Developing goals is key to success. SMART goals clarify exactly what is expected and tells how to measure success.
How do we make SMART goals? What are SMART goals?
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Specific
We have a much greater chance of accomplishing a goal if it is specific rather than general. A specific goal should answer the five W’s and the H:
Who is involved?
What do I want to accomplish?
When do I want to accomplish this goal by? Are there other timeframes involved?
Where - Identify a location.
Why do I want to accomplish this goal?
How do I accomplish this goal?
For example:
A general goal would be, “I want to be healthier.”
A specific goal would be, “I will go for a walk each evening after supper for 15 minutes, 3 times per week.”
Measurable
Can your goal be measured? When your progress can be measured, it is easier to stay on track and be successful with your goals. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……
How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Keep track of your progress on your calendar. Schedule the event in your calendar and plan your day around the event. Keep track of your progress on your calendar so you can clearly see if you are on track.
For example:
“I will walk around the neighbourhood 3 times per week.”
Attainable
You must have the means, knowledge and ability to actually achieve your goals. Identify the goals that are important to you and begin to figure out how you are going to meet these goals. Attainable goals motivate you to move forward to accomplish them. If you set unrealistic, impossible goals, you won’t even try or if you do try to and fail, you will be less motivated to set goals in the future.
Realistic
To be realistic, a goal must be something within your ability to accomplish. Do you have the means, skill, ability and desire to accomplish this goal? A goal should push your abilities but not break them. Is it realistic to set a goal of “I will cut out all sugar, dairy and carbs from my diet”? Not more the vast majority of us. A realistic goal would be, “I will eat fruit for my afternoon snack instead of sweets.”
Timely
A goal should be set with a time frame or end date. Without a timeframe, it is easy to get off track. If you don’t see the end date coming, you are less likely to work harder towards completing the goal. If you want to quit smoking, set a day to have met this goal. Saying “I want to quit smoking” does not give you a deadline to work towards and it is easy to push that goal aside. If you say, “I want to quit smoking before my high school reunion on June 10, 2013” you have not only a target item but a target date set.
Remember that it is okay to reevaluate your goals and set new timelines rather than give up the goal completely! You can also break your goals down into smaller goals and work towards a bigger accomplishment. For example, if your goal is to engage in physical activity everyday but you have been living a sedentary, this is not a very realistic goal. That’s not to say you can’t get there eventually, but a more realistic goal would be to go to the gym 1-2 days a week for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, reevaluate Did you go to the gym 1-2 days each week? Yes? Great! Now your next goal could be to go to the gym 3-4 days a week for an additional 6 weeks.
Some additional thoughts:
• You may have a goal in mind of “losing 1-2 pounds a week”. This is not an action based goal but rather an outcome.
• Weight loss is actually an outcome or end result that comes from other behaviours.
• Goals need to be focused on an action, something that we can do and observe.
• Weight loss is a result of several factors that we don’t directly control. If we focus on a number on the scale we can be disappointed when it doesn't happen even though we are still doing everything we intended to, this can result in feelings of disappointment, frustration, and even anger making it difficult to stick with your plan
• Consider creating a goal around behaviors that ultimately may contribute to weight management such as physical activity (I will add an extra 500 steps daily, on my pedometer) or healthy nutrition (I will work toward eating breakfast every day).
• Weight loss then becomes an long-term result of following through on goals, in addition to the many other benefits that come with a healthy lifestyle however is not the original focus of the goal
• Remember to review and re-evaluate as needed (consider monthly goal reviews) – if something is not work try to find out why and make a change.
