Let's set the scene: it's January 1st and you've officially decided that your motto is going to be "new year, new you." You've got out a sticky note and have written down all the goals that you are going to commit to - that is, until you find that sticky note under your bed in November and realize you haven't even achieved one of them.
That was basically me two years ago - I would set goals for myself but never actually knew how to achieve them. Most of the time, my goals would just push over to the next year since I never actually accomplished them. I would keep justifying it with the sense that I needed a "fresh start" like a new week, a new month, or a new year. However, you don't actually need a fresh start - you just need goals to achieve.
But how do you even set the right goals and ACTUALLY stick to them? Let me introduce SMART goals, a method that is commonly used to create goals for yourself. This acronym helps to build a foundation for your goal, making it easier to stick to. After I started using this technique, I realized that my goals were a lot easier to reach simply because I was planning in a smarter way. To create and absolutely CRUSH your goals this year, here is a detailed guide for how to use the SMART goals method!
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S: Specific
What does it mean for a goal to be SPECIFIC?
It's essentially stating that your goal should be narrowed down. It's a lot easier to plan for a specific goal than a broad one, so having a clear idea of what you want to achieve is the first step to actually achieving it.
Ex. Let's say you want to start going to the gym. You could say, "Start going to a gym" or you could add more detail like the why or specific sections within the goal. To improve the previous goal, we could replace it with, "Start going to a gym every week for 4 days to gain more upper body muscle and get stronger." Doesn't that already sound like you did so much planning? And it didn't even take much longer!
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M: Measurable
What does it mean for a goal to be MEASURABLE?
Measurable basically states that your goal should have a measuring system in place. There's no point of having a goal if there's no way to measure if you are actually on the right path to achieving it, so having some form of measurement can allow you to check progress and keep yourself accountable and motivated through your journey. It also makes it easier to catch mistakes along the way since you are consistently measuring and reminding yourself of your goal.
Ex. Going with the previous gym example, you could find a specific way to measure whether you are actually making progress. You could check off the days in the calendar to see if you are going 4 days a week. You could also check for your muscle definition with progress pictures and verify your strength by checking how many push-ups you can do 'til failure. These simple methods can allow you to check if you are making progress, serving as motivation and encouragement along the way as well!
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A: Attainable
What does it mean for a goal to be ATTAINABLE?
This part of the SMART goals system essentially checks whether or not your goal is actually realistic. Every goal is achievable, but some may need more time, energy, or planning than others. That's why it's essential to ask yourself whether this goal is something that can be accomplished with hard work and dedication or if you need to adjust your time frame or goal.
Ex. Let's start back to the drawing board with the "Start going to the gym" goal. Many might try to cram this goal in before a vacation or trip, planning to "Start going to the gym for 3 hours every day to get shredded in 2 weeks." However, as we dissect this goal, it's easy to spot common mistakes. One - going to the gym for that long may not be attainable for that person - if you are busy throughout the day with school or work, you probably won't have a spare 3 hours every day to get a workout in. Two - more things come into play with getting toned like getting enough sleep or eating a healthy diet. And three - and most importantly - it's unrealistic to get shredded in 2 weeks. This would eventually lead to burnout and disappointment as the plan wouldn't work, demotivating the individual and perhaps even leading them to lose any commitment to the gym ever again. Instead, set realistic goals. An example would be that "I will do a full push-up in 2 months by training 4 days a week for 20 minutes." This goal is not only specific and measurable, but it is attainable, has realistic qualities and allows flexibility as well - they don't have to work out every day and the 2 months gives them more time to focus on form and efficiency.
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R: Relevant
What does it mean for a goal to be RELEVANT?
This is essentially stating that your goals should align with your long-term goals and overall values. It's important to be consistent with our values and create shorter goals that actually uplift us to reach higher things. By ensuring that a goal is helping us stay on the right path, we not only achieve a short-term goal but also take a step towards a long term one as well.
Ex. Let's say our upper body goal to "Build more upper body muscle and strength" is a long-term goal (in the sense that it would take longer than a typical short-term goal). To help support that goal, you would set the previous goal to "Do a full push up in 2 months" as it would help you gain strength in your upper body as well as build definition.
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T: Timely
What does it mean for a goal to be TIMELY?
Being timely is, in my opinion, the most important of the five - it's essentially making sure that you are giving yourself enough time to reach your goal while also ensuring that you are not giving yourself too much time. Giving yourself enough time allows you to be working effectively without getting stressed about reaching your goal - however, giving yourself too little time can end up with burnout while giving yourself too much time can increase procrastination, both ending with your goal unfulfilled. Instead, find that sweet spot where you have enough time to reach your goal but are motivated because you know you don't have any time to lose.
Ex. With the push-up example, I gave the individual 2 months to do a full one. If they don't have any experience, this may be enough time for them to start getting used to the range of motion while also motivating them to do well for 2 months can go by fast. However, if they already had experience (maybe they could do push-ups before but can't anymore or stopped for a while), they may not need as much time, making this plan ineffective as it could lead to procrastination. On the other hand, if we stuck to the 2-month timeframe for the beginner but made the goal to do 10 consecutive push-ups instead of just one, that would be too little time as the beginner doesn't have any practice with the motion of a push-up, leading them to potential overtraining, burnout, or possibly even injury. That's why it's important to access your goals and see how much time you need.
[A good rule of thumb would be to estimate how much time you think you'll need and cut off about 1/6 or 1/8 of the time. Let's say I wanted to sew a dress and thought I'd need about 6 weeks. I'd cut off about 1 week and set the goal to be achieved in 5 weeks - that still gives me time to complete the task while ensuring no room for procrastination.]
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This is essentially the gist of what SMART goals are - you have to make sure that they are specific with details, measurable to check progress, attainable to make sure they can be achieved accordingly, relevant to achieve larger goals, and timely to increase efficiency. With these tools, I have no doubt that you will absolutely crush your goals this new year!
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