In 1981, George T. Doran introduced S.M.A.R.T. goals in an issue of Management Review. S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Timely.
According to the guidelines in creating these goals, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Specific: When you think of a goal, ask yourself if you can boil that idea down to its core. Start with "I want to get better at marketing," and then get specific: "I want to implement email marketing and get 100 new Facebook followers each month."
- Measurable: Give yourself a way to measure progress. Sometimes using an exact number can help you measure your success. However, more ethereal goals such as, "I’d like to be a better leader," means you will have to get creative with a system of measurement that makes sense for you.
- Attainable: For this step, it’s best to create realistic goals, yet push yourself to new heights. For example, “This month, I’m going to start using cash instead of my credit card to pay for my purchases. This will help me reach a goal of debt reduction of ___amount by December.
- Relevant: Relevance means looking at the bigger picture – where do you want to be in five years? Understanding the relevance over time can help keep you motivated.
- Timely: We are so inspired by deadlines. If we do as Steven Covey taught, to begin with the end in mind, this can help you break your timeline down into the amounts of time you need to reach the goal.
Many people now use S.M.A.R.T. goals in their life to help them improve. We’d love to hear how you think S.M.A.R.T. goals can make a difference in your life.
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