It is unlikely that life without goals can be considered full. Each person should have something for which he wants to wake up every morning and act. But not all goals are easy to achieve. And as a rule, the most difficult attitudes of life bring considerable profit, income, self-satisfaction, etc. (depending on what character they carry). In order to achieve something, you need motivation and competent formulation of the installation. And all this leads to a desire to consider examples of goals for SMART.
Definition
So, SMART is an abbreviation that is widely applicable in the field of project management and management for setting goals. This is the peculiar methodology for setting goals. Each letter defines a word that is characteristic of it.
- S is Specific, which translates to “specific”.
- M - Measurable, that is, “measurable”.
- And - this is Attainable, which translates as "achievable."
- R and T - Relevant and Time-bound (“current” and “time limited”).
That is, if you literally translate the abbreviation into Russian, you get far from SMART, and KIDAO. But such a designation, of course, no one uses.
It is worth noting that even though initially SMART concerned management and the business sphere, now it is widely applicable in everyday life. After all, goal-setting is the basis of a full, productive and not in vain existing human life. And often all his personal experiences, problems and discontent are connected with the fact that he cannot achieve what he wants. Or, in simple words, to achieve your goal, because you don’t know where to start and how to act. Well, it is worth considering examples of goals for SMART and the principle of the methodology itself.
Concretization
So, this is the first point, the main one in the SMART technique. The goal should be as specific as possible. Let's say a person dreams of his own housing. It’s not enough to think: “I want my own personal corner.” It is necessary to decide - will it be a house or an apartment? How many square meters and rooms? What specific time period is the purchase planned for? How much money will it take? It is necessary to literally put everything on the shelves, and even find an approximate option. And fix it on paper. For example, like this: “1-bedroom apartment, 20 square meters. m, worth 1,200,000 rubles, the estimated purchase date is 03/10/2018. ”
The difference is obvious. In the second case, a person will more specifically imagine what he is striving for. And it will be easier for him to use his subconscious and direct him along with his resources to achieve the goal.
Measurability
The second important criterion that the SMART technique recommends to follow. The goal should be not only concrete, but also planned.
Let's say a girl wants to become more attractive. This is a very vague representation of the goal. Need measurability by criteria! For example, this: “I want to become more attractive. The first is to enroll in a gym and lose 5 kilograms in 2 months of training. The second is to do face cleansing. Third, update your wardrobe with two sets of clothes. Fourth - go to a manicure. Fifth, make a haircut and dye your hair. ”
Thus, the goal of becoming more attractive has become more measurable and, accordingly, easily achievable, because indicators have been identified with which you can focus on the final result. Depending on the areas of life, they differ, but in general the meaning is the same.
Reachability
Enumerating the criteria for the goal of SMART, it is necessary to touch upon this aspect with special attention. With reachability, many have problems. Ambition is good, but people forget that you need to be realistic. If a woman with three children, who never went in for sports, at the age of 35 decided to surpass Julia Güntel, then, to put it mildly, she is a big optimist.
More problems often lie in time. If a girl wants to lose 20 kilograms in a month, then she also has problems with realism. This year is closer to reality. Another mistake is setting too many goals for a short time period. To want to learn English in three months, to build muscles, and to obtain category C rights, as well as build a business, is good, but unrealistic.
It is better to set one goal, but a little overpriced. Suppose a person knows that in the next three months he will be able to earn 150,000 rubles, but he wants more, namely 200,000 rubles. Well, then it is worth subconsciously striving for the mark of 220,000 rubles. And then the desired 200,000 will be achieved - this person will be surprised to note upon completion of his SMART goal.
Relevance
This criterion also cannot be ignored, giving examples of goals for SMART. But first, a few words about what constitutes relevance in a given context. In fact, it is a synonym for such a word as “adequacy” and “conformity”. Suppose a woman has set herself the goal of becoming a heroine mother. But at the same time, she is eager to build a large business. Irrelevance is obvious - you have to choose one thing, because both activities take literally 28 hours a day (and this is not a typo).
Or, for example, if a person decided to get up every morning at 6:00 and run, but at the same time he wants to attend parties twice a week and have fun there until the morning - then he will have to decide too. After all, one will interfere with the other, and vice versa.
Time definiteness
This is another nuance, compliance with which implies setting a goal for SMART. Let's say a person dreams of an expensive car. Firstly, following all the above criteria, he prescribes everything “on the shelves” (brand, model, year of manufacture, equipment, etc.). Secondly, it determines for itself the time frame for which it must save up for the car. Moreover, he must indicate the approximate date (as in the case of the apartment, which was mentioned at the beginning) and the amount that he is obliged to set aside monthly for the desired acquisition.
The same goes for other areas. Examples of SMART goals can be found everywhere. Suppose a person wants to write a book. “Someday I'll start!” - so he thinks. It is not right. You need to identify for yourself the start date of work on the written work and establish a framework in which, in theory, it is necessary to keep within.
And in general, it is better to count on each, even the smallest goal, on time. So do many successful people. Moreover, there is even a certain technique, which implies setting short-term goals (for 1-3 months), medium-term (90 days - 12 months) and long-term (for a year or more). A logical and convenient method. For example, you can make money on an expensive Apple phone in 3 months - this is a short-term goal. Up to a conversational free level, “pulling up” German language skills is a long-term one, it will take a year.
Full compliance
Well, as an example, it is worth citing goals according to the SMART principle, which meet all of the above criteria.
Everyone likes to relax. And if you want to spend your vacation unforgettably, you need to set yourself the following goal: “After a year, 12/25/2018, fly to Naifaru Island, stay in a guest house on your own beach for 10 days. Set aside 150,000 rubles on vacation for the next 12 months. ” Everything is here - specifics, measurability, reachability with relevance and time frame.
Here is another simpler example: "Learn perfectly in 3 months the rules for using irregular verbs in German, practicing for 1.5 hours daily, except Saturday and Sunday."
Or one more thing: “In February and March, write a final qualifying paper, daily typing three pages of a competent (not draft) text, with the exception of weekends (Saturday and Sunday).”
Hierarchy principle
It is worth mentioning such a concept as the target tree according to SMART. An example will also be given.
In essence, this is a structured list of all the installations that need to be achieved. But there is one feature in it. Namely, the low-level goals in the "tree" serve to achieve more serious ones. This principle works simply.
Let’s say the main goal leading the “tree” is 150,000 rubles accumulated during the year. The basis, the "root" will be the savings. Buying more budget products, denying yourself the daily coffee bought on the way to work in the morning, you will be able to save more money in your wallet. The next “supporting" goal is to improve your productivity. More work done - higher salary. Etc. The principle is clear: the tree must be composed of several small goals, the implementation of each of which will help to approach the main one.
In the end
And finally, a few words about such a nuance as the formulation of a goal for SMART. There is a sample above (not even one), and looking at it, you can understand that the most important thing is concretization and brevity. No need to paint all the infinite number of pages (unless, of course, you want to draw up a business plan). The goal must be formulated briefly and succinctly - this is the main principle.