S.M.A.R.T. goals Archives - View from the Front Porch

Starting 2019 with S.M.A.R.T. goals

It’s the end of January. By now, I’m guessing that one or more of your New Year’s resolutions has already failed. Statistics back me up. According to U.S. News approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February.

So why such poor odds for success? I’m guessing the reason for failure was vagueness.

Pablo Picasso said, “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

I agree with Picasso. I’ll show you why.

Let’s look at a couple of my New Year’s resolutions.

Lose weight
Exercise more

Great goals, but very hard to stick with because there’s no focus.

Enter SMART goals which are:

S -Specific (and Strategic)
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant (results oriented)
T – Time-framed

My New Year resolutions restated as SMART goals:

Lose two pounds per month.
Exercise at the pool three times a week.

See the difference when the goal is SMART?

There’s a target. A way to measure success.

Your goals or resolutions will be different from mine, or not. That’s understandable. BUT, are your goals for 2019 S.M.A.R.T.?

Whatever goals you’ve chosen, restating as SMART goals can help ensure success. A measurable goal underscores a tangible outcome.

Good luck. Me, I’m off to the gym I have two pounds to drop this week.

Resolutions ~ Yes or No?

By judythemorgan|2019-01-10T09:59:21-06:00January 22nd, 2018|Make Me Think Monday, Writer's Life|0 Comments

It’s hard to believe this is the last full week of January. Did you take time this month to make resolutions or set goals?

Resolutions don’t work so well for me. I usually fail within days of writing them down. I’m not alone. A whopping 80% of us fail within the first thirty days when we make resolutions.

That’s why I prefer setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for the New Year. Being a goal setter comes from my years of teaching and having to establish learning objectives for lessons. S.M.A.R.T. goals work well for developing my writing goals.

Not familiar with S.M.A.R.T. goals?

A S.M.A.R.T. goal is specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and timely. This PDF from the University of Virginia gives a complete explanation.

My 2018 S.M.A.R.T. goals are set and this year I’m trying a new approach. I’m selecting a guide word for the year.

A guide word is sorta like a resolution except it sets the foundation for your year by guiding all aspects of your life. If you haven’t come up goals or resolutions yet, why not select a guide word for the year?

How do you choose one word?

Start by taking stock of where you were in 2017 and where you want to be at the end of 2018. The word you choose should help bridge the gap. It can underscore a tangible outcome, a character trait you want to develop or a skill you wish to acquire or all of the above.

Here’s a neat PDF worksheet to help zero in on what word might work for you from Love Nerd Maggie. Maybe you’ll find your word there.

My word for 2018 is progress.

I kinda lost focus on in 2017. It was a crazy year with a major move and a monstrous hurricane. I couldn’t find blocks of time to write so I let my writing slide. I’m determined that will not happen this year.

I’ve posted this graphic above my computer to remind me progress does not mean something has to be perfect. It’s from the Elsie Joy Get to Workbook (I use her workbook to track my S.M.A.R.T. goals.)

Have you ever used a guide word for your year? How’d that work out for you?