SMART Goals Pave the Way to Success

SMART goals are a framework used to set clear, achievable objectives in planning and performance reviews. The acronym stands for:

Specific:

Goals should be well-defined and clear, focusing on what exactly needs to be accomplished.

I mean really specific. It’s not enough to say that you want to make more money or see better results in the next year. How much more money do you want to make? Which results need improvement and what improvements need to be made?

Measurable:

Goals should include criteria to track progress and determine when the goal has been achieved.

Put numbers on your goals. This is exactly why you need to be so specific in the first part of this process. Now you need to set parameters. How big? How strong? How much? If you’re already working with wood or other materials, this ought to be part of every project you undertake. Your SMART Goals represent a project where you become the product and customer.

Achievable:

Goals should be realistic and attainable, considering available resources and constraints.

Somewhere between making breakfast and swimming across the Pacific Ocean, lies the spectrum of things you can achieve. Hopefully, you know yourself well enough to choose realistic goals within your skill set. Time and circumstances might impact this part of your goal, so it’s important that you always measure and keep your deadlines in sight.

Relevant:

Goals should align with broader objectives and be meaningful to the individual or organization.

In the most basic terms, does this goal work with or against your other goals? A classic example could be setting a goal of self employment so you can spend more time with your family instead of being on call for a difficult employer. If you trend towards obsessing over your work, struggle to generate enough revenue to maintain your business with the current work load, you could find that self employment works against your greater desire to spend more time with family.

Time-bound:

Goals should have a clear deadline or timeframe to create a sense of urgency and focus.

Even if you set your own arbitrary deadlines, you need to respect and observe them. This relates to being measurable. How many milestones did you meet by the deadline? Seriously give yourself a grade, just like grading a student. Set small deadlines that lead up to the big deadline. You can measure progress that way. It gives you a chance to assess progress and to alter the goal before you miss the deadline.

Using SMART goals ensures that objectives are structured, actionable, and easier to evaluate. SMART goals create and iterative opportunity that build towards ongoing success.