What are SMART Goals and
How Do I Set Them?
SMART Goals are effective and help you to succeed at whatever you set your mind to!
When setting a SMART goal ask yourself, is my goal:
Specific? – Did I pick a very small and clear goal?
Meaningful? – Will it be meaningful to you if you can meet this goal? Why will meeting this goal matter to you?
Measurable? – How will I know if I have met my goal? How can I measure success?
Action-oriented? – Did I pick something that clearly involves taking a concrete step?
Realistic? – Did I make sure my goal is doable given everything else in my life?
Time-limited? – When will I do this goal, how often and for how long? Is my goal doable within the next 4-week time frame?
Example of a SMART Goal
“I will walk the dog three times a week for 15 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
This is an excellent “SMART ” Goal because it is small, doable, easily measured, on specific days with a clear action for a short time period.
Practice SMART Goal Setting
Try turning this example goal into a SMART Goal: “I will go to the gym whenever I get the chance in the next month”
Note: This is not a SMART goal as it is too vague, not specific about what you will do at the gym, hard to measure and no time/frequency specified.
Example Revised to a SMART goal: “I will go to the gym and walk around the track for 30 minutes twice a week- on Tuesday and Thursday lunch hours- over the next 4 weeks.” Note: This is now a SMART goal because it is small, states specific days and times, is measurable, is realistic and time-limited.
Remember: Whenever you are in doubt, make your goal smaller to increase your chances of success. Small changes can lead to big health changes over time!
Best wishes with your SMART goal-setting!