SMART Goals

I was first introduced to SMART goals during undergrad at Framingham State from a business professor Dr. Rogers, or Doc Rog as we so affectionately referred to her as (she was the best!). Now, applying them to a capstone case study may not sound like the funnest thing to do, but it was truly an invaluable piece of learning to be applied in other areas of life. 

What are SMART goals? 

SMART is an acronym for:
Specific
Measuarable
Achievable/Attainable
Realistic/Relevant
Time-based

The Importance of Goal Setting

If you have things you want to accomplish, it’s best to set a goal around it, or a series of small goals to create a pathway to your ultimate goal! 

It’s pointless to just say you want to do something, it’s much better to set a goal which involves planning. Setting goals is understanding what you’re working for and creating accountability. 

Why do Goals Fail? 

Let’s address the overall reason why goals fail: people confuse dreams and desires with goals. 

Example Dream: I want to be a millionaire!
Example Goal: I want to earn the promotion at work or get my next certification level to have more earning power.  

This is where SMART goals come into play. 

Specific: The more specific and detailed the better, umbrella goals usually to not succeed. Don’t be vague! This is your who, what, when where, and why.

Measure: Quantify your goal. How many, often, much? This is your indicator of progress, it’s best to track it. If your goal is to be more active for example, it should be something similar to – go to the gym 3x a week or run 4 days. 

Attainable/Achievable: It’s okay to not meet your goal, but it’s another to not even come close. You want to feel accomplished at the end. Ask yourself, do I have the resources to complete this goal? If not, what am I missing? And can I obtain it?

If your goal is to pay off your student loan of $30,000 in a year and you make $40,000 a year, you might be stretching yourself a bit thin on the goal. A more attainable goal would be to make an extra payment amount set weekly/monthly/etc.

Realistic: Choose something relevant, meaningful to you, aligns with your ideals, and is appropriate for where you are in life. Are you able to commit to the goal? 

Timely: Choose a timeline or a timeframe. This will create a sense of urgency and hopefully minimize procrastination. If you have to include check points in your timeline, especially if it’s long or you know yourself to be distracted easily, hopefully it will reel you back into your goal.

A Couple Extra Tips:

Write it Down! I strongly recommend writing down your goals and using a chart or calendar to track your progress. Visual representations serve as constant reminders and positive reinforcement.

Schedule Check Ins. Whether you set a daily alarm, or an appointment weekly/monthly/quarterly/etc. Schedule this time with yourself to assess what you have accomplished and what you still need to do. This will allow you to determine if you are on track or behind and make adjustments as necessary to make sure you are closer to accomplishing your goal.

Share your Goal. This one is probably the hardest. It can be scary to share your goal with people, it makes you vulnerable, but it also applies some pressure. You’ve talked about your goal with someone, you have made it real! They’ll probably ask how it’s going occasionally and you will want to be able to tell them where you’re at in your plan, and not that you abandoned the goal. 

I hope this helped! Kick off 2021 right and make a positive change or accomplish something you’ve always wanted. 

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