How to Set SMART Goals

Success in any area depends on designing an effective goal-setting strategy. By developing a clear picture of exactly what you hope to accomplish and determining what specific actions you need to accomplish it, you can more easily tell when you've succeeded in reaching your goal. To do this, use the following steps to set SMART goals.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Make your goals Specific. This is the "S" in "SMART goals." Know precisely what you hope to achieve. This is the only way you'll be able to tell whether you've actually succeeded in achieving it.

2. Create goals that are Measurable. This is the "M" in "SMART goals." Devise a method for quantifying the degree to which you've met your original objectives. Do this in terms of money saved, pounds lost, time spent exercising, test grades earned, or any other numeric indicator that will show you how close you came to meeting your goal.

3. Establish goals that are Attainable. This is the "A" in "SMART goals." Rather than setting lofty but unreachable objectives, stretch yourself, but at the same time be reasonable. Goals that are impossible to achieve can never bring you lasting satisfaction or success.

4. Attempt goals that are Realistic. This is the "R" in "SMART goals." This will help prevent unnecessary frustration as you attempt to reach the standard you've set for yourself.

5. Set goals that are Timely. This is the "T" in "SMART goals." Goals that have no deadline might as well not be goals at all, because you'll have little incentive to achieve them. Setting a realistic time-frame for your accomplishments helps you maintain momentum and follow through with the completion of your tasks.

6. Review your goals regularly, continually reevaluating them against the above steps to make sure that each important component is present. Once you've confirmed that each goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely, follow the final step listed below.

7. Go for it! When you follow a "SMART" strategy like this one, you can hardly help but succeed!