SMART Goals

Strategic goal-making means making goals that work with you, not against you.

You want the goals you set to be SMART goals, which is just a way of reminding you how to set up goals you’re most likely to stick to. Let’s do an exercise where we take a general New Year’s Resolution and make it a smart goal.

“I will eat healthy this year!”

Specific 

Smart goals are specific. Try to ask questions about how you’ll accomplish the goal and flesh it out here.

“I will eat healthy this year!” What kind of healthy? How?

“I will reduce my red meat consumption this year.”

“I will take smaller portions to the table with me this year.”

“I will start drinking smoothies in the morning." 

Measurable

If you can measure it, you can see the change, and not only is that motivating, that’s proof you’re making progress. Make sure your goals are measurable in some way.

“I will eat 2000 calories or fewer until I reach my weight goals.”

Achievable

Not only make sure that your goal is realistic, but think about how you can make it more realistic for you. 

“I will eat 2000 calories or fewer until I reach my weight goals. I will avoid calorie-dense foods that have given me trouble in the past, like ice cream, when I am grocery shopping.”

Relevant

This one is about alignment. Take a moment to think about whether or not your goal reflects or aids in your long-term goals. Yeah, learning Hungarian could be fun, but think about the time and effort you’re going to put in. Does this check out? This step allows you to reevaluate or manipulate your goal to fit your vision.

Time-Bound

Giving yourself a date to finish or several milestones to reach is both motivating and creates a healthy sense of urgency (if your target date is realistic). 

“I will drink a vegetable smoothie at least 3 mornings a week for all of 2021.”

Progress towards goals isn’t always linear. There will be moments or days where your best effort may falter. It’s important to remember that this is normal! When things don’t work out, the best thing you can do for your goal’s progress is to not beat yourself up over it. Forgive yourself and have a growth mindset when things don’t go as planned, and aim for a process to gain self-awareness to keep pushing towards your goals.