Setting your Personal Goals - S.M.A.R.T goals

Setting smart goals is tantamount to achieving your personal objectives in life. Not that the goals are smart or clever-sounding, but they make your direction clearer. So you can use this method in any aspect of your life - job prospects, academic achievements, family growth, ideal physique or skills development.

Let's be S.M.A.R.T about what we want to do here:

1. SPECIFIC
   Make sure your goal is not generalised but personalised. It is your goal, not goals or expectations set by others.
   (My goal is to...)
   
2. MEASURABLE
   Can you put a number or quantity to your goal? This lets you keep track of the direction you're headed, if you're going about the right way or the opposite of it.
   (Loss 5kg or complete 5 major projects or volunteer at 2 charities or clean the house 2 times)
   
   
3. ATTAINABLE
   Ok, this is the part where we relook the number you've set for yourself. Is it a target within your reach that can be easily done within a reasonable time-frame (refer to Timely)? It's ok to set a small goal for now. The main motivation being that if you can achieve it in the end, there's a sense of satisfaction that will spur you for your next goals.
   
   
4. REALISTIC
   Once it is set in stone, it's time to build a habit out of it. Conviction comes about when there is action accompanying your desires. Make your goal bite-sized, like something you can start daily if possible, or if ad hoc, put it down in your calendar for future reference.
   
   Like a long-term goal chopped into weekly evaluations so you can sit down and see if the weekly patterns are consistent towards the direction you're headed.
   
   If house cleaning and chores are never finished on the 1 day a week set aside, then portion out the chores over 3 days or daily. The sweeping can be done 1 day and mopping the next, or section out the house so each part is covered each day.
   
   
5. TIMELY
   Give a reasonable amount of time to achieve your goal. If 1 week was too short to cut 5kg (and it's dangerous too) then give yourself 1 month. If 1 project took 1 term to accomplish, then give yourself 5 terms to complete 5... or prepare for overtime work if you need to finish in 4 terms.

Some examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals for the following aspects of life:

• Weight management: I want to gain/lose 10kg in 6 months through 3 exercises a week and oat/cereal/wholegrain breakfasts.
• Work: I hope to improve camaraderie in office by executing 3 inter-disciplinary projects involving every section / 3 staff bonding days this year.
• Emotional wellbeing: I plan to use Saturday afternoons to finish 1 project in hobby craft/visit 4 friends/hone gardening skills for this month.
• Serving community: I've targeted to participate in all ad hoc community events by my religious organisation this year/serve in 1 area every Sunday for 1 term.

Don't work so hard for your goals; work S.M.A.R.T. so your goals work for you. Keep it simple that you can follow and others can remember easily and ask you about it the next time they see you. It's a way of managing your expectations and going about it in a way that is realistic in how you'll achieve it.

Write in or leave a comment below on your personal goals and if you'll want me to check in on you.