What are SMART goals and objectives? What does SMART stand for?
According to the definition of a SMART goal, SMART goals (also known as SMART criteria or SMART objectives) are goals that are:
Specific — i.e. they are straightforward, precise, and can be easily defined.
Measurable — i.e. they imply a clear tool or points of reference you can use in order to assess whether you are successful in progressing toward or reaching the said goal (or not).
Attainable —i.e. they are realistic, in terms that you have a reasonable amount of time, money, and skills to successfully reach them.
Relevant — i.e. they hold certain importance within your life, the project you’re currently working on, or your business as a whole.
Time-bound — i.e. they “bind” you with a specific time frame you’ll have to work on reaching the goal, in order to call your efforts a success.
The application of SMART goals is versatile — you can use these criteria to decide whether it’s worth it to pursue specific career goals or work on specific areas of your personal development.
Set SMART goals by answering the SMART questions (with examples)
Let’s say that you want to lose weight. Here are the universal questions that will make sure that’s a SMART goal, one letter of the SMART acronym at a time:
Questions for Specific goals
Q1: What is the goal?
Q2: What are the details of the goal?
Q3: What do I want to accomplish with it?
Q4: Who is involved?
Q5: Where is it going to happen?
Q6: What resources are available?
Examples of answers that prove the goal is specific:
A1: I want to lose 12 lbs.
A2: I want to lose 12 lbs by losing 3 lbs each week during the said month — I’ll eat healthier food and exercise to achieve this.
A3: I want to be healthier, boost my energy, and feel better about myself in general.
A4: I am the chief person responsible for losing weight, but I’ll also book time with a personal trainer and occasionally consult with my friend who’s a professional nutritionist.
A5: I’ll go to the gym, and I’ll make most of my healthy meals at home.
A6: I’ll have advice from my personal trainer and nutritionist friend.
Questions for Measurable goals
Q1: How will I measure progress?
Q2: Do I have the necessary tools to measure your progress?
Q3: How will I know the goal has been accomplished?
Examples of answers that prove the goal is measurable:
A1: To measure my progress (or lack thereof), I’ll weigh myself each Sunday afternoon for a month.
A2: I’ve recently bought a high-tech weight scale, and I’ll use it to measure my weight loss progress each Sunday.
A3: Simple math will tell me whether I have accomplished my goal — If by next month the weight scale shows 12 lbs less in total when compared to the weight when I started the diet and exercise routine, I’ll know I’ve succeeded.
Questions for Attainable goals
Q1: Do I have the financial capacity to carry out my goal?
Q2: Do I have the skills and willpower to carry out my goal?
Q3: Will I have access to help when needed?
Q4: Do I have all the necessary resources?
Q5: Do I have the time to carry out the goal?
Examples of answers that prove the goal is attainable:
A1: I have enough money to join a gym and consult with a professional trainer.
A2: I’ve previously already managed to lose 13lbs within a month on a different occasion, so I firmly believe I can do it again.
A3: I’ll have access to a personal trainer, helpful advice from my nutritionist friend, as well as additional support from my family.
A4: I have all the necessary resources at hand, as there are several great gyms in my city, as well as an enviable selection of healthy food in the neighborhood supermarket.
A5: Considering that I remotely work flexible hours 5 days a week (or 9-to-5 in an office), I can spare 1 hour per weekday to go to the gym, and I have enough time to prepare healthy meals. I can easily spare even more time for the gym and food preparation on weekends.
Questions for Relevant goals
Q1: Why is this goal important?
Q2: Is this goal worth my time?
Q3: Is this the right time for it?
Examples of answers that prove the goal is relevant:
A1: Losing weight will help me be healthier and more energized. As a result, I’ll be more confident.
A2: Considering that I personally really feel that losing weight would benefit me (either because my weight is affecting my health, or because the doctor ordered it), it’s worth my time.
A3: Considering that the holiday feasts are over and that’s it’s time to implement the New Year’s resolutions, it’s time to lose weight.
Questions for Time-bound goals
Q1: When will I achieve the goal?
Q2: When will I carry out the activities that will bring me to my goal?
Q3: When can I expect the first outcomes?
Examples of answers that prove the goal is relevant:
A1: I’ll set February 20th for my end deadline.
A2: Every day after work, I’ll go to the gym for 1 hour. I’ll make a clear meal schedule that will include breakfast, lunch, dinner and healthy snacks, and I’ll stick to it. I’ll weigh myself every Sunday afternoon, leading up to the 20th of February.
A3: The first outcome I can expect should be 3 lbs less by the end of the first week.
There you have it. You can use these sets of questions for any type of goal.
Wrapping up…
The SMART goal criteria gives you an easy way to determine whether the goal you’re looking to pursue is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Relevant enough for you to pursue it in the first place. The SMART goal criteria also give you a time frame and deadline you can keep an eye on and use as a point of reference for your plan as you work toward the said goal.
SMART goals are suitable for both personal and business goals — for example, you can implement them with equal justification when you want to lose weight or improve your performance at work. In any case, they’re best used when you want to set and focus on a priority objective in life.
When setting and assessing your SMART goals there are sets of questions you can easily answer, and many examples you can follow and find inspiration in. Whatever SMART goal you pursue, it’s always best that you use a ready-made template to define and track it — you’ll spend less time planning the goals and more time actually working on your goals.
For an AWESOME SMART Goal setting sheet, see this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UfLj-iSryQr3O9xTSpxBHI7RRZt9of_MB-opdsF0KD8/edit?usp=sharing
Article in part from: How to set SMART goals (+ 10 helpful templates) – Clockify Blog