Are your goals SMART?
What is a SMART goal? SMART stands for:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable / Achievable
R – Relevant / Realistic
T – Time bound
M – Measurable
A – Attainable / Achievable
R – Relevant / Realistic
T – Time bound
Specific – make sure that your goal is specific and answers the what, why and how questions –
WHAT are you going to do? (Use action words)
WHY is this important to you?
HOW are you going to do it?
WHAT are you going to do? (Use action words)
WHY is this important to you?
HOW are you going to do it?
Measurable –
Write your goal in a way that allows you to measure whether you achieved it or not. E.g. If my goal was to lose weight, how much? Do I want to lose 1kg or 10? Be specific about what your target is.
Write your goal in a way that allows you to measure whether you achieved it or not. E.g. If my goal was to lose weight, how much? Do I want to lose 1kg or 10? Be specific about what your target is.
Attainable / Achievable –
Don’t set yourself up for failure! And don’t be too light on yourself either! Make sure that you balance setting a goal that is achievable with also stretching / challenging yourself. E.g. setting a goal to lose 10kgs in 5 days may not be achievable, or healthy!
Don’t set yourself up for failure! And don’t be too light on yourself either! Make sure that you balance setting a goal that is achievable with also stretching / challenging yourself. E.g. setting a goal to lose 10kgs in 5 days may not be achievable, or healthy!
Relevant / Realistic –
Is your goal relevant / realistic based on the other goals that you have or the general direction you want to take in your life? Is it realistic for you and where you are at in your life right now?
Is your goal relevant / realistic based on the other goals that you have or the general direction you want to take in your life? Is it realistic for you and where you are at in your life right now?
Time bound –
Add timeframes to your goals to make them both more specific and to increase their measurability. When do you want to achieve your goal by? Have something to work towards and aim for.
Add timeframes to your goals to make them both more specific and to increase their measurability. When do you want to achieve your goal by? Have something to work towards and aim for.
SMARTER?
If you see the acronym SMARTER used, the ER has recently been added and the E stands for Evaluate and the R for Review or Reflect. These are important points to add. Regularly review and reassess your goals. Your desire or ability to achieve a goal may change. You might review and change the goal or you might delete it all together from your list if it is no longer important to you or has been replaced with other priorities.
If you see the acronym SMARTER used, the ER has recently been added and the E stands for Evaluate and the R for Review or Reflect. These are important points to add. Regularly review and reassess your goals. Your desire or ability to achieve a goal may change. You might review and change the goal or you might delete it all together from your list if it is no longer important to you or has been replaced with other priorities.
If you are really serious about achieving your goal then start by making sure that your goal meets the SMART criteria. Enter your SMART goal into your SSAB goal setting tool and then consider what steps you might need to take next. Make your steps SMART too!