Goal-setting is one of the most important parts of helping a business continue to grow. It is a useful technique that can help anyone achieve what they want to and do it in a timely manner. In fact, goal-setting can be made even easier by setting SMART goals:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound
The first letter in SMART goals stands for SPECIFIC. By making your goals specific, you make sure that what you want to achieve is reasonable for you or your business. For example, saying “I want to run a marathon” is a great goal, but it can be made better by saying “I want to run marathon in the next year”. This adds an element of time to the goal, allowing you to prepare a plan for success.
The second letter in SMART goals stands for MEASURABLE. To make sure that you are succeeding in accomplishing your goals, you must make sure that your goals are measurable. Measuring your goal could be done in various ways: giving yourself a certain amount of time to complete the goal, graphs, data collection, etc.
The third letter stands for ATTAINABLE. Creating an attainable goal means making sure that you are able to complete your goal based on where you are at in your business or in your life. If your goals are attainable for your lifestyle, you are more likely to reach them.
The fourth letter stands for RELEVANT goals. When creating a goal for yourself or your business, you must ask yourself “Is this goal applicable to where I am in life or where my business is at?” By doing this, you are making sure that the goal you’re setting makes sense for your current situation and, in turn, will allow you to complete your goal.
Finally, the fifth letter in SMART goals stands for TIME-BOUND. Adding an element of time to give yourself a deadline for the completion of your goal will make it feel real and attainable. If you don’t set up a deadline for yourself, how will you push yourself to complete your goal? A deadline lays out a strict guideline for when the goal needs to be complete. **TIP: Make sure your deadline/time constraints are realistic for the goal you have set for yourself…this ensures that you set yourself up for success!**
In conclusion, applying goal-setting and SMART goals to your everyday personal and business life will create major positive changes. SMART goals allow us to create smaller, more realistic tasks that we are confident can be completed, making them all the more satisfying.