Be SMARTER with your goals
Yesterday you went through an exercise of visualizing your life one year from now and writing down goals to help get you there. Today we'll just talk about goal setting in general. In order to create powerful goals, think of the acronym SMARTER –
Specific, and the more specific they are the better.
Measurable. That which you measure will be treasured, so think about what will be the measurement of your achievement of your goal.
Accountability. Who or what are you accountable to for the goal? Being accountable to something or someone other than yourself will tend to encourage you to keep your promise to complete the goal.
Realistic. It’s good to think big, but setting unrealistic goals will lead to discouragement. Start with smaller goals that are easily within your reach, then begin to challenge yourself more.
Time based. Decide your time-table for completion, and stick to it. Make sure whoever is holding you accountable knows your deadline.
Exciting. Exciting goals will be met far sooner than boring, bland goals.
Recorded. Write down your goal and post it in a place where you can look at it every day.
Exercise:
- Take a look at the goals you created yesterday. Adjust them as needed to make them into SMARTER goals.
- When you're satisfied with them, make three copies.
- Place one copy should be posted near your work area so you will see them every day.
- Put the second copy into your purse or day planner in case you need to refer to them, add to the list or check them off your list if you're away at the office.
- The third copy will go to someone else who can hold you accountable, like your significant other, a colleague, a friend, or a coach. Be sure to have them check in with you at the deadlines you created for yourself to see if you met them, or to ensure that you're on track.
Join me tomorrow for more planning tips! If you've been following along each day, I'd love to hear how you're doing so far. Send me an email or a message on Twitter or Facebook and let me know how this is working for you. What insights have you picked up while doing these exercises?
