SMART Goals

8 Tips for Thinking & Learning #4

This advice comes from the excellent book, Pragmatic Thinking & Learning by Andy Hunt.

We all have goals. We might have personal goals (learn something, improve my relationship, lose weight) and we might have professional goals (make more money, get that promotion). Most of us will have both. More often than not, these goals are nothing more than little nags in our brains or a line in our idea book. They pop into the forefront of your mind throughout the day, but they are rarely acted upon, and often abandoned all together. In Pragmatic Thinking & Learning, Andy Hunt mentions the use of SMART objectives to help with goal achievement.

As you might have guessed, SMART is an acronym. It breaks down as follows:

Specific - You goal should be very specific. It shouldn't be vague. This is the difference between saying "I want to lose weight" and saying "I want to lose 40 pounds". By defining a specific goal, you've defined success. Otherwise you'll find that you are just spinning your wheels.

Measurable - You should be able to track your progress, preferably numerically. If your goal is weight loss, the measuring is relatively easy ... you just keep checking your weight. Other goals might not be as easy to measure. This may indicate that your goal needs to be more specific. Still, if you try hard enough, you can find a way to measure your progress. For example, I have a goal of studying textbook macroeconomics and how it explains the need for government backed financial stimulus. I'll know I'm complete when I can explain it in eight easy points.

Achievable - If you set goals that are impossible to reach, you will only be setting yourself up for disappointment. You will get discouraged and your goals will fall by the wayside. You won't have a target, you'll have what Hunt describes as a "maddening, soul-sucking frustration". You should take chances. You should shoot for the moon. Still, the goal should be within reach.

Relevant - If your goals is not something about which you are passionate, something that will play a part in your everyday thinking and processing, what is the point of trying to achieve the goal? Goals should not be set simply for the act of setting goals. The goals should alter your way of thinking. They should change you.

Time-Boxed - You need a deadline to achieve your goal. A deadline will keep you focused on the end game. If you establish a firm deadline for yourself, your goals won't languish as you bounce around from day to day. Hunt believes that this may be the most important of the SMART objectives.

If you want to better yourself, if you want to learn more, if you want to find yourself better educated on the events transpiring in the wide world, you need to set goals, and when you do, use SMART objectives and make sure to achieve those goals.