Your goals must be clear and well defined. Keep it simple, clear, formal. Use constructive and positive language. Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality. The main reason people don’t achieve their goals is simply because they don’t have a plan in place to achieve them. Every goal you write down must have actionable steps to help achieve the goal.
SMARTER is the acronym of Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Easy to Understand, Rewarding. Here are some useful questions to help you set your smarter goals.
SPECIFIC: What do I want to accomplish?. Why is important to accomplish the goal?. Who is involved?. Where is the location?. Which are requirements and constraints?.
MEASURABLE: How will I know when it is accomplished?. How will I measure and evaluate it (performance indicators)?. How much / How many I need to reach my goal?.
ACHIEVABLE: Is it possible to accomplish this goal?. Is this goal realistic, practical, reasonable?. Is this goal too exaggerated or ambitious?.
RELEVANT: Does this goal seem worthwhile?. Does this goal match my needs?. Does this goal really matter?.
TIME-BOUND: When is the due date to complete my goal?. How often will I review my goal’s performance indicators?. When do I need to present a partial fulfillment (checkpoint)?.
EASY TO UNDERSTAND: Do I have problems remembering my goal?. Do I need to repeat my goal many times to understand it?. Do I find a tricky or confusing meaning?.
REWARDING: Why will I feel proud to achieve my goal?. What will I obtain after accomplish my goal?. What does motivate me to carry out and fight for my goal?.