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SMART goal setting is the most effective way of setting life goals. If you don’t have goals, how the hell do you know what you’re doing? If you’re not setting SMART goals already, it’s time to start.
The best reason to have life goals is so you can make decisions knowing what you want in the future.
Your goals don’t have to be 20 years away – in fact, you should break long-term goals into shorter ones. It’ll be easier to achieve them that way.
REAL TALK: Seriously, set goals. Get your shit together. It’s all part of this wonderful thing we call adulthood.
Table of Contents
What is a Goal?
A goal is a result you want to achieve in the future. Goals usually include objectives (actionable items) to help you achieve them.
The two major types of goals are short-term and long-term goals. They’re pretty self-explanatory.
Short-term goals are ones you can accomplish now, today, this week, this month, this year. Short term goals typically don’t extend past a year. SMART goal setting is usually done for short-term goals because they’re very actionable.
Long-term goals will take longer to accomplish. Anything over a year is usually considered a long-term goal. It’s common practice to break a long-term goal into many short-term goals.
Why Should I Set Life Goals?
Because I said so. But seriously, you should set goals because they’ll keep you accountable. This will increase your likelihood of actually getting shit done.
Sometimes stuff comes up and you’re like ‘should I do that? Should I skip that?’ If you have life goals, you can use them as a guide for making those decisions.
Goals don’t have to dictate your whole life – in fact, they shouldn’t. They will help guide you into the future you want.
SMART Goal Setting for Your Life Goals
Goals aren’t wishes or dreams. They’re actionable plans. Use the acronym SMARTER when setting life goals to maximize your chances of success.
SMART Goal Setting
SMART goal setting is what you do before you start a goal, but ultimately you’ll be using SMARTER goal setting with the -ER- coming after you start.
SMARTER is an acronym:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Timely
- Evaluate
- Reward / Redo.
Setting SMARTER goals will help keep your goals on track. SMARTER goals are detailed and instructional.
How to set a SMARTER goal? It’s basically a detailed explanation of ‘I will [SMARTER Goal].’ Let’s break down each section with some SMARTER goal examples.
Specific
Specific means clearly defined or identified.
Your goals should be clearly defined. It’s harder than it sounds.
SMARTER goal example for: I want to lose weight
Specific: I will be a healthy weight of 120lbs.
SMARTER goal example for: I want to cook more.
Specific: I will cook dinner at home.
SMARTER goal example for: I want to be fitter
Specific: I will improve my running abilities.
Measurable
Measurable means that you are able to measure something.
This is a key factor of goal-setting and it goes hand in hand with Specific. If you can’t measure a change, it’s hard to know if you’re succeeding or not.
Let’s add Measurable to our above goals.
Original Idea: I want to lose weight
S: I will be a healthy weight of 120lbs.
Measurable: by losing 10 pounds
Original Idea: I want to cook more.
S: I will cook dinner at home.
Measurable: three times a week
Original Idea: I want to be fitter
S: I will improve my running abilities.
Measurable: by running a 10k
Achievable
Something achievable can be done successfully. In other words, can you really do it? How do you know if a goal is achievable? It can be hard.
Write down all the challenges you might encounter (or at least 3) and how you’ll deal with them.
Your goal might not be achievable if your list is absurdly long. Another sign your goal is unachievable? If you envision challenges that you won’t be able to overcome.
If a goal isn’t achievable, it’s not a goal it’s a wish. A goal is something you will achieve.
Let’s see how achievable our goals are.
Original Idea: I want to lose weight
SM: I will be a healthy weight of 120lbs by losing 10 pounds.
Achievable: I will achieve this by following a paleo lifestyle and exercising twice a week for at least 30 minutes.
Original Idea: I want to cook more.
SM: I will cook dinner at home three times a week.
Achievable: I will achieve this by making a plan and shopping for it on Sundays.
Original Idea: I want to be fitter
SM: I will improve my running abilities by running a 10k.
Achievable: I will achieve this by following the plan on the Zombies Run app.
Relevant
Relevant means to be closely connected or appropriate.
How does this goal tie in with your life? Is it relevant to your long-term goals? Your other short-term goals? Your lifestyle?
A goal that isn’t relevant to other parts of your life isn’t a goal that you’ll accomplish.
