Starting Your Year SMART
Let me guess… you started off the year with a brand new goal.
Did you buy new runners? Did you set a time limit on a new project you wanted to complete, or a deadline to get a new job? However, it seems like weeks have turned into months, and you haven’t made any progress yet. But don’t worry, stumbling at the start line doesn’t mean you’ve lost the race. It’s just the beginning, and you still have time to catch up and achieve your goals.
Don’t give up!
The good news is, you have already done some of the grunt work. Thinking about your goal in the first place and musing over what you need to achieve it is the first step. Don’t let this time already spent go to waste, rather, acknowledge it as a foundation and build on this. There may have been things about your original goal that contributed to your false start, so take the time to consider this.
Make a contract with yourself and write down what you are trying to achieve and why. Your contract should also include the steps that you will need to accomplish and the time frame that you have to achieve each of the steps.
Smart goal setting provides the framework for identifying what you need to do and how you are going to do it. You can see where you are hitting your target and where you need to adapt and make changes if necessary.
Be SPECIFIC:
What do you want to achieve? Write down as many details as possible.
Why do I want to achieve this?
Where and when?
How?
With whom? (a business partner, a running buddy, a family member or friend)
Are there alternatives ways of achieving the same goal?
Are their limitations, issues or conditions that may be an obstacle and how can you combat these?
Make the goal MEASURABLE:
What will you see when you reach your goal?
How will you feel?
What will you notice about yourself?
What will others notice about you?
Answer these MEASURABLE questions for different time frames, i.e. after one week, a fortnight, a month, six weeks, 3 months, 6 months, this time next year. (As appropriate)
Be sure the goal is ATTAINABLE:
Be honest with yourself about the time, resources and responsibilities you have in your life. There is no point aiming to go to the gym 8 days a week when there just isn’t an eighth day in the week.
Look at what you wrote down as your SPECIFIC goal and be sure to balance this with what is realistically attainable. That is not to say that you can’t dream big!
With great planning, you may be able to climb this mountain. However, relying on the impossible will undermine what success you hope to achieve.
Make the Goal RELEVANT to you:
Is this really what you want?
Is this what you want to be making a priority in your life?
Does it suit your personality? For instance, do you really want a promotion at work to become a manager at work if you don’t like managing people in your team? Would a different type of promotion be more RELEVANT to you?
Set a TIMELY Goal:
Set yourself realistic timelines and deadlines. Don’t try and squeeze too much in too quickly but also don’t give yourself too much time or you may not get started. When breaking down the goal into smaller parts, give each a deadline so that you are able to track where you are up to and whether you are hitting your target.
Writing up a S.M.A.R.T. contract with yourself will get those New Year goals restarted. Once you are on your way check in occasionally to see if things need to be tweaked. If they do, adapt, but keep your eye on the finish line. You can do it!
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