SMART Goals
Goal setting has always been something I was taught, reinforced, and then utilized to push myself and achieve my dreams. I have always loved self-help style literature, and I believe the seed was planted for me at a young age. Both of my parents are educators, and have studied education and worked in education their entire lives. I remember starting my dance and school year every September, and my mom and dad would ask me about what my goals were, and what I wanted to achieve for the year. We would go back and forth slowly breaking down each goal into more monthly objectives and then discussed what I need to do each week and even how I need to approach each day or class to make sure I get what I wanted out of each experience. This goal setting approach, for me, breaks even the largest goal into much more manageable pieces. I find I adhere to my plan more simply because it is realistic and not too overwhelming. Now as a Chiropractor and dance teacher myself, I rely on these tools to help my patients and students get to where they want to be.
SMART goals were formed in the early 80’s. The point of SMART goals is to break down your goal before working towards it to make sure there is less frustration and more efficiency and adherence to a plan of action. Let’s start by breaking down the acronym.
S stands for Specific. You want to define what you are pursuing and always go back to this acronym first. If you don’t know where you are going and haven’t spend time thinking about this, then you may get stuck in a rut simply due to lack of specificity.
M stands for Measurable. How are you going to track your journey to completion? What are some of the small steps that by achieving you know you are continuing on your path to the final goal? How will you know when you’ve finally achieved said goal? This is the letter that starts to break bigger picture goals into smaller, more achievable steps along the way. This step can truly start to form a plan and take the pressure off thinking only about the final end goal.
A stands for Attainable. We must always ask ourselves, “can this goal be achieved”? If the answer is yes, you know you are investing your time wisely. If the answer is no, that opens the door to start to investigate why your goals aren’t attainable. By modifying our goals or breaking them into smaller goals, we can make them much more attainable.
R stands for Realistic. This letter seems very similar to A. I would say attainability speaks more to the goal, but realism speaks more to ourselves. Do we have the resources, time, energy, etc to achieve said goal? If the answer is no, then how can we shift around our lives and priorities to set us up more for success.
T stands for Timely. Putting a deadline on steps or even the final goal can help us keep our eye on the prize. If you treat your personal goals like you would the goals of someone paying you to accomplish them, then you will find much more motivation to stay on track.
In addition to the acronym SMART, there have been the addition of E and R at the end. E stands for exciting. You want your goals to ignite passion within. You need to align your goals with your values so that you invest wholly into your action plan. The R stands for Recording. This is why I recommend worksheets for your goals and your tracking. By putting down our thoughts, deadlines, accomplishments on the way we can celebrate the wins along the way while still trucking forward to the end goal.
In 2010, a study used a SMART goals template which asked questions related to the acronym. Students filled out a questionnaire allowing for more self-reflection on their goals. The results found that students who used this template:
started earlier on the assignment and seemed to enjoy the assignment;
Revised and uploaded their goals within the SMART goals template as new information became available:
Complained less about team members underperforming which resulted in peer evaluations being more equitable; and
Provided a better quality and more professional presentation.
Whether you are working with competitive or recreational students, or you are using this for your own benefit, try writing out your goals and breaking them down into more detail. Go back to your goal sheets are review often, not only for the details but also the goal. Does your goal still align with your life? For more information, please check out www.madetomove.ca or email hello@madetomove.ca.
Reference List:
1) Lawlor KB. Smart goals: How the application of smart goals can contribute to achievement of student learning outcomes. InDevelopments in business simulation and experiential learning: Proceedings of the annual ABSEL conference 2012 (Vol. 39).
2) Williams, C. (2012). MGMT (5th ed.). USA: SouthWestern College Publishing.
