What are SMART goals?

Learning how to set realistic goals and stick with them can be challenging. If you’re struggling to meet your goals, it might be because your goals are too vague, or you need a clear plan of action. The SMART goal model described here will help you evaluate your goals both in your personal and work life.

SMART stands for:

Specific.  When setting a goal, make sure it is well-defined, clearly worded in a positive statement, and narrow enough to use as a guide. For example, a goal like "I'm going to spend less this year" is both negative and vague. But "I'm going to pay off my credit card debt in one year" is both a positive and specific goal.  Questions you can ask yourself here are: How? Where? Who? Why?

Measurable.  Your goal should be measurable so that you're able to track your progress. If your goal is to pay off your credit card debt, your measurable goal might be: "I'm going to save $50 a month by making my lunch instead of buying it at work and put that money towards reducing my credit card debt. In 6 months, my debt will be cut in half." Some questions you can ask yourself are: When will I consider the goal completed?

Action-oriented.   You are more likely to achieve your goal if it includes steps and actions you will take. If your goal is to get out of debt, you'll have a better chance of achieving it if you commit to definite actions such as "I will take all the credit cards out of my wallet today so I cannot make impromptu purchases." A question to think about could be, is this goal likely something I can achieve, or am I setting myself up for failure?

Realistic.  Goals motivate us to grow and challenge ourselves. But they need to be attainable and realistic to work. "I will become fluent in Spanish by next summer" is an ambitious goal, but it may not be realistic if you don't currently speak a word of Spanish. A more realistic goal might be to have completed your first course in Spanish six months from now. Something to think about when being realistic is, do I have the resources to achieve this?

Time-limited.  Goals work best when there is a deadline or time limit. “I will learn conversational Spanish in six months, and I will update my progress every two weeks,” to continue with this example, giving you a time frame with a clear target, helping you to stay focused and measure your progress. A question you can ask yourself here is, when will I plan to accomplish this goal?

It's crucial to write down your goals, action steps, measures, and time frames— whether on your phone, computer, or on paper. Refer to your plan often as you map out action steps and work towards your goal. Remember, goals can take days, weeks, or even months to achieve, so start small and break down everything into more manageable steps.

It’s important to stay optimistic. It can be discouraging when we encounter challenges, but setbacks are inevitable when pursuing a goal, so a flexible approach is essential here. Change is possible!