The answer: SMART Goals!
How do SMART Goals work?
A 2014 study showed that 76% of people who wrote down their goals and tracked their weekly progress ended up achieving those goals. Why? Because writing down goals and breaking them down into the SMART structure which makes it crystal clear what we have to do in order to achieve, and when we want to achieve it by. It is also works to have a few small smart goals to reach your main goal.
For something to be a SMART Goal, it needs to be:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time
For many of us, we set goals like “I want to lose weight” or “I’m going to save X amount of money”, but the issue with these goals is that they are too vague and have not written down clear steps on how to achieve them, we often go to extremes to try and make them happen. Which in turn are not always the healthiest or the best decisions.
Creating your SMART Goal
The first step is to write your goal down. It needs to be something measurable, for example, if your goal is to lose weight, you need to write down a number, say 5kg. Then, you have got to gauge whether your goal is achievable. Are you committed to making it happen? Do you have a network of people to support you? And do you have the the mindset / tools to do so?
The next step is deciding whether what you want to achieve is realistic – depend on your timeframe. Losing 5kg is quite often very realistic, but it’s not something you can achieve in one week (healthily anyway). Set yourself a reasonable amount of time to achieve your goal and then set yourself a completion date to hold yourself accountable. It also helps for you to write your journey down or video to log your progress every couple of weeks to make sure you’re staying on track.
What’s next?
So, now we know how important it is to write down our goals, track their progress and set completion dates. But what about those bigger goals we set, like losing 20kg, or saving £20k? To some, these seem like a monstrous tasks, but when broken down into smaller, bite-sized goals, they seem more realistic and achievable and don't seem so daunting. Plus, every time you tick off one of these smaller goals, you know you’re one step closer to your achievement.
A good way to do this is to write down something you’re going to do daily, weekly, and monthly to achieve your ultimate goal. If your goal is weight loss, this could be as simple as scheduling in movement every day, or if your goal is financial, opting to not buy your lunch at work. Doing something little every day is how we build long-term habits and eventually create the lives we want to live!
Define your Why
Even more important than having structure for your goal, is to have a clear reason why it’s so important for you to achieve. Do you want to lose weight (I only keep using weight loss as an example as its easy to measure but your goals can be about anything) so you can be more active with your kids? Or do you want to save so you can quit your job and go travelling? No one has to know your reason except you but being honest with yourself as to what your why is, will give you something to keep you going on the days you feel like giving up.
Create A Reward System
While there is nothing more rewarding than finally achieving something after months and months of hard work, it’s a good incentive to create a little reward system for yourself along the way. Now this does not necessarily have to be a big splurge it might just be a face mask and long bath, sharing your progression with others who are on your journey as well. Or even do some healthy cooking and even buy a nice big red pen to tick off your next goals. If you do decide to go out for a meal or drinks just be, mindful of how far you have come and not to back track on what your goal may be. Take this time to really be proud of yourself, you are doing this for you.
Even better, decide on one big reward you’re going to give yourself once you officially say, “I did it!"
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