Setting helpful goals is an art. Too often, goals are set, and they only result in feelings of disappointment, failure, and embarrassment. If you’re goals are setting you up to feel that way, it’s time to change how you create goals.
Healthy goals will engender feelings of accomplishment, pride, excitement, and success. Pursuing helpful goals will enrich your life by filling it with values-based action. If your goals don’t lead to these results, REWRITE your goals until they do.
Set goals that help you feel successful. Be flexible and start as small as you need to. Always be willing to scale back until you find the right level of challenge and success. A goal that’s too easy won’t push you enough, but a goal that’s too difficulty will only lead to disappointment and eventually, disengagement.
And whether it goes well or goes poorly, treat yourself like a great coach, not an overbearing critic.
When you sit down to write your goals, make sure some (maybe most) of them fit the SMART goal criteria. Create goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Doing this will make it easier to recognize and celebrate your achievements, leading to bigger goals and more meaningful accomplishments.
Specific
The first term stresses the need for a specific goal rather than general goal. This means the goal is clear and unambiguous; without vagaries and platitudes. To make goals specific, they must tell a team exactly what is expected, why is it important, who’s involved, and where is it going to happen.
A specific goal will usually answer these “W” questions:
- What: What do I want to accomplish?
- Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
- Who: Who is involved?
- Where: Identify a location.
Vague Goal = I’m going get in shape
Specific Goal = To prepare for long distance hikes this summer, I’m going to run two miles on the high school track, on Mondays and Wednesdays after work with my friend Andrew.
Measurable
The second term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether you are making progress toward successful completion. Measuring progress acts as a catalyst for success, the exhilaration of achievement that spurs on continued effort toward reaching the ultimate goal.
A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:
- How much?
- How many?
- How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable
The third term stresses the importance of goals that are realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a team in order to achieve it, the goal is not extreme. That is, goals are either out of reach or below standard performance, may be considered meaningless.
An attainable goal will usually answer the question:
- Is this something I can actually achieve?
Relevant
The fourth term stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. A goal to “Make 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by 2:00pm.” may be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Time-Bound, but it lacks relevance. Relevant goals drive the person, the team, department, or organization forward. A goal that supports or is in alignment with other goals would be considered a relevant goal.
A relevant goal can answer yes to these questions:
- Does this seem worthwhile?
- Is this the right time?
- Does this match other efforts/needs?
- Is this important to me?
Time-bound
The fifth term stresses the importance of grounding goals within a time frame, establishing target dates. A commitment to a deadline helps focus efforts on completion of the goal. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise. A time-bound goal is intended to promote a healthy sense of urgency.
A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:
- When?
- How long?
- What can I do today?