The parts of SMART goals that work

Dec 4

A lot of people hate goal-setting. And it’s because the way we’re taught to set goals doesn’t really work. I have a lot to say about that. And while I wrote a whole post about how SMART goals are terrible (go read it here), there are some parts that are pretty good.

If you’re not familiar with SMART goals, SMART is a popular formula people use to teach goal-setting and evaluate your goals.

SMART stands for:
* Specific
* Measurable
* Attainable
* Realistic/Relavant
* Time-bound

Specifically, specificity is helpful in your goal-setting

Listen, I’m not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. SMART goals are not only a precious acronym, but there are some keepers in here.

Specifically, specificity. A lot of us make vague goals. We say things like:

“I’m going to be healthier.”
“I’m going to eat better.”
“I’m going to work out/write/spend time with my family more.”
“I’m going to drink/eat garbage/yell at my kids less.”
Or my favorite - “I’m going to finally get my act together.”

What do these even mean? Is healthier one more vegetable? Is working out more getting up to get the remote across the room instead of asking your dog to fetch it for you?

If your goals aren’t specific, how will you even know you’ve achieved them? Get specific. If you have the words “better,” “more,” or “less” in your goal - you’re not being specific. There should be no questions or negotiations about whether or not you’ve hit the goal. If a team of referees came in and looked at your performance, they should all agree.

Timelines keep you on track

In the end, timelines and deadlines are neutral. Don’t hit your goal in the time-frame you established, and it’s no biggie (as long as you don’t get discouraged and you keep going, because you should totally keep going). So why set them?

First off, you will always take as much time as you give yourself. Give yourself a year, you will take a year. Give yourself ten years, and it will take ten. Setting a reasonable time limit forces you to be more efficient and focused. It means you do more in less time. And that’s way more fun than dragging something out foreverrrrrr.

Timelines provide structure. When you set a goal, you need to make a plan. And plans are most successful when they’re on a schedule. My clients schedule their plans. They know when they’re going to work on their book, make that post, or make that phone call they’ve been dreading. No more “later” or “tomorrow.”

This keeps them on track. They make progress. They make decisions with the adult part of their brain. And they do what matters instead of what feels good in the moment.

Deadlines bring up drama - in a good way

You have thoughts and beliefs that hold you back. We all do. And it’s not a problem as long as you can recognize them and then deal with them (Don’t know how to do this? We should talk).

Deadlines are awesome because they bring all your drama up to the surface where you can deal with it. Set a deadline for your goal and then watch your brain have a freak out.

“I can’t do it.”
“What about ____?”
“I’ve never done it before.”

These thoughts were always there. And they’ve been holding you back from achieving your goals (you know - the ones that have no time limit). Set a deadline and you’ll see exactly what you’ve been thinking that’s holding you back.

SPEPT goals are way better than SMART goals, but way less catchy

SPEPT goals aren’t nearly as cute as SMART goals. But they’re way more useful. We get rid of the worthless “M,” “A,” and “R” (which I outlined here), and replace them with these much more helpful steps:

Specific
Planned
Evaluation-friendly
Possible (alternatively Puke-in-your-mouth inducing)
Time-bound

It probably won’t catch on. But that’s okay. You know about them and you can put them to good use. Happy goal-setting!

If you’re ready to finally get things done but you haven’t been able to do it on your own, then we should talk.

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Denver life and career coach Erica Hanlon

Hi! I’m Erica

Wife to Brendan. Mom to twins + one. Dog mom. Slow runner. Coffee drinker. GIF enthusiast.

I’m a licensed mental health therapist and life coach and career coach. I help you accomplish in 6 months that thing you’ve been thinking about doing for years.