How do you know if your goals are relevant? Write down 3-5 ways your life will be better if you succeed. If you can’t list 3 ways the goal will improve your life, it’s not the most relevant goal you could be making.
Original Idea: I want to lose weight
SMA: I will be a healthy weight of 120lbs by losing 10 pounds. I will achieve this by following a paleo lifestyle and exercising twice a week for at least 30 minutes.
Relevant: Losing weight is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like running better).
Original Idea: I want to cook more.
SMA: I will cook dinner at home three times a week. I will achieve this by making a plan and shopping for it on Sundays.
Relevant: Cooking at home is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like losing weight).
Original Idea: I want to be fitter
SMA: I will improve my running abilities by running a 10k. I will achieve this by following the plan on the Zombies Run app.
Relevant: Improving my running abilities is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like losing weight).
Timely
For goal-setting, timely means that it will get done by a specified time. When will you achieve your goal?
Let’s add a time or date to our goals.
Original Idea: I want to lose weight
SMAR: I will be a healthy weight of 120lbs by losing 10 pounds. I will achieve this by following a paleo lifestyle and exercising twice a week for at least 30 minutes. Losing weight is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like running better).
Timely: in 6 weeks.
Original Idea: I want to cook more.
SMAR: I will cook dinner at home three times a week. I will achieve this by making a plan and shopping for it on Sundays. Cooking at home is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like losing weight).
Timely: for the next two months.
Original Idea: I want to be fitter
SMAR: I will improve my running abilities by running a 10k. I will achieve this by following the plan on the Zombies Run app. Improving my running abilities is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like losing weight).
Timely: by June 12th.
Evaluate
Evaluate means to assess your goals.
You need to assess your goals. Not just at the end, but while you’re working on them. If you’re not succeeding at your goal, you should adjust it before the end. Those adjustments might be the difference between failure and success.
Original Idea: I want to lose weight
SMART: I will be a healthy weight of 120lbs by losing 10 pounds in 6 weeks. I will achieve this by following a paleo lifestyle and exercising twice a week for at least 30 minutes. Losing weight is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like running better).
Evaluate: I will evaluate my progress weekly.
Week1: 2 pounds lost
Week 2: 2.5 pounds lost
Week 3: 4 pounds lost.
Adjustment to Goal: I probably won’t lose 6 pounds in the remaining time. However, I’m feeling healthy and on track. Let’s extend to 8 weeks.
Week 4: 5 pounds lost
Week 5: 7 pounds lost
Week 6: 8.5 pounds lost
Week 7: 9.5 pounds lost
Final Evaluation: 10 pounds lost! I had a couple of hiccups with the paleo lifestyle, but it was okay. I exercised twice a week every week (sometimes three times)
Original Idea: I want to cook more.
SMART: I will cook dinner at home three times a week for the next two months. I will achieve this by making a plan and shopping for it on Sundays. Cooking at home is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like losing weight).
Evaluate: I will evaluate if I don’t cook three times in a week.
“In the third week, I only managed to cook at home once. However, I had to travel for work a lot that week so I think it’s a one-off. In the end, I succeeded for 6 out of 8 weeks.”
Original Idea: I want to be fitter
SMART: I will improve my running abilities by running a 10k on June 12th. I will achieve this by following the plan on the Zombies Run app. Improving my running abilities is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like losing weight).
Evaluate: The app will keep track and I’ll be able to see if I’m not going to make my goal.
2 weeks in – I really like Zombies, Run! But I’m not really liking the way the training plans work. I’m going to switch to the C25K app. (Or, I’m hoping, use them together).
June 13 – I did a 10k yesterday, I wasn’t able to run for the whole thing but I did the whole thing in 76 minutes, which I think is a win!
Reward / Redo
You’ve finished your goal. You succeeded or failed. You evaluated. What next?
Reward yourself for success. Decide if you need to redo the goal (for success or failure).
Original Idea: I want to lose weight
SMARTE: I will be a healthy weight of 120lbs by losing 10 pounds in 6 weeks. I will achieve this by following a paleo lifestyle and exercising twice a week for at least 30 minutes. Losing weight is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like running better). I will evaluate my progress weekly.
Reward: When I succeed I’ll host a game night with my friends.
Original Idea: I want to cook more.
