Muskan

· 08 Feb 2022

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What is a Smart Goal?

The probability of achievement increases with planning. The better you conceptualize, plan and track the progress, higher are the chances that you achieve what you are aiming at. We all do lots of tasks every day, some small, some big, some important, some comparatively less important and so on.  So, basically we set goals and work to achieve them. Do you know how to set a goal which you can achieve with your present resources, in time without experiencing the disappointment of being delayed? Are you aware of what all factors you should keep in mind while setting a goal? No? Let us read ahead to understand what is a smart goal, how to set a smart goal and what are some of the common mistakes people make while setting goals?

What is a smart goal?
A Smart goal is a well-planned, clear, specific, and measurable method to achieve the target. Each letter of Smart stands for certain purposes. The SMART goal helps focus the efforts and increases the pace to achieve the target.  They are:

Specific: One should be clear and specific on what is need to be achieved. What, why, when, how, who, etc. all must be clear at the time of setting a goal.
Measurable: There must be some set criterion to measure the progress and lastly the achievement of the goal.
Achievable: The goal must be attainable.
Realistic: The goal must be within reach and relevant to life purpose. A smart goal should not be overly burdensome and stressing for the achiever.
Timely: A smart goal is time bound and the decided time should be realistic.

Specific Smart Goals
There is a greater chance of achieving goals when you specify each goal. To make the goals specific, we must consider a few things in the list.
•    Who all are involved in the goal?
•    What is there to accomplish?
•    When to achieve the goal?
•    Why achieve the goal?

Measurable Smart Goals
There should be a criterion to measure the progress of your work. Without these criteria, it won't be possible to track your work to reach the goal. For this, ask yourself like,
•    How much to finish?
•    How to know if I reached the goal?
•    What is my indicator of progress?

Achievable Smart Goals
A Smart goal is set to make the work achievable. This system helps to understand the goal and work for its achievement. The achievability of the goal will make you feel challenged to work harder. We can prepare the questions like,
•    Are all the resources and capabilities available to achieve the goal?
•    Was it successfully done before?

Realistic Smart Goals
The goals should be realistic so that they can be achieved realistically with the resources and time available. The questions which we can prepare in terms of realistic smart goals are like,
•    Is the goal realistic and reachable?
•    Is the goal possible to be finished within the time and resources?
•    Can you fully commit to achieving the goal?

Time Smart Goals
A smart goal should be time bound means there should be certain time period to achieve it. We should have a start and finish date on this goal. If the goal is not time-constrained, it doesn't show the urgency of the work to be done in the set time. It makes you less motivated for achieving the goal on time. We should prioritize our goal by setting an end date that can make you feel more motivated and do the needful. For this goal, we can make some questions like,
•    Is there a deadline for the goal?
•    By when would I be able to achieve this goal?

Common Smart Goal Mistakes
For beginners, these are new concepts, and there are some common mistakes they make while setting Smart goals. Some are like,
•    Being Vague
•    Setting irrelevant goals
•    Setting unattainable goals

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