
- What indicates my progress?
3. A: Achievable
The goals you set must be achievable and attainable. This will help you realize your goal and work towards it. The target must be well-defined so that you can easily accomplish it. Question yourself:
- Do I have enough resources and capabilities to achieve the goal? If yes, then good. But if not, what am I missing?
- Have others been successful in achieving their goals?
4. R: Realistic
A SMART goal must be realistic, given the resources and time. So set up a pragmatic goal and ask yourself these questions:
- Is the goal realistic and within reach?
- Is the goal approachable, given the time and resources?
- Are you committed to achieving the target?
5. Time-Bound
The target you set must have a limited time frame, i.e., it must have a start and finish date. If your goal is not time-constrained, there will be no sense of urgency, and as a result, you won’t have the motivation to achieve the target. Question yourself:
- Does my goal have a deadline?
- By when do I want to achieve my goal?
Examples of SMART Goals
1. Improve Job Performance
Goal: Redoing the company’s website design to attract clients.
- Specific: I will re-do my company’s website and launch it by 20th January.
- Measurable: I will complete the website design by hiring some graphic designers and a web programmer.
- Attainable: With their skills and my own and my experience, I’ll attain my goal of having a functional website and will run it before the official launch. I will achieve it by working 5 hours a week.
- Relevant: I will redo the company’s website design and showcase it to the world.
- Time-bound: This goal will be achieved in three months, i.e., I will spend 60 hours revamping the site.
2. Doing Regular Exercise
Goal: Working out a minimum of 20 minutes per day.
- Specific: I will do light exercises for 20 minutes every day, three/ four days a week.
- Measurable: I will measure the progress with a fitness tracker and calendar.
- Attainable: Scheduling workouts for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday is manageable in the long term. Also, working out for 20 minutes daily will enhance the intensity and not hinder other routine tasks.
- Relevant: Working out three days a week will give me amazing benefits, like moving from low-impact workouts to high-intensity workouts.
- Time-bound: I will start working out from 1st January thrice a week for 20-30 minutes per day.
3. Strengthening Family Bonds
Goal: I will work on cultivating and strengthening my family ties.
- Specific: I will plan an ‘X’ number of weekly family excursion trips and activities.
- Measurable: I will keep track of the trips in a notebook and will add them to the family calendar as well.
- Attainable: Scheduling family activities is easy as we have already gone to movies every month and made trips as well.
- Relevant: These trips will play a significant role in fostering and strengthening the bonds of all of us family members.
- Time-bound: My goal is to go on a family vacation every six months and save money side-by-side for other trips as well.
4. Increased Outdoor Activity
Goal: I will stay outdoors for 30 minutes every day.
- Specific: I will stay outdoors for half an hour every day.
- Measurable: I will jog in my neighborhood for 10 minutes and then switch to other activities like reading, doing yoga, watering the plants, etc.
- Attainable: I will set a daily reminder on my phone to spend 30 minutes outdoors every day.
- Relevant: I aim to spend time outdoors as it will benefit me by breaking the sedentary lifestyle. Also, spending time outside and doing certain activities will reap many health benefits and draw me close to nature.
- Time-bound: My goal is to begin spending time outdoors from tomorrow and make it a habit by the end of the year.
5. Increasing Knowledge
Goal: I will read one book every 15-20 days for the entire year.
- Specific: I will read one book every 15-20 days for the entire year.
- Measurable: I aim to complete my book in 15-20 days by spending 30 minutes every day.
- Attainable: I will read the book in the morning and before going to bed. I will also try to keep up this habit and ensure that it doesn’t coincide with my other routine practices.
- Relevant: Reading will calm my mind, invigorate my senses, improve my vocabulary, and will offer me new experiences.
- Time-bound: I aim to complete reading a book within 15 days. I will give 30 minutes each day to reading so that I can begin with a new one!
6. Tapping into the power of Meditation
Goal: I will read one book every 15-20 days for the entire year.
- Specific: I will begin to meditate for 10 minutes for a few days and then stretch out the time to 30 minutes daily.
- Measurable: My aim is to develop a habit of meditating for 30 minutes for three weeks to make it a habit.
- Attainable: I will begin with 10-minute meditations, gradually increasing it to 30 minutes.
- Relevant: Meditating for 20 minutes daily will bring numerous health, conscious, and subconscious benefits, i.e., mental clarity, awareness, improved physical health, spiritual progress, etc.
- Time-bound: I will set the alarm for 5 am to do the meditation every day.
SMART Goals – Final Thoughts
Your SMART goals, be it personal or professional, can be about anything. You just need to ensure that you can muster enough discipline, resources, and requirements in order to achieve them.
Having a plan of action is integral to move forward in your career and achieve personal development. It is also vital to set goals and keep reassessing them and evaluating their progress. As you move closer to attaining your targets, you will have enhanced confidence and motivation. Therefore, setting a SMART goal will help you progress in an organized manner and accomplish them efficiently and easily!