SMARTE: I will cook dinner at home three times a week for the next two months. I will achieve this by making a plan and shopping for it on Sundays. Cooking at home is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like losing weight). I will evaluate if I don’t cook three times in a week.
Reward: I’ll sign up for cooking classes which will help me cook even more going forward.
Original Idea: I want to be fitter
SMARTE: I will improve my running abilities by running a 10k on June 12th. I will achieve this by following the plan on the Zombies Run app. Improving my running abilities is relevant to my other health and fitness goals (like losing weight). The app will keep track and I’ll be able to see if I’m not going to make my goal.
Reward: I’m going to buy myself a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds. Also, I’ll redo the goal but with the idea of improving my 10k time.
Common SMART Goal Setting Problems
Nobody’s perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. Don’t make these ones.
Unrealistic Goals
This falls under the A in SMARTER. Achievable. If your goals are unrealistic, they’re not achievable.
Look, I wanna lose 10 pounds as much as the next girl. But I’m sure as shit not going to lose it tomorrow.
If my budget is tight, “Only eat organic produce” is an unrealistic goal.
“Develop a six-pack in the next 2 months” may or may not be an achievable goal. If you’re already slender and on the fit side, then okay. But it’s definitely unrealistic for someone with 10 pounds of belly fat to lose.
Do you see what I’m saying?
There’s nothing wrong with any of the above goals – lose 10 pounds, eat only organic produce, rock six pack abs – but that doesn’t mean they’re realistic goals for you.
Make sure you’re reining your goals into something that you can actually achieve. It doesn’t have to be easy, but it does have to be possible.
Vague Goals
Welcome to the S in SMARTER. Making your goals specific means they won’t be vague.
Yet, even knowing this, many people end up with goals or objectives that are vague.
Goals shouldn’t be short and concise. They should be detailed and specific. Check your goals – are you being specific enough?
Let’s check out some examples.
“Be Happy”
While this is a great idea, it’s not a goal. It’s not specific. There’s no way to meet this through objectives. Be happy but how? With what? About?
You need to figure out what will make you happy and make your goals focused on attaining that/those thing(s).
“Live Stress-Free”
Again, great idea. I’d like to live stress-free. But it’s not a goal. It’s a state of being. Instead focus on the things that are stressing you out and how you can reduce those. OR focus on the things that relax you and how you can increase them.
“Learn French”
Learning is always good but this is vague – to what level? For what purpose? Conversational? Fluent? Reading, writing, speaking, listening? All? How?
Too Many Goals
Every goal you have will need resources – time, money, whatever. It’s easy to spread yourself thin. You wind up with so many goals that none of them get enough of your (likely limited) resources.
Check your goals and set some priorities.
There’s no ultimate number of goals you can be working on at one time. Everyone’s different and every goal is different.
You have to think about each of your goals and how they relate to your life:
- How much time will it take?
- How much money will it cost?
- What other resources will it need
- What’s it competing with? Is it likely to lose?
Goals frequently lose out to children, convenience, boredom, fear, work, and not enough time.
Scale back if you need to. Achieve a couple of goals now and work on the rest later.
As the tortoise said, slow and steady wins the race.
Not Evaluating Goals
If your goal is to “be healthier” you might have it written as something like this:
“This month, I will eat one healthy, home-cooked meal every day and go to the gym 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.”
That’s a pretty good goal. But you can’t just set a goal and leave it. It’s not enough to evaluate your goals at the end-date. You should be evaluating them all the way through.
If you miss a day or a week, ask why! Is it a temporary life setback or is it a flaw with the goal?
Sometimes you’ll set goals that you think are attainable but they’re not. Why wait until the end-date to evaluate for that? Check your objectives and re-evaluate your goals as needed.
It’s not a failure to change your goals. It’s adjusting and staying on top of shit.
Be Accountable
Tell someone about your goals, someone supportive. Being accountable to another person can help you stick to your goals.
They can help you meet them, let you know if they’re outrageous, help you evaluate and stay on track.
Need a person? Let This Bitch & Her Readers be yours. We’ll help you be accountable.
Tell us your goals and how you’re doing in the comments below! We’d be happy to help.
Use SMARTER Goals
I hope you understand the importance of SMART goal setting and can start setting your own SMART goals now. Want more? Check out more SMARTER Goals Examples.
It’s not always easy, just take it one step at a time.
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