SMART GOALS - a Quick Overview - version 2.0
How to use the SMART method for managing goals. This a quick overview that covers how to use SMART to set your priorities and how to take an abstract goal and turn it into a concrete, specific goal statement.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
As the title suggests, this is a quick overview of the SMART method. It’s a way to manage your goals to improve your chances of success.
To begin, SMART is an acronym that takes an abstract, poorly defined goal like “Read More” and turns it into a concrete, specific goal, in the form of a goal statement. And while there are different versions, today we’re using specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and timely.
In this version, there is a focus on managing multiple goals and it includes a motivational element, asking why you are pursuing a particular goal. These are key differences between other versions, which typically focus on a single goal and ignore the why.
With this version, we begin with relevant, answering the question, “Out of all the ways that you could use your limited time and resources, out of all the goals you might want to pursue, which of your goals are most relevant and why?
To answer, we take a few minutes to create a list of potential goals, and at this point, the goals are abstract without much detail. Next, organize or arrange your goals by priority, but keep in mind, it’s normal for priorities to change. As you take action and receive feedback, as you move forward in life and your situation changes, so to will the relevance of your goals.
Next, you want to take one of your most relevant goals and develop a more detailed goal statement. This is the end product of the SMART method. You take a generic, abstract goal like, “I want to be healthy or I want to lose weight” and turn it into a SMART goal.
For example, with our health goal, we state why it’s relevant, and we’ve added specific, measurable results, losing 10 lbs. We also ask how we plan to achieve the goal. This brings us to actionable, where you want develop an action plan, targeting specific behaviors such as eating less than 2,000 calories, and walking at least 10,000 steps a day. To be even more specific, we might add “no less than six days a week”.
Notice, that in creating an action plan, the TIMELY component of SMART begins to naturally emerge, establishing both a frequency of action and prompting us to consider how long it will take to achieve the overall goal. We ask, if I follow the plan, how long should the overall goal take? This is what is meant by TIMELY.
The bottom line, the SMART method is an ongoing process for managing goals, that helps you to prioritize your most relevant goals, and transforms abstract goals into well-defined SMART goals.
Give it a try. And if you want some feedback, go to the comments and share your goals or personal experiences with using the SMART method.
As the title suggests, this is a quick overview of the SMART method. It’s a way to manage your goals to improve your chances of success.
To begin, SMART is an acronym that takes an abstract, poorly defined goal like “Read More” and turns it into a concrete, specific goal, in the form of a goal statement. And while there are different versions, today we’re using specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and timely.
In this version, there is a focus on managing multiple goals and it includes a motivational element, asking why you are pursuing a particular goal. These are key differences between other versions, which typically focus on a single goal and ignore the why.
With this version, we begin with relevant, answering the question, “Out of all the ways that you could use your limited time and resources, out of all the goals you might want to pursue, which of your goals are most relevant and why?
To answer, we take a few minutes to create a list of potential goals, and at this point, the goals are abstract without much detail. Next, organize or arrange your goals by priority, but keep in mind, it’s normal for priorities to change. As you take action and receive feedback, as you move forward in life and your situation changes, so to will the relevance of your goals.
Next, you want to take one of your most relevant goals and develop a more detailed goal statement. This is the end product of the SMART method. You take a generic, abstract goal like, “I want to be healthy or I want to lose weight” and turn it into a SMART goal.
For example, with our health goal, we state why it’s relevant, and we’ve added specific, measurable results, losing 10 lbs. We also ask how we plan to achieve the goal. This brings us to actionable, where you want develop an action plan, targeting specific behaviors such as eating less than 2,000 calories, and walking at least 10,000 steps a day. To be even more specific, we might add “no less than six days a week”.
Notice, that in creating an action plan, the TIMELY component of SMART begins to naturally emerge, establishing both a frequency of action and prompting us to consider how long it will take to achieve the overall goal. We ask, if I follow the plan, how long should the overall goal take? This is what is meant by TIMELY.
The bottom line, the SMART method is an ongoing process for managing goals, that helps you to prioritize your most relevant goals, and transforms abstract goals into well-defined SMART goals.
Give it a try. And if you want some feedback, go to the comments and share your goals or personal experiences with using the SMART method.
Online courses
Simplify Your Problems: The Psychology of Choice
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Motivation for Learning and Performance
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Productivity: Applying Psychology to Achieve Your Goals
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Achieve More in Less Time Using SMART Goals
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