Set Effective Goals

If you’ve set goals for the New Year, these tips will assist you in writing the most effective goals and tracking your successes.

Based on the SMART Model, consider the following:

SPECIFIC:

Does the goal describe exactly what you want to accomplish including WHAT, WHERE, HOW and WHY? The more

detailed the goal, the better you will be able to visualize the steps required to arrive at your desired destination.

State your goal with action words and use the present tense to manifest immediate results.

I write every day for 30 minutes

I exercise 5 times a week

Notice these goals are not stated in the future (I will, I plan, etc.) and they include a VERB, to demonstrate clear ACTION

Add WHAT, WHERE, HOW and WHY

I write (articles) every day for 30 minutes (in my private, well lit home office) (without exception) to (improve my

profiecency) and I share my results with a (community of fellow writers).

I exercise by (walking, dancing or doing yoga) 5 times a week (at home or the gym) (enthusiastically) because I am

(energetic and healthy).

MEASURABLE

Be sure the goal has a quantifiable measure to determine your success; however, only use measures that you are in control of. For example

I exercise 5 times a week - is a measurable goal I can control, whereas

I lose 5 pounds a week - is not.

I write 30 minutes a day - is a measurable goal I can control, whereas

I have 5 articles published in national magazine - is not.

TIP Ask yourself, if your measure of success is meant to impress others. Don’t set goals for others, because you will probably not be happy once you achieve them. Make sure your goals and your reasons for setting them belong to you alone.

ATTAINABLE

Do you have the skills, resources and support systems in place to achieve your goals? If not, what do you need in order to succeed?

Clean out a space in which to work

Join a writers’ group

Buy a pair of walking shoes

Decide what it will take for you to achieve your goal and if necessary, break down the tasks into small steps rather than taking it all on at once.

1. Clean, paint and remove clutter from extra bedroom.

2. Rearrange furniture and donate unused pieces.

3. Set up work space, with a comfortable chair and good light.

4. Internet access and book shelf for research

5. “Keep Out” sign for the door.

RELEVANT

This is the most critical element which will determine your success. How relevant is your goal to what you want to accomplish? Is it only a goal because you think it is something you “SHOULD” do rather than something you “MUST” do? Don’t lose sight of the big picture. Your goals can be large or small, but they should ultimately lead to your desired destination.

TIME BOUND

“The difference between a dream and a goal is a timeline.”

Make sure you implement your goals as soon as feasible. You may need to prepare, but if the prepartion takes longer than a week or two, you should break down the big goal into smaller pieces.

TIP If you have one huge goal, it may make sense to break it into milestones and make each milestone a separate goal.

I am prepared to retire by the age of 50.

Stated in the present tense, so even though the goal will occur sometime in the future, you don’t want to put it “out there” as if by magic, you will be prepared. Chances are this goal is going to take longer than a few days to implement, so it should be broken down into smaller goals

I save $200 a month

I invest the maximum amount in my IRAs and 401Ks

I am debt free

I work with a financial advisor to plan for my future

Each one of these goals may require time and several steps to achieve.

I invest the maximum amount in my IRA’s and 401Ks

- Read Employee Benefits package to see how much I can invest in my 401K

- Research online guidelines for setting up an IRA

- Set up an account with a brokage, or use an only trading company, like eTrade

TIP Start with R, then write the S, M, T components (in this order) and finish with A.