As with each and every new year it brings about goals and ambitions. Whether they be new or old… including SMART goals.
That my friend is what you and I will discuss today and for the rest of this month.
Last year was a wee bit too ambitious to do a blog post… every. single. day.
* heavy sigh and eye roll *
So, this year… this blog (myself along with my fellow amigos) will have a brand spanking new post up every Monday.
W00t! New stuff to read!! Yay, yay, yay!
If I’m excited then I know that you are 😀 … right?
Now let’s discuss goals.
What are Goals?
A goal simply put is a dream with tasks / steps needed to obtain it.
A goal has a timeline.
SUPER DUPER SIMPLE… but…
I’m one of those that cringes when I’m asked to make goals. Especially SMART goals.
Sure I can dream all day long yet when it comes to putting it into action I am known to drag my feet.
What are SMART goals?
Glad you asked.
SMART goals stand for…
- Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
- Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
- Achievable (agreed, attainable).
- Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
- Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)
SMART goal definition swiped from MindTools
They have tons of excellent articles on goals and other tips on managing your career.
Back to SMART goals
You could read the article on SMART goals by MindTools OR I can give you the abbreviated version.
As you know the first part of making your goals SMART is to be SPECIFIC.
Yeah you can see how a creative type like me would cringe on something like that. It stops me dead in my tracks.
Though there are some friends to help you along and you know it as the five W’s…
Yup, that’s right — what, why, who, where and which
The first part of being specific is asking what do you want to accomplish then follow it up with why is it so darn important to you.
Third is to ask who is involved — like do you need your family members and friends to respect the time you’ve set aside to ‘X’ so that you can meet your goal?
Forth is where is it happening? Is it online, in a physical location or where are you going to do this goal or where does it need to happen?
Finally ask which resources or limits are involved with this goal. <- This is a VITAL question. Because resource COULD mean money that is needed to make the goal a reality. DO NOT SKIP THIS QUESTION
Next part of SMART goals is to ask if it is MEASURABLE
How much, how many and how do you know when you’ve met the goal.
Lots of people make measurable goals such as ‘I will lose 5lbs by April.’
They will know if they made that goal when they’ve lost 5 pounds AND it’s before April. Just in time for the beach season in the Northern Hemisphere 😀
Third part of SMART is ACHIEVABLE
You should think long and hard on this one for it once again should include questions about finances (if the goal involves moo-lah)
Also you need to ask how you’re going to accomplish this goal. Remember to break it up in to tiny steps if seems too big.
Smaller steps = a much more attainable / achievable goal
Now we’re on the RELEVANT portion of SMART goals
Your goal will be relevant if you can answer “yes” to the following:
- Is it worthwhile?
- Is the timing right?
- Does this match my effort / needs?
- Is this goal right for me?
- Is it applicable to here-and-now?
Last but not least the final portion of SMART goals is TIME-BOUND
You need to set when you think you’ll finish your goal. Ask yourself if you can do it six months from now or six weeks or even today.
Be real and keep your daily obligations in mind when charting out the timeline for your goal.
Yeesh, I still cringe even after writing all of it. Though we all need to eat our veggies if it will do us more good.
So, I am giving you a challenge…
Come up with at least one SMART goal and let me know about.
You can keep me accountable for the Monday posts and I can help keep you in line with your goal.
Deal?