Thursday, January 10, 2013

Setting SMART Goals, Step-by-Step

By Stacey Kaufman


People who like to set goals use a goal setting process called SMART goals. In this article I will talk about the different parts of setting SMART goals. First off, SMART is stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. When you have this framework to start, sitting down to write our your goals will be much more simple.

Be Specific and certain, not general and basic, when you are setting your goals. Be certain, decide precisely what your objective is, why you wish to achieve the objective, and exactly how you intend on accomplishing it.

For instance, the objective, "slimming down", is too basic. Be certain. You could possibly state, "I wish to lose 20 pounds by summertime," which is more simple and clear.

Making SMART goals requires that the goals be measurable. What this means is that you can actually see or measure progress toward the goal. For example, the goal, "I want to be a good skier," is not really measurable. Instead, a measurable goal would be, "I want to be able to ski medium level slopes by the end of winter".

Setting goals that are attainable is important so that you do not set yourself up for failure and frustration. You want to make sure that the goals that you set stretch you but also are realistic to accomplish in the time frame that you desire.

One suggestion is to set check-in points that get to your final objective, but help you remain encouraged. For instance, if you wish to run a marathon, you could set an objective to run a 5k, then run a 10k, then run a 1/2 marathon. Before you know it you will be running your full marathon. If you consider it by doing this, you will have acquired your objective in 4 steps.

Be realistic when setting SMART goals. If you are 100 pounds overweight, and refuse to give up fast-food, having an objective to lose that weight in 30 days is not realistic. However, if you wish to lose say 50 pounds and you are going to start exercising and not eating fast-food, this goal may be reasonable.

SMART goals are timely. Try to set time limits to your goals that are realistic for you. If you have a lot of free time and can go after your goals wholeheartedly, the time frame can be shorter than if you are occupied most of your time. A mother with a full-time job and four small children may not be able to accomplish the goal of becoming fluent in Spanish in one month. She probably won't have that much time to devote to it, so she should think about making the time frame longer so she doesn't put too much pressure on herself.

As you set about achieving your objectives throughout life, keep in mind to apply the SMART concept and you will discover that you achieve your objectives more effectively. If you have not set any type of goals for yourself recently, or if your list requires some adjusting. Spend some time making SMART goals for yourself now.




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