Using SMART Goals for Your Personal Goals

In an article I wrote for NomNom Bros to outline a better way to achieve New Year’s Resolutions focused on eating better and being more active, I emphasized the usage of SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You might have heard of this process from a company you worked for - they tend to use things like this for career growth initiatives. You might be eye-rolling right now, but that’s okay because these methods work even though they’re tedious. And since they work… how come we don’t use them in our personal lives? You have goals outside of work don’t you? Wouldn’t it make sense to do what you can to maximize your chances of success in your personal life. When you think about it, it’s more important to be successful in your personal life than it is to be successful at work.

Being SMART About Your Goals

What I’ve seen of other people (and also myself) all too often is that we set big, audacious goals for our personal lives that are usually more of a dream than a goal. You should always dream big, but your goals should be realistic. Using the SMART method can help you reach those dreams, but only if you have the right goals in place to act as stepping stones towards the bigger picture.

What is a SMART goal though?

Let’s break it down

• Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
• Measurable: Ensure you can track your progress.
• Achievable: Goals should be realistic and attainable.
• Relevant: Make sure they align with your life or long-term objectives.
• Time-bound: Set a deadline to keep yourself accountable.

If the goal you set meets all of these criteria, then you’re off to a good start. However, you might still want to re-evaluate your goal to make sure that it is ACTUALLY achievable. Too often are our goals too big and need to be broken down more. Take a simple goal like “I want to make $100,000 by creating an AI powered personal shopping assistant by the end of 2025.” - this goal technically meets all of the criteria, but it’s pretty ambitious. Did you already create the AI shopping assistant? Are you already making some revenue from it? If not, then you can break it down to something that’s more achievable and realistic.

Just like you would at work, you’d take the time to be more granular with your goals and really think about which pieces are needed for you to achieve the bigger picture. If your end goal is to be rich, then you need to think about how you’ll do that. If you want to buy a house, then think about what are the steps you need to take to do that. Break down your bigger goal into smaller ones and you’ll have an easier time tracking progress as well as achieving it.

So for the example from before, start off with a goal like “I want to create a prototype for an AI powered personal shopping assistant that helps users find at least 5 options for a purchase before the start of Summer.” - this goal is much more achievable (assuming you already have the technical know-how to build an AI assistant like this. After you complete this goal, then you can shift your focus to a goal that emphasizes testing it out with other users or making it better based on your own personal usage of the product.

Maximizing You Chances of Success

Having SMART goals doesn’t mean you’ll have guaranteed success. You’ll need have a few more skills to help maximize your chances. Things like being able to track your progress along the way, staying motivated, having good time management, being flexible with how things turn out, and making sure that you don’t get too deep into the weeds (your builders know what I’m talking about).

1. Track Progress:

• Use apps, journals, or whatever method works best for you to keep track of how you’re doing. Celebrate small victories to stay motivated.

2. Flexibility:

• Be prepared to adjust your strategies if something isn’t working. Life changes, and your approach to goals might need to as well.

3. Visualize Success:

• Spend time visualizing achieving your goals. This can help in maintaining focus and motivation.

4. Avoid Overcommitment:

• Don’t set too many resolutions at once. Focus on a few key areas to avoid burnout.

5. Learn from Setbacks:

• If you falter, analyze why it happened and how you can prevent it in the future rather than giving up.

6. Routine and Habit:

• Incorporate your goals into daily routines to make them habits. Consistency is key.

7. Reward Yourself:

• Set up rewards for when you achieve milestones. This can make the journey more enjoyable.

8. Mindset:

• Cultivate a growth mindset where setbacks are seen as learning opportunities rather than failures.