If at first you don’t succeed, you’re running about average.
M.H. Alderson
It’s getting to be that time of year again: that time when you make your New Year’s resolutions! Apparently, New Year’s resolutions are rarely achieved – less than 20% of the time, according to the U.S. News and World Report. And who started this tradition of making promises that we don’t keep? The Babylonians? The Romans? Some bored, pseudo-sadistic marketing executive? I wonder.
For good or bad, this is a tradition many of us follow, myself included. But this year, I am taking my New Year’s resolutions to the next level and making them SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for a process of goal setting along with an action plan that makes the goal more achievable. Rather than just stating a generalized goal, as resolutions often are, SMART goals are well-defined and include actionable criteria that lead to goal attainment. By setting a SMART goal, you define exactly what your goal is as well as how and by when you plan to achieve the goal. This leads to less frustration, a better chance of success, and finally: goal attainment!
Rather than making a resolution and hoping that through sheer will you will achieve it, I encourage you to create a SMART goal instead. Here’s how:
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-based
The process of setting SMART goals is fairly simple, but don’t worry if it takes you a few tries, along with some tweaking and refinement to get it right. Setting SMART goals is a process, and processes take time and patience to get comfortable with and learn.
Make it Specific
First of all, your goal should be specific. This means defining exactly what it is you want to achieve. For example, a common resolution is to exercise more. But the terms “exercise” and “more” are vague. The first step in turning this resolution into a SMART goal is to define exactly what exercise will be done and how often. So instead of saying “I will exercise more,” you might say “I will lift weights and walk five days a week.” By being more specific, you are already defining the action steps you will take to achieve your goal.
Make it Measurable
How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal? By making the goal measurable. The way you measure your goal is different for every goal. Using the exercise example, you may simply state that you will walk or lift weights for thirty minutes a day, five days a week. You can further refine this by defining how you will record your exercise time. Maybe your overall goal (the reason you want to exercise more) is to improve your physical fitness, so you may choose a different measure, such as lowering your resting heart rate or improving on a fitness test. Determining how you will measure your goal is related to your “why.” Take some time to think about exactly what it is you want to achieve, your “why,” and this will help you decide how you want to measure the outcome.
Make it Actionable
An important aspect of any personal goal that we set is that it is something that we alone can do. The goal must be something that is under our control. So setting goals that involve others must be based solely on actions that we can do, not on the responses or reactions of others.
This can be tricky territory, depending on the goal that you are setting. As you work on your SMART goal, check in with yourself and make sure you are keeping your action steps limited to only what you, and you alone, must do.
Make it Realistic
A common reason that we often fail to achieve a goal is because the goal is unrealistic. If you’ve struggled in the past to achieve a goal, consider making it smaller. I mean really small. Maybe your overall goal is to increase your exercise. And in the past you’ve tried to workout every day, but you keep falling short. Rather than beating yourself up and getting frustrated, try making it easier! Plan to exercise for one minute every day. You can walk around your house for one minute. You can lift weights for one minute. You can dance for one minutes. And there! You have achieved your goal. Let go of the notion that a goal has to be difficult in order to be of value.
The premise behind this philosophy is that by setting an easily attainable goal, you will feel better about yourself, you will feel empowered, and you then you can stretch your goal and make it a little more challenging a little bit at a time. If you’re interested in learning more about how to succeed by making goals small, I recommend “Tiny Habits” by B.J. Fogg. (Disclosure: I receive a commission for purchases made through this link) This book describes in detail how you can create change by breaking down behavior into small, meaningful, and achievable steps.
Make it Time-based
Setting a completion date for your goal provides incentive and the opportunity to celebrate your achievement. Don’t overlook this important step. By giving yourself a deadline, you reinforce the importance of your goal. If your goal is not something that has a natural deadline, such as completing a project, choose a deadline or schedule an activity that will add meaning to the goal. And be sure to plan a special treat for yourself to recognize your accomplishment. This may seem silly, but it really does help to reward yourself for achieving your goal. We humans thrive on being recognized and rewarded, and doing this for yourself is just as valuable as any other kind.
SMART goals are the new New Year’s resolutions! Setting goals that are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-based will lead to greater success. If you are unsure of how to set a SMART goal, or feel that you could use some help and support with goal setting, consider working with a coach. A coach can help you refine your goals so that they are SMART goals, as well as help you overcome potential barriers, provide accountability, and celebrate your achievements.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
Arthur Ashe