Smart goals keywords change your life

How to accomplish your goals

The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your whole life running up and down the field and never getting there. - Bill Copeland

Do you ever feel like youre working hard but getting nowhere?

Maybe you see your skills or achievements improve very little when looking back 5 or 10 years. Or perhaps you are struggling to know how you will fulfill your ambitions in the next few years.

Many people spend their entire lives drifting from one job to another, or rushing into trying to get more done when actually accomplishing very little.

SMART goal setting means you can clarify your ideas, focus your efforts, use your time and resources efficiently, and increase your chances of achieving what you want in life.

In this article, well explore what SMART goals are, and well look at how you can use them to achieve your goals.

Lets find out the keywords that change our lives with Chiasenow

What does smart goal mean?

Smart Goals SMART is an acronym that you can use to set your own goals.

The first known use of the term was in the November 1981 issue of Management Review by George T. Doran. Since then, Professor Robert S. Rubin (Saint Louis University) has written about SMART goals in an article for the Psychological Association.

He said that SMART means different things to different people.

To make sure your goals are clear and achievable, each goal must:

• Specific: Special (simple, logical).
• Measurable: Easily measurable (means motivating).
• Attainable: Feasibility (unanimously agreed, practically achievable).
• Relevant: Practically relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourceful, produces results).
• Time bound: There is a completion time constraint (time-based, time-bound, cost-bound, timely).

Professor Rubin also noted that the definition of the smart goal acronym SMART may need updating to reflect the importance of efficiency and responsiveness.

However, some authors have extended it to include additional focus areas.

Eg:

SMARTER Smart Goals consist of a assessed E and an assessed R.

How to use smart goals

Paul J. Meyer, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Success Motivation International, describes the characteristics of SMART goals in his 2003 book, Attitude Is Everything: If You Want Success Beyond dominant.

Chiasenow will expand on his definitions to discover how to create, grow, and achieve your goals:

1. Smart goal – Specific – Special

Your goal must be clear and specific, or else you wont be able to focus your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve it.

When drafting your goal, try to answer five W questions:

• What: What do I want to achieve?
• Why: Why is this goal important?
• Who: Who is involved?
• Where: In this case where is it located?
• Which: What resources or limitations are involved?

Eg:

Imagine that you are currently the Marketing executive and you want to be the head of the Marketing department.

A specific goal might be, I want to gain the skills and experience needed to be the head of Marketing in my organization, so that I can build my career and lead a successful team.

2. Measurable – easily measurable

Its important to have measurable goals so you can track your progress and stay motivated. Evaluating your progress helps you stay focused, meet deadlines, and feel excited as you get closer to achieving your goals.

A measurable goal should address questions like:

• How much
• How long
• How will I know when it is completed?

Eg:

You can measure your goal of gaining the skills to become head of Marketing by determining that you will complete the required training and gain relevant experience over a 5-year period.

3. Attainable – Feasibility, achievable or not

Your goals also need to be realistic and achievable in order to be successful. In other words, it will stretch your abilities but still be possible. When you set an achievable goal, you can identify previously overlooked opportunities or resources that can bring you closer to it.

An achievable goal will often answer questions like:

• How can I accomplish this goal?
• How realistic is the goal, given other constraints, such as financial factors?

Eg

You may need to ask yourself whether it is realistic to develop the skills needed to become a marketing head, based on your existing experience and qualifications.

Do you have the time to efficiently complete the required training? Are the necessary resources available to you? Are you qualified to do that?

Tip:

Carefully set goals that others are entitled to.

Example: Get that job! depends on the number of applicants and on the employers discretion. But Getting the experience and training to consider for that promotion is entirely up to you.

4. Relevant – is it relevant to reality?

This step is to make sure that your goal is important to you and that it aligns with other relevant goals.

We all need support and help to achieve our goals, but its important to maintain control over them.

So make sure your plan moves everyone forward, but youre still responsible for achieving your own goals.

An appropriate goal can answer yes to the following questions:

• Does this seem worthwhile?
• Is this the right time?
• Does this align with our other efforts/needs?
• Am I the right person to achieve this goal?
• Is it applicable in the current socio-economic environment?

Eg

You may want to gain the skills to be the head of Marketing in your organization, but is it the right time to undertake the required training or work on upskilling? subject?

Are you sure that you are the right person for the role of Head of Marketing? Have you considered your spouses goals?

If you want to start a family now, does completing training in your free time make it more difficult?

5. Time bound – limited time

Every goal takes time to achieve, so you have a deadline to focus on something to work towards. This part of the SMART goal criteria helps you prioritize your daily tasks over your long-term goals.

A deadline goal will often answer the following questions:

• When?
• What can I do six months from now?
• What can I do six weeks from now?
• What can I do today?

Eg

Gaining the skills to become a head of Marketing may require additional training or experience, as mentioned by Chiasenow.

How long will it take you to acquire these skills? Do you need additional training to qualify for certain exams or qualifications?

Its important to give yourself a realistic time frame for completing the smaller goals needed to reach your ultimate goal.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Smart Goals

Smart Goals are an effective tool that provides the clarity, focus, and motivation you need to achieve your goals.

It can also improve their reach by encouraging you to define your goals and set a completion date.

Smart goals are also easy to use for anyone, anywhere, without specialized tools or training.

Various interpretations of a smart goal mean that it can be ineffective or misunderstood. Some argue that smart goals dont work well for long-term goals because of their lack of flexibility, while others argue that it can stifle creativity.

