Setting goals is relatively part of every aspect of our life, whether in business or personal. It provides a sense of direction, motivation, focus, and importance. Goals also provide a target to aim for, and the key to achieve it is by specifying it.
SMART goals are the answer and a useful guide for setting up goals that you can successfully achieve. You can break them down into five factors that stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. In your end, you have to take in your goal in all of the criteria given in the guide. This will help you focus and increase your chances of achieving the goals that you have set.
In this article, you will know why it is important to set goals, why your past goals worked and why it didn’t work, and how you will set a smart goal for the year 2021.
The Importance of Setting Goals
Setting up a goal is valuable, no matter where you are in life right now. Without these goals, you will not know if you are making progress in the task you consider significant, and there will be no passion that will drive you forward.
The goals that you set does not require to be overly complicated. After all, there are many opposite opinions between “losing six-pounds” and “taking over the world.” However, people who set clear goals for themselves tend to enjoy greater success consistently.
By saying clear goals, it means examples like “losing six-pounds” or “gain weight this new year.” These types of goals are achievable and quantifiable. In other words, you can track your success and make a change to your approach if it stalls your progress.
The 5 Rules of Setting Up a SMART Goal
You have to set goals if you are aiming for success. To accomplish it, you need to know how to set them. You can not just say you wanted it and expect that it will happen. Setting a goal is a process that starts with considering the thing you want to achieve and ends with much hard work to make it happen. Knowing the steps of setting a smart goal will allow you to formulate ways to accomplish it.
1. Set SMART goals.
The fact that for the goals to be powerful, it should be designed to be SMART. There are a lot of variations of what SMART stands for, but for the essence, the goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.
You should set a goal that is clear and well defined. Goals that are generalized or vague will not provide a sufficient direction. Include the precise amounts or dates so that you can track your progress. If you are setting a goal to stay fit in the new year, you must plot the dates of when you will start and end your fitness program.
The goals that you have set should also be attainable and hit the balance you need. Goals should also be realistic and timely so that it will help you focus on the things you need to get ahead, and your sense of urgency will increase.
2. Set goals that motivate you.
Setting up a goal is important, but setting up a goal that motivates you is more important. Motivation is the key to achieving a goal. This type of focus can help you with achieving your goals, and goal achievements require commitment. You need to have an “I must do this” attitude to maximize the likelihood of success.
3. Set goals in writing.
The act of writing your goals makes them real and concrete. You will not have room for excuses about forgetting it. In writing your goal, you must use the word “will” instead of “would like to.” For example, “I will lose two pounds every month,” not “I would like to lose two pounds every month.” The first goal statement has the power, and you can see yourself losing two pounds, while the second one lacks passion and will definitely give you an excuse to get sidetracked.
4. You have to make an action plan.
One of the steps that are often missed is making an action plan. You get to focus on the results to the point that you forget to plan all the possible steps of achieving your goals along the way. As you write each step and cross them out once you complete them, it will give you a realization that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. This is important, especially if your goal is big, demanding, or long-term.
5. Stick with it.
An important reminder, setting a goal is an ongoing activity. Build reminders that will help you on track. Make regular time-slots that enable you to review your goals. Your destination may remain similar in the long run, but the plan you created might change significantly. You have to make sure that the value, relevance, and necessity remain high.