How to Set Smart Goals?

Goals are of different kinds. Setting smart goals in your personal and professional life is important in order to render structure and positive results in every activity you undertake. Organizing or categorizing every objective in life into comprehendible components helps you achieve success relatively easily.

SMART is a popular acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Understanding the holistic meaning of each of these elements goes a long way in setting and achieving smart goals. Read ahead to know more and also to learn how to set smart goals.

Specific

Defining a goal to its specific terms is important. The entire purpose of goal setting goes haywire when the objective defined is vague and prone to misunderstanding. ‘Specific’ implies and answers questions including what, why, when and how. Using specific descriptions makes the goal easier and clearer to execute.

Measurable

The next step to goal definition is quantifying your objective. When you measure or assign a clear number to your goal in terms of time or resources or demands, you make it all the more manageable. This way you can also measure or determine the extent of your progress during the course of time. Reasons for deviation are also minimized by making your goal measurable.

Attainable

It is important to be practical during goal setting. Setting an objective that is clearly out of your reach or a goal that demands resources that you definitely cannot summon is impractical. Impractical goals are often non-attainable. Every effort taken in their direction may result in loss of time, resources and money.

Realistic

Utopian ideals do not work during goal setting. A goal should not just be framed on a vague idea. It is important to set realistic targets that require your efforts to be achieved. Again, low set goals undermine your abilities and goals that are too high may deprive you of many things. Determine the nature of goal and time period required before embarking on the road to success.

Timely

A goal that has no stipulated time frame for achievement is no goal in the first place. Defining a destination or end point is necessary to make it concrete. When there is no time frame attached, there are high chances for the onset of distractions, a sense of vagueness and sometimes you may deviate from the original goal by itself.

Losing three pounds in one week by way of sensible eating and moderate activity is an example of a smart goal. It is specific. It is quantified by specifying a concrete measure. It is very much attainable if you put your mind and commitment to it. It is realistic and has no imaginative elements. And finally, there is the time period of one week.