Be Smart with SMART

When you need to define proper goals to employees, you can use a great tool to achieve better results

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

The year is ending, then you have to think about the year that’s coming, with that you need to think about the goals for the next year. So, SMART is a commonly used acronym in the field of goal setting. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These are the key criteria that your goals should meet in order to be effective.

Specific

When defining your goals, they should be clear and well-defined. For example, instead of saying “I want to lose weight,” a specific goal would be “I want to lose 10 pounds in the next 3 months.”

Measurable

Quantifiable here is the key word when define your goals, so that you can track your progress and know when you have achieved them. In the example above, losing 10 pounds in 3 months is a measurable goal.

Achievable

Don’t try to reach the moon if you can’t climb the Everest, your goals should be realistic and achievable. If your goal is too difficult or impossible to achieve, you will become discouraged and may give up.

Relevant

The objectives should be relevant in your goals, and aligned with your values. This will help to keep you motivated and focused on what is most important to you.

Time-bound

An sure, don’t try to finish something in 1 day that take at least 1 month to do it. Therefore, your goals should have a specific deadline or time frame. This will help you to stay on track and avoid procrastination.

What are the advantages to use SMART when defining your goals?

The use of SMART goals has several advantages. Like:

1. It can help to increase your chances of achieving your goals. By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals, you create a clear plan and roadmap for achieving them. This can help to keep you focused and motivated, and avoid getting sidetracked or giving up.
2. The use of SMART goals can improve your time management and productivity. By setting specific deadlines, you can prioritize your tasks and allocate your time and resources more effectively. This can help you to avoid procrastination and get more done in less time.
3. also, it can improve your self-awareness and self-regulation. By regularly reviewing your goals and tracking your progress, you can gain a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and identify areas for improvement. This can help you to set more realistic and achievable goals, and make adjustments as needed.

Overall, the use of SMART goals can help you to achieve your objectives, improve your time management and productivity, and increase your self-awareness and self-regulation.