Making your goals SMART

Having goals are important, but instead of just keeping goals simple, let’s make them SMART – literally!

You might have already heard of SMART goals. If not, they are another tool that you can use to define your goals in more detail, making them more effective and impactful.

Essentially, SMART dictates that your goals should be:

Specific – What exactly do you want to do?

Measurable – How will you know that you have met your goal? Oftentimes you need to include a numeric or descriptive measurement.

Achievable – Is it in your power to achieve this goal? It should challenge you a bit so that it is actually a “goal” and not just something that you do easily.

Relevant – Make sure that the goal is consistent with your vision.

Timely – Set a realistic deadline for when you want to meet your goal. When exactly do you want to accomplish your goal?

Let’s practice!

Write down at least one goal for yourself towards your career, then add details to it and make it SMART by asking yourself the following questions for each of the aspects:

Specific

What do you want to accomplish? Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?

Measurable

How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal?

Achievable

Do you have the skills required to achieve the goal? If not, how can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount of effort on part with what the goal will achieve?

Relevant

Why are you setting this goal now? Is it aligned with your overall objectives?

Timely

When do you want to do this? What’s the deadline and is it a realistic one?

Have you encountered the concept of SMART goals before? Share your thoughts about SMART goals with other learners in the comments section below.