SMART GOALS

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Practice Setting Short and Long Term Goals

S:

Specific: (Who, What, Where, When, Why)

Success is easier to reach when it is defined!

Simple, Sensible, Significant

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M:

Measurable: (How Much?)

You must be able to track your progress precisely.

Meaningful, Motivating

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A:

Achievable: (Is this possible?)

You should have to work for your goal, but it should not be a stretch.

Agreed, Attainable

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R:

Realistic: (Is this what you want?)

If your goal is not important to yourself, then why are you doing it?

Reasonable, Relevant and Resourced, Results-based

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T:

Timely: (When, How Long?)

Deadlines allow us to stay focused on our goals.

Time-based, Time-limited, Time-bound, Time-sensitive

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SMART Goal Example

Short-Term Goals

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A goal is considered to be short-term if it can be achieved in 12 months (a year) or less. Some examples of short term goals are:

  • Taking a class

  • Finishing a book

  • Improving a specific skill

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Here are examples of short-term goals in the SMART Goal form:

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Career Related:

"I would like to be able to achieve a part time job in the next 3 months.  I will accomplish this by locating and applying to three organizations with open positions every week for the next two months." 

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General:

“My goal is to complete my new book by the end of the month by reading at least 3 chapters a week until it’s complete.” (Assuming that the book has 12 chapters.)

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Long-Term Goals

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A goal is considered to be long-term if it can be achieved in the future and takes longer than 12 months (a year) or more.

Some examples of long-term goals are:

  • Completing a College Degree

  • Working towards a promotion at work

  • Paying off your debt or school loans

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Here are examples of long-term goals in the SMART Goal form:

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Career Related:

“My goal is to successfully graduate with my college degree in *insert degree title* in 4 years by attending all my classes, completing my assignments, and maintaining a GPA of 3.0 over that 4 year period.”

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General:

"I will review the Dave Ramsey financial method, enrolling in Financial Peace University or reading one of his books.  I will organize my debt within the next six months and begin to pay down my debt using this process.  I plan to stick to this process faithfully for two years or longer."
 

Download our templates to practice writing your own SMART Goals. Use the Strategic Planner worksheet to set a long-term or short-term SMART goal and create a plan of action to achieve your goals. Use the Progress Tracker worksheet as a visual representation of your pathway to achieving your goal.