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Setting SMART Goals

Ever feel like that hamster on a wheel? You know what you want and you keep pushing forward, but you find yourself getting nowhere? Before you reside to calling it quits, take a look at your goals. Do they have a clear focus? Do you have deadlines set? Are they measureable? If you find yourself answering no, then it’s time to apply the SMART acronym to help yourself turn your goals into reality.

Specific. Turn vague goals into specific ones by giving them a clear focus. For example, instead of, “I want to increase my profits this year,” it can be “I want my profits increased by 5 percent by June 1.”

Measureable. Goals should be set in a way that you can track their progress. Sticking with the above example, every month you can see if your profits have increased and by how much. It’ll give you an idea of how close you are to achieving your goals, or how much progress needs to happen.

Attainable. Wanting to increase profits is one thing. Hoping to become a millionaire overnight is another. While that may be a bit drastic, it is important to focus on whether your goal is something you can actually achieve. If you find you’ve been losing money for several months and you’re hoping to see a 5 percent increase, chances are you’re going to be disappointed. While it’s great to be ambitious, you don’t want to set yourself up for failure.

Realistic. In keeping with attainable, make sure your goals are realistic for you. Increasing profits by 5 percent very well may be an attainable goal, but if you find that work is not getting done or you’re losing customers, then you’ll have a harder time achieving your goal. Figure out your game plan for making your goals realistic.

Timely. You know when you need to get product to the customer. You know when you need to plant a crop to make sure it finishes on time. Apply that time management skill to your goals. If you don’t set a deadline it may never get done. Use time to track your goals and set new ones. If you have a long-term goal, break it down into smaller ones with their own deadlines.

Once your goals meet the SMART criteria, write them down and have them somewhere where you can seem them daily. That way your goals are concrete and you’ll be reminded to continue working toward them everyday.

Adapted from www.topachievement.com

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