SMART Goals

One of the most effective ways to make a change and stay on track is to plan steps to your success by using SMART goals.

• Specific

  • What is the specific thing I want to accomplish? You should be able to answer who, what, where, why, which.

• Measurable

  • How you will you know if you have achieved your goal? You should be able to answer questions like how much, how many, i.e. I will read ten pages in my book.

• Achievable

  • Life is not perfect, things will happen that throw you off your schedule such as a power outage, flat tire, etc. Your goal should acknowledge life’s realities and fit easily within all of your other obligations. It is probably not achievable to plan to write a 20 page term paper in a two hour block of time.

• Relevant

  • Does this goal match my needs?

• Time-bound

  • Goals require up-front planning on when you will complete them. “Reading ten pages of a book” requires a different amount of time than “losing 20 pounds.”