Key points of smart goals

Smart Goals are a well-established tool that you can use to plan and achieve your goals.

Although there are several interpretations of what acronyms mean, the most common interpretation is that goals should be

• Specific: Special (simple, logical).
• Measurable: Easily measurable (means motivating).
• Attainable: Feasibility (unanimously agreed, practically achievable).
• Relevant: Practically relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourceful, produces results).
• Time bound: There is a completion time constraint (time-based, time-bound, cost-bound, timely).

When you use SMART, you can create clear, achievable, and meaningful goals, and develop the motivation, action plan, and support needed to achieve them.

Apply smart goals to your life

Perhaps youve always dreamed of traveling around the world, but that never happened. Maybe you tell yourself its because you dont have the time or the money, and youll think about it next year.

Try setting SMART goals to help make your travel plans specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

You may find that the real reason you dont travel is because your plans are too vague or far-fetched.

Think about how you can refine your vision and rephrase it as a SMART goal, so you can make your dreams come true.

Smart goal example

Here are 3 examples of smart goals:

Through the summary of the principle of smart goal setting above, we will go together to a specific example to better understand it.

Example 1: I want to speak English fluently

Does the goal you just set apply the principle of Smart goal setting?

Let Chiasenow set up a Smart goal for this example. As mentioned above, Smart goals must meet the following 5 basic principles:

• Specific: specific

I want to speak English fluently is not a specific goal. We can set a goal like this: I want to speak English with my foreign friend every 30 minutes.

Do you see the difference? Speak English fluently is not specific at all because each person defines it differently.

For some, fluent means ordering a cup of coffee in an English cafe without being laughed at by the staff. Or for others, fluent is when they can participate in a discussion in English about a complex topic such as politics, law, health, etc.

The 30 minutes goal helps you define your goals more accurately.

• Measurable: measureable

Some goals are measurable, others are not. Compare the following two goals - which one can you measure?

• I want to learn 20 words every day
• I want to learn more vocabulary

I think you can immediately see that the first goal is a measurable goal. Daily time or longer-term planning depends on your interests and abilities.

• Attainable: feasibility

The question here is whether you are learning English because your foreign friend convinced you to do it or is it your wish.

Are you learning English for work or are you studying for yourself? As you can see, the more you treat a goal as your own, the easier it will be to learn.

So, dont study because someone asked you to find a reason to motivate yourself to strive to achieve your goal. You will find that this positive attitude will greatly affect your English learning process.

• Relevant: practicality

According to the smart goal setting principle , how realistic are your goals?

The longer it takes you to achieve your goal, the more illusory it becomes (even though youll have to spend more energy to achieve it afterwards).

As a complete beginner, in a year having a 30-minute conversation with a foreign friend is a realistic goal. However, if this conversation takes place over the next week, then 10-20 words a day is a realistic goal, 1000 words a day is not.

• Time-Bound: time to complete

When exactly do you want to achieve your goal?

You can set a time period for your big goal, but also for different sub-goals. So determine when you will achieve your goal or part of it. In 1 week? Or in 3 months?

A smart goal , a goal that meets the above 5 principles, for example:

I want to be able to chat for 30 minutes in English with a foreign friend by the end of this year.

Heres a smart goal , with:

• S - specifically: 30-minute English conversation with a foreign friend
• M - measureable: 30 minutes is the exact time
• A - feasibility: I want nothing more than to talk to a foreign friend for so long
• R - practicality: I have about half a year left to improve my English by the end of this year
• T - completion time: end of this year

Example 2 Apply for a job as a math teacher

I will get a job as a high school math teacher within three months of graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education.

• S - specific: A clearly defined goal of becoming a high school math teacher
• M - Measurable: Success can be measured by the number of applications, interviews and job offers.
• A - feasibility: The goal-setter will have the right qualifications for the job.
• R - practicality: The goal-setter plans to get a job in the education industry after earning a degree.
• T - time to completion: Goal setters have set a deadline to achieve their goals within three months of graduation.

Example 3 Promotion at work

I will be promoted to senior customer service representative by completing the required three-month training modules and applying to the role by the end of next quarter.

• S - specific: The goal setter has set a clear goal to be promoted to senior customer service representative.
• M - measurable: Success can be measured by completing a training module, submitting an application and receiving a promotion.
• A - feasibility: The goal-setter will complete the necessary training to be promoted.
• R - practicality: Goal setters are planning to apply for promotion after finishing their training modules.
• T - time to completion: Goal setters have set a deadline to achieve their goals by the end of the next business quarter.

Setting SMART goals can help you move forward in your career and achieve the success you desire. While goals can be challenging, using a smart goal framework can organize the process and provide structure before you begin.

Why should we use SMART goals?

Using the SMART goal framework sets boundaries and identifies the steps youll need to take, the resources needed to get there, and milestones that indicate progress along the way. With SMART goals, you are more likely to achieve your goals efficiently and effectively.

Smart goal summary ?

With the above knowledge and examples, Chiasenow thinks that you already know what a smart goal is. This is one of the skills that are effective in targeting your goals.

This skill is essential for you not only in the learning environment but also in the future work. Smart goal setting will make it easier for you to achieve your goals.

Hopefully through this article, you will define smart goals for yourself.

Dont let the ambiguity in your personal goal setting template affect your success. Use the smart goal formula the SMART way! And lets not forget Chiasenow - a paradise of sharing knowledge and also a repository of useful knowledge!