What Are SMART Goals? A Guide to Using SMART Goals

The SMART acronym is a method designed to help you efficiently plan and outline your goals in a realistic, achievable way. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. The SMART method was developed by business consultant George T. Doran in his article “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management goals and objectives.” Though originally devised for business goals, this system is also useful for personal and creative goals as well.

SMART is a strategic mnemonic for setting personal goals as well as professional ones, with each letter representing a different way of assessing achievements. Here is what SMART stands for.

• Specific: Your goal should be clear and specific enough for you to devise a plan to achieve it.
• Measurable: Your goal should be measurable, meaning that it should have specific numbers or results associated with it. These metrics help you demonstrate tangible progress on your way to achieving your goal.
• Attainable: Sometimes referred to as achievable or actionable, making your goal attainable means that it is possible for you to achieve it. This part of the acronym also addresses extenuating circumstances that may interfere with you reaching your goal. Is it the right time for you to put your plan into action, given your current financial and life constraints?
• Relevant: Relevant goals are those that pertain to your field of study or personal interests. Make sure your goals relate to your values and/ or personal development. If your overall goals are job-related, make sure your specific goals relate to your professional career or personal development.
• Time-bound: Time-bound means that you want to complete your goal within a given time frame. This can create a sense of urgency to help motivate you into reaching your goal. Time management is an important part of setting goals and achieving them, and SMART goals can help determine how much time you may need to accomplish them.

The SMART system offers a number of potential benefits to those who use it to achieve their goals.

1. 1. Helps you visualize your specific goals. SMART goals can help you break down your big, broad dreams into a series of specific, actionable steps, and micro-goals.
2. 2. Refines your decision-making skills. SMART criteria can help you evaluate which steps will be most effective in achieving what you want.
3. 3. Measures your progress. With SMART goal setting, you can measure tangible progress toward your achievable goals. This can help you figure out which tactics will be most efficient in getting you what you want.
4. 4. Can expose weaknesses. The SMART goal system can help you assess any roadblocks to your success, including timing, time management, or setting the bar too high.

The SMART system helps you make smarter choices in how you approach and set goals. Below is an example of how to use the SMART goal-setting process for personal development, professional goals, and creative projects.

1. 1. Personal development: Let’s say that you want to exercise more and be more social, so you decide to learn a new sport like tennis. Make that goal specific, and say that you want to learn to play tennis and compete in your first tournament by the end of the year. Taking tennis lessons twice a week and competing in practice matches every two weeks makes the goal measurable. To make the goal attainable, you will work with your tennis instructor to find the proper tournament for your skill level. Learning to play tennis is relevant because it will help you fulfill another goal of exercising more and being more social, as well as learning a new skill. Your target date is 10 months from now, which is when the next club tournament will be held. You have 10 months to get your skills down and become a competitive tennis player, making your goal time-bound.
2. 2. Professional development: Perhaps you have a small business selling vintage clothing online that you want to grow. Make your goal specific by setting the goal that you want to double your sales within the next ten weeks. You will be able to measure your progress by how your marketing campaigns affect your click-through rate, and how many new orders you receive per month. Doubling your sales is an attainable goal because your initial sales were low due to a lack of time available on your part, which you might be able to make room for now. This goal is relevant because doubling sales will allow you to continue running your business and making a profit to help sustain yourself and your operations. As for time, you will give yourself 10 weeks to increase your customer base and selection, and six months to try and increase your sales.
3. 3. Higher education: Perhaps it is your dream to get your master’s degree in creative writing and write a novel. First, set a specific goal by saying that you will apply to three creative writing master’s programs within the next year. The goal is measurable because you will be able to track your process with each subsequent application. Make sure the goal is attainable at this time in your life, because writing your essays, artist statements, and gathering recommendations will take time. Applying to these programs is relevant because you want to get your master’s degree in creative writing. The goal is also time-bound because you will need to meet the application deadlines for each school that you choose to apply to.

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