Tips for setting your SMART goals

Goals can take minutes or months to achieve. Some may even be lifelong. Many people may know what they want to do but have trouble getting there.

Start small and don’t try to do everything at once. Reaching your goals can take time, so try to be patient and remember to celebrate yourself when you accomplish a goal! Throughout your journey, you can check back in and see if these goals are still true for you. You may want to refine or reset your goals to suit your situation – and that is okay too!

Setting SMART goals is a great way to lay out specifics for how you’ll approach your goals. But these goals are not meant to be a contract you follow to the letter; rather, they’re meant to be a set of instructions you follow to reach your goal. Staying fluid in your approach will keep you consistent in meeting your goals—as long as you keep in mind the reason you’ve made the goal! Let’s take a look at what a fluid SMART goal might look like:

GOAL: Decrease anxiety by incorporating intentional relaxation into my routine.

Specific: What am I looking to accomplish? What outcome would be desirable?

Example: I will meditate regularly using mindfulness and grounding techniques.

Measurable: How will I measure success? How much or many will be “enough”?

Example: I will consider myself successful at incorporating this new habit when I can go three weeks without missing a day of practice.

Achievable: Is my goal realistic? Is it attainable? You want your goal to be a challenge, but still feel feasible.

Example: It will not be easy to create this habit, as I usually go right to the TV when I get home from work. However, I think I can get this done one step at a time.

Relevant: Does this goal make sense in my current life? Why is this goal so important to me?

Example: I am tired of feeling so blah. I am finally motivated to change this pattern of behaviour, and I think the effort is worth it.

Time-bound: By when would I like to make this goal a reality?

Example: I think it will take me about two months to successfully integrate this into my routine.

Now it’s your turn. Using the same prompts, write down a goal that inspires you.

Specific: What am I looking to accomplish? What outcome would be desirable?

Measurable: How will I measure success? How much or many will be “enough”?

Achievable: Is my goal realistic? Is it attainable? You want your goal to be a challenge, but still feel feasible.

Relevant: Does this goal make sense in my current life? Why is this goal so important to me?

Time-bound: By when would I like to make this goal a reality?