Structure your goals into a SMARTER goal
SMARTER goals help you create healthy success-oriented goals. The act of documenting your goal removes it from your thoughts and into a reality.
- Specific – Being specific about the goals you are setting will establish a clear tangible finish line. It will be a definitive reference point for you to focus on.
- A goal is a well-defined target that gives you clarity, direction, motivation and focus towards what you want to achieve and accomplish.
- The goal needs to be significant enough to inspire you to take the appropriate and necessary actionable steps.
- Measurable – The measure can be quantitative or qualitative. It should be measured against a defined standard of performance or a pre-determined level of expectation that you set for yourself.
- All goals should have specific measurable targets so that you know when you are making progress and when you are not.
- When focussing on a long-term main goal, they can be broken up into smaller segments of medium-term milestone goals and short-term mini goals that make your progress more measurable and achievable.
- Action-focused (and achievable) – Setting action-focused but achievable goals and action steps is critical to accomplishing anything in life. There is no point in having a goal when you do not take any action.
- You will need to develop a strategy for the action steps you need to take to achieve your greatest life vision.
- You do not need to know all of the details to begin with. Just start off with a general plan that you can build upon along the way. Your personality will determine how much detail you put into your plan.
- Relevant – All goals must be relevant and support the achievement of your greatest life vision.
- Goals must be relevant to you. They must also be meaningful and significant enough to make a difference in the overall quality of your life.
- Goals help you keep your eyes fixed on the prize and focuses and prioritise your actions on what is important rather than urgent.
- Time-specific – Being time-specific helps you to measure your success along the path to reaching your vision and goals.
- For goals that have a measurable finish (or ending), it is important to set a reasonable but achievable timeframe and deadline for specific results to be achieved.
- Goals without deadlines attached to them can easily find themselves being put off until tomorrow, and then the next day and the day after.
- Exciting (and enjoyable) – Regardless of what your goals are, if you do not personally find pursuing them to be exciting and enjoyable, then you will not have the commitment and motivation to fulfil them.
- Goals should be something that naturally excite and motivate you. They should not feel like another chore or a burden to your lifestyle.
- Goals should be an integral part of your lifestyle. You want to achieve them, rather than you have to achieve them.
- Revisable – It is good practice to regularly review your progress towards achieving your vision and goals. Make appropriate adjustments to your goals and actions if required. Ask these questions about your goals to help you monitor your progress:
- Is this goal easier or more difficult than you expected?
- Can you handle taking on more? Do you need to take smaller steps?
- Are you happy with your progress? If not, consider why and fix the problem.
- What are you doing well that is getting you closer towards your vision?
- What do you need to improve upon to fulfil your goals?
- Are you enjoying your goals? Are you excited by the results?
- Have you been completely authentic in your progress towards your goals? If not, is this holding you back?