Have you ever created goals at the first of the year only to have them derailed by mid-February?

I think we've all been there. We want to improve our health, improve our relationships, perform better at work, save more money, ...

You get the idea.

So what went wrong? Where did we get off track?

We need to write SMARTer goals.

You may have heard of SMART Goals before but do you know what that means and how using a SMARTer framework can help you reach your goals?

Let’s take a look at the SMARTer goal framework - one step at a time.

S - Specific

The more specific you are with your goals, the easier it will be to determine the action steps required to achieve them.

I often hear people say something like, I want to exercise more. While that is a great idea, it isn’t a goal.

You can get more specific by answering 5 basic questions. Who? What? When? Where? and How?

• What type of exercise will you do?
• How many days a week will you exercise?
• How long will each exercise session last?

I want to walk 45 min, 3 days a week is a goal. That is a box we can check off. But we can get even more specific.

• When will you begin?
• What time of day will you walk?
• Will you exercise with a friend or join a gym?

If I know that I want to walk at 6:00 in the morning I am more likely to accomplish it than if I say I want to walk today.

Bottom line: If you can't answer the 5 W's (remember those from grammar class?), you haven’t gotten specific enough.

M - Measurable

How will you measure your progress? If you can’t measure your progress, you will never know if you have reached your goal.

If you have a goal to pay off $5000.00 in debt, you can measure your progress along the way - both with how much you are contributing in extra payments each month and the decreasing total balance.

For those of us that like to chart progress, a physical chart or guage that we can fill in with color is extra motivation. We love watching our progress fill the chart or graph.

Bottom line: Do you know when or how you will have reached your goal? If not, you need to revisit your goal.

A - Actionable

Goals should be designed to set you up for specific action steps.

I want to save money isn’t a goal. 

If you know that you need to save $1200 for next year’s Christmas expenses, you can set up an automatic draft of $100 per month or $50 every other week.

If you want to spend more time with friends by hosting a dinner one evening a month you need to:

• pick a date on the calendar
• invite your friends
• plan your menu

You get the idea.

Bottom line: What actions will help you achieve your goal? If you don’t know the specific actions you need to take then your goal isn’t clear. (Go back to S.)

R - Relevant

Your goals need to fit into your season of life, mesh with your values and compliment goals in the other areas of life.

You also want to make sure that your goals are YOUR goals. 

Our family never joined a homeschool co-op. Two of the main reasons we homeschooled were: 

1- to spend time with Gil

2- continuity of education when we moved.

Homeschool co-ops are wonderful things. I have lots of friends who absolutely loved them. They just didn’t work for us. 

Bottom line: As you are setting goals you want to make sure they line up with your life plan.

T - Time Sensitive

Your goals should have a completion date - a finish line.

If they are long goals (6-12 months or longer), you will want to choose some milestone dates & achievements along the way.

Deadlines tell us how to pace ourselves. I’m not a runner but I do know that I would approach a 100-meter sprint very differently from a marathon. 

You don’t want the deadlines for all your goals to be in the first quarter but you don’t want 12 deadlines of December 31st either. Your goals should have staggered deadlines throughout the year – remember, only 2-3 goals per quarter.

Bottom line: Deadlines give us a sense of urgency.

A few final thoughts:

1. Your goals should stretch you. If it is easily achievable, is it really a goal? 
2. You need to be very clear about WHY you want to accomplish your goals. When it gets tough, and it will, what will give you the motivation to continue?
3. Have an accountability partner to help you stay the course.
4. Write your goals down and review them frequently.



And remember, to have effective goals that are achievable, you need to write SMARTer goals. 

Y'all have a great week!

     Renee'