We all know what a literal meaning of goal is. I am not going to rehash it. But how many of us are actually able to meet the goals we set? I bet, not many.
According to a study by the University of Scranton, only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s goals.
The real challenge lies in achieving them. We decide to lose weight, but at the end of day, not actually able to perform actions that help us to move towards that goal. Or we decide to improve relationships aspect of our life, but find ourselves not taking actions consistently to achieve that.
You may have noticed, in both examples I have mentioned the term actions. Though it is essential to take actions towards your goal, which I will cover later in the article, the one reason we fail, is that the goals we set are not smart. So, what actually are SMART goals, why are they important, how to create smart goals, how to achieve them- all of these seemingly simple, yet nagging questions will be explored in this article.
Keep reading and you will gain better understanding and an action plan to achieve your next goal.
What are SMART goals
SMART is an acronym that stands for-
S- SPECIFIC
M- MEASURABLE
A- ACHIEVABLE
R- REALISTIC
T- TIME BOUND
The acronym in itself gives a pretty good gist of what it means. Though it speaks for itself, I’ll deep dive into each of it with examples.
Specific
Vague goals lead to vague results
Specific goals answer 5 questions - who, what, when, where, and why.
Example: "Instead of saying 'I want to get fit,' say 'I will run 30 minutes every day at 7 AM in the park.'"
You can be the judge here about which goal has larger probability of being achieved. When you are specific about your goal, you subconsciously rewire your brain to focus on the details. This helps you identify potential obstacles and plan how to overcome them. You are planning your way through, in order to achieve the why. This gives the motivation to be consistent.
Research by Locke and Latham has shown that setting specific and challenging goals leads to higher performance 90% of the time.
Measurable
If a goal can’t be measured, it can’t be achieved
Measurable goals help to keep track of your progress, stay on track and reach target dates. Decide on some metric or criteria to measure your progress towards the goal. Use quantitative measures whenever possible.
Example: "I will lose 10 pounds in the next three months by tracking my calorie intake and exercising daily."
A study published in Management Science found that employees with specific, measurable goals increased their performance by 30%
Many a time, quantitative measure is not possible. No problem, decide on some other criteria. Measurable goals also give a sense of accomplishment everytime you see your criteria or metrics going up. We should always celebrate small wins too. We are so focussed on achieving the final goal, that we forget the small improvements. 1% progress is still the progress. Learning this the hard way myself. This will in turn motivate you to be consistent which is a key to achieve any goal.
Achievable
Setting unattainable goals leads to frustration and failure.
Remember, Less is More.
Only set goals which are achievable. We as humans have a tendency to overcommit to others as well as ourselves. The only problem with that is when we are unable to achieve them, we feel as a failure and unmotivated. Therefore, it’s important to set your goals in such a manner that they push your limits, but not so much that they become unachievable or unrealistic. Example: "If you’re new to running, start with a goal to complete a 5K race rather than a marathon.
Harvard Business Review reports that setting realistic and attainable goals helps in maintaining motivation and reducing stress, leading to better overall performance.
You should not have too many goals at the same time. The advice which I have got from the majority of books and talks is to have maximum of 5 goals at a time and prioritize them according to importance and urgency. You must assess your resources and impediments, and then set challenging yet feasible targets.
Relevant
Relevant goals drive you forward and align with your life's mission.
Your goals should be relevant to your long-term objectives and personal values. They should align with your principles and what you want to do in your life. By setting the goals which are relevant, you are removing all the things which come in your way and are mere distractions from your goal. Evaluate the importance of each goal in the current context.
A Gallup study found that employees who feel their goals are aligned with the company's mission are 3.5 times more likely to be engaged
Example: "A relevant goal for a software developer might be to improve their code writing skills to enhance their development and meet the deadlines with efficiency.”
Time Bound
Without a time frame, there’s no sense of urgency.
I believe we procrastinate mostly on the tasks which don’t have deadlines, which we can postpone. Setting goals and defining the time bound for them is a step towards ensuring that you remain consistent in your habit which help you to achieve your goal.
Research by Ariely and Wertenbroch in the Journal of Marketing Research found that self-imposed deadlines improve task performance and time management.
Set realistic timeframes for achieving each goal. Use interim milestones to stay on track. Setting deadline create a sense of urgency.
Example: "I will complete my certification course in six months by studying two hours every weekday."
7 areas of life
One key learning from 'Smart Goals Made Simple' by S.J. Scott is to set goals across seven areas of life.
Health
Relationships
Business
Finances
Leisure
Spirituality
Community
You should take your time to reflect on life and these areas, and decide what truly matters. Then, set SMART goals for the same to create a balanced life.
I have personally started implementing those learnings and able to see a positive difference. That’s the reason, I wanted to share them with you.
Hope this article helps you to take a step closer towards your goals and I wish you achieve what you want.
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Yours in discovery
Shruti