Setting SMART Goals

Declaring our goals is an easy task, but oftentimes we find ourselves within a week having slipped back into our old habits, or not having made any progress in achieving the new goal. It can be hard to take the leap from setting a goal to actually accomplishing it. If you find yourself unable to apply yourself to your goals, SMART goals might be the tool you need.

• Specific: Don’t just say you want to eat healthier, or read more books. Being specific, for example, “I want to cook a new recipe each week”, or “I’ll start having salad for lunch”, or making a list of books to read, will make it easier to hold yourself accountable.
• Measurable: Creating a target breaks down a vague goal. Incorporating measurement helps you keep an eye on your progress and celebrate successes.
• Achievable: One of the biggest mistakes is not making your goals realistically possible. Why set yourself up to fail? Instead of having your first goal be your ideal, make your first goal the first step on getting there. Don’t challenge yourself to run a marathon before you’ve gone your first mile.
• Realistic: Know yourself and set aspirational goals. If you hate getting up in the morning, don’t tell yourself you’ll be waking up at 6am to go for a walk. Instead, fit it into your afternoon.
• Time-bound: Deadlines are great for ensuring you don’t abandon your goals. For example, if one of your goals is spending more time with your friends, making a specific goal to call a friend at least once a week is going to be more successful.