The SMART Goals Acronym, Examples, and Alternative

by Rahimah Sultan

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SMART is an acronym for the 5 essential features every significant goal should have. It should be: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

SMART goals are a way of setting intentions that are clear, trackable, and achievable.

These goals have to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

Writing SMART goals is about breaking your objectives into smaller, more manageable sections that are easy to track and achieve.



What are SMART goals?


When you’re considering the meaning of SMART goals, think of them as a tool to change grand resolutions into a tangible roadmap. The SMART goals acronym can help you build a plan for personal and professional success.

As previously stated, SMART goals are an outline for setting clear and attainable objectives by making them Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.


S: Specific

Remember you’re setting your SMART goals to accomplish a particular, limited objective—not a broad one. To be sure you can achieve them, make them specific to what you’re working on.


M: Measurable

To help you evaluate the success or failure of your project and know whether you’ve achieved your goals, there should be some kind of objective way to measure them, such as a deadline, percent change, a number, or some other measurable component.


A: Achievable

Although you want to be sure you’re setting goals that you could possibly hit, you don’t want them to be too easy to achieve. Achievable means your goals shouldn’t be completely outside the realm of possibility.


R: Relevant

A relevant goal aligns with your wide-ranging, broader life objective.

It’s one that you’re willing to work very hard for, because you know it impacts your long-term success.

If it doesn’t ultimately matter, you’re not going to stick to it.


T: Time-bound

A time-bound goal needs a deadline—a time frame that creates a sense of urgency.

If you have plenty of time to get something done, you’ll seldom get anything accomplished.

So, you need time constraints when it comes to significant goals. They’ll help you stay focused on the broader objective and your ultimate goal while ensuring the best prioritization.


Here are some SMART GOALS examples.


1. Time Management

Vague:  I want to better manage my time.

SMART:

To improve my time management, I’ll use a management planner to organize tasks, assign specific time blocks, and finish one thing at a time before starting another.


2. Lose weight:

Vague: I want to lose weight.

SMART:

I’ll lose 15 pounds in the next 15 weeks while following a balanced diet and exercising three times a week, tracking my weekly progress with a scale and a food diary app.


3. Travel

Vague: I want to do more traveling.

SMART:

Within the next 6 months, I’ll plan and book a 7-day cruise to the Bahamas by saving $200 per month and researching reasonably priced hotel choices.


4. Organization:

Vague: I want to be organized.

SMART:

Within the next 3 months, I’ll declutter and organize my home office by devoting 2 hours every weekend to decluttering my desk.



Are SMART goals the only way to go?


There’s another opinion on SMART goals.

Is it really true that goals have to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely?

Instead of the usual SMART goal lists that have been around for the past decade, hear what Emmanuel Acho has to say. It’s something new about setting goals.


For Gen Z, the More / Less List is the perfect goal-setting tool. It’s almost the precise opposite of SMART goals, but it performs where SMART goals fall short.

It was created by artist Julia Rothman as a low-pressure alternative to traditional New Year’s resolutions, where you list things you want to increase (“More”) and things you want to decrease (“Less”) in your life.

It’s a simple, action-based exercise to obtain clarity on your desires and intentions for the year. It frequently uses drawings or simple icons to represent what’s on the list.


It was popularized in short TikTok videos. The premise is easy:

Keep the list extremely simple
List MORE of what you want in your life/job/team/process
List LESS of what you don’t want


Using More / Less lists doesn’t mean you have to stop using SMART goals. You just want a flexible context for setting goals in the ever-changing tech workspace.


In this article, I’ve covered the SMART goals acronym, examples, and an alternative. It is by no means comprehensive, just an overview.

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