How to Plan S.M.A.R.T. goals
How to plan SMART goals.
“Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.”
-
Lewis Carrol, Alice in the Wonderland.
The SMART goal setting system has been used for years to achieve results with motivation. The
first known use of SMART appeared in a management journal in 1981. Since then SMART has
appeared in innumerable corporate training manuals and academic documents. Although,
there is a wide array of interpretations of what each letter in the acronym SMART stands for,
the most common words drawn from it are: Strategic and Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Result-based, Time-bound. Some people interpret the R as relevant and the T as trackable. A
fuller list of these variations has been compiled by Robert S. Rubin of Saint Louis University in a
short paper called “Will the Real SMART Goals Please Stand Up?”.
Strategic and specific:
A specific goal has a much greater chance of being achieved than a general goal. But every goal
starts with a general idea of what you wish to achieve and then once you have chosen your
goal, you need to zero in on it with questions; What (what do I want to achieve?), who, where,
how, when, and why. Strategically chosen goals are easier to measure. It is important that your
goal is geared toward achieving something vital in your life. It should be a major part of your life
such as finance, health or education so that you will draw maximum benefits from your work.
For example, you might want to reach a specific earning target, say, $36,000 by the end of this
year. If your goal is to get healthier, you might want to make it more specific by deciding the
number of times you will exercise in a week and for a how long. If you wish to become more
socially active, you need to set goals per week as to how many new people you will meet, how
and when you will meet them.
Measurable goals:
The next step is to make your goal measurable. You need to describe the evidence as a result of
your actions, the dates and the expected or so-far achieved figures. You will be more motivated
to work if the goal is quantified, one with smaller goal-posts on the way to the final target.
Observing or passing by the little stages of your ultimate destination is a nice motivator which
will most likely make you confident that the aim is achievable. You need to measure how you
are progressing toward that $36,000 income goal. How much money you would need to make
per month and even per day to make it. You can even calculate it down to the hours if you want
get into elaborate but helpful details. You might learn that a detailed analysis can demystify the
goal and thus makes it more easily imaginable; easier to strategize towards and eventually
easier to strike it down by getting there. The measuring will also help you decide how to
distribute your resources.
Attainable goals:
But for a goal to be imaginable and motivating, it is important to make them attainable.
“People need goals worthy of their commitment”, said Goran Carstedt, former head of IKEA
and Volvo. The goal needs to be appropriately beyond the reach of the pursuer. Do not aim
low. Attainability of a goal depends on how wide the gap between your current position and
the goal is; and the time and effort you are willing to put in to get there. You need to explore
new untapped resources and skills to help achieve the goal. When you conduct detailing
thinking and planning for your aim, you develop a sense of purpose and understanding of the
methods to get to achieve it. You broaden your perspective after such an exercise and develop
belief in yourself.
Result-oriented:
You will draw the most motivation and confidence from achieved results so you must make the
goals result-oriented. You may sometimes fool yourself into thinking you have been working
hard but you must ask, “What have I achieved?” If your results are positive, you will get more
drive to achieve more because good results make you proud of yourself. The sense of
accomplishment will drive you to do more.
The R in SMART has also been interpreted as Relevant where you ask, “Is the goal relevant to
my life and objectives”. “Do I really want to work hard at this?” “Does this even suit the type of
person I am or can I adapt myself to be the type of person this goal requires?” Hence, Relevant
can be more of a meta-analysis of the goal itself.
Time-bound:
A specific time frame for your goals is vital. Deadlines can make your goals come alive to you
and your team. Choose the time by which you will have reached your goal. You have to know by
when you will reach the $36,000 earning figure. You have to set a deadline for ow long you wish
to do something. While an appropriate sense of urgency is a good thing, be careful not to
choose too unrealistic deadlines because then you will be in a race against time which may
affect the quality of final results. At the same time, do not make the deadline too lax either. A
long deadline for easy task will not inspire most people into action. Long deadlines or nonexisting deadlines can lead to damaging procrastination.
Critical view of SMART Goals:
According to Charles W. Prather, SMART goals work well within an existing system but they
tend to discourage innovation. When SMART “criteria are used to set goals for innovation, they
can spell DISASTER. The dumb thing about SMART goals is they circumvent innovations that
could be breakthroughs for your organization”.
The upshot is that SMART goals strategy applied right can be a useful and effective strategy to
exponentially increase your productivity and efficiency.