Goal setting: Smart goals to smash your weekly schedule

Do you struggle with keeping up the motivation to achieve the goals you set? This lack of success may be down to the method you are using to set your goals. It’s a new week, a brand new month and a great time to set goals to achieve what you want to. Using SMART goals, you can organise and motivate yourself to make the most of your week every week.

What are SMART goals?

SMART goal setting is one of the most effective tools a professional can use to achieve goals. SMART goal setting allows you to move from vague resolutions towards goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.

SMART Goals: Specific

Very often, when you examine a particular goal, you will find that it can be broken down into separate, more specific goals. The first step in this process is to ask the five ‘W’ questions:

• What: What do I want to accomplish?
• Why: Specific reasons for, or purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
• Who: Who is involved?
• Where: Identify a location.
• Which: Identify requirements and constraints.

In most cases, only some of these will be relevant but you should mentally check through all of them to make sure that you are not missing anything.

SMART Goals: Measurable

The second term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether an individual or team is making progress towards successful completion. Measuring progress will help a team stay on track, reach its target dates, and experience the sense of achievement that spurs it on to the continued effort that is required to reach the goal. A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:

• How will I know it’s accomplished?
• How many?
• How much?

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SMART Goals: Achievable

There is little point in setting a goal that is either too difficult to achieve or beyond your capabilities, as this will only serve to de-motivate you and destroy your self-confidence. The importance of being able to accomplish a goal is equally vital when you are setting goals for others, as it is for yourself.

When setting a goal you must use your knowledge and current skills as a barometer for ensuring that the goal is attainable.

SMART Goals: Relevant

Relevant goals drive the team, department, and organisation forward by aligning with other goals, the mission statement as well as employees’ personal objectives. A relevant goal can answer ‘yes’ to these questions:

• Is it worth the cost & resources required?
• Is this the right time to be doing it?
• Does it fit in with our overall strategy?

SMART Goals: Time-bound

It is essential that goals have a timeframe or target date. A commitment to a deadline helps a team focus their efforts towards completion of the goal and prevents goals from being overtaken by other, unrelated routine tasks that may arise. A time-restrained goal is intended
to establish a sense of urgency.

Get the motivation to achieve your goals with our weekly newsletter #MotivationMonday.