FOUNDATIONS OF GOAL SETTING – MAKE THEM S.M.A.R.T.

There’s a framework that can help you set goals in a way that creates a clear path to success. This framework uses the acronym SMART, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.

Let’s discuss how to set your own goals using the SMART goal framework. 

Step 1 – Write down what you want to accomplish

Get a piece of paper and start brainstorming. Write out your goals, your vision for the future, and what you want to accomplish within the next 6 months to a year. No need to be organized, just write everything down whatever comes to mind without judgment.

Step 2 – Define your foundational goal

Which goals are you ready and excited to start working on? Which goals do you need to wait on until you reach another goal first? Pick a foundational goal that other goals can be built on top of. For example, if you want to run a marathon one day, but can’t run a mile yet, start with the foundation of walking, then jogging, then running a mile. Each milestone is a goal – build on them in order!

Step 3 – Turn your goals into SMART goals

Get a new piece of paper! Write your foundational goal (the one you are going to start on first) at the top. Then add these elements below:

Specific – Time to take those intentions and create a clear goal. Planning on hitting the gym more often? Be specific – how often? What days and times are you able to go? A vague plan is hard to follow, and it’s hard to know if you’ve accomplished it. Create a concrete plan to help keep you on track.

Measurable – Find a way to measure your goal. Want to get more steps in with your fitness tracker? Try something like “I want to get at least 6,000 steps per day, at least 5 days per week.” The Brook app has many ways to help you track progress, talk to the Brook Health Coaches to discover the best way to track your specific goal. 

Achievable – While we like to aim high, it’s important to consider your starting point to make sure your goals will fit into your life. Barely have time to sleep and brush your teeth? An hour long gym session every day may not be in the cards. Start small and achievable – as you settle into a new routine and start to achieve results, you can always increase your goal!

Relevant – Make sure you set your goals with intention. What’s your “why?” As in, why are you setting this goal? Is it coming from a place of wanting to benefit your life, or is it coming from a place of negative self-talk and punishment? Ditch the deprivation and punishment, the best goals are the ones that allow you to thrive. If a goal comes from a place of negativity, it’s certainly no surprise that we’re willing to ditch it soon after we set it.

Timely – Building new habits can take a long time, but that doesn’t mean reaching your goals should. Set a time-frame to work within – a little bit of structure can go a long way. If your timeline is too far in the future, it’s easy to keep brushing aside the steps it takes to achieve it. Having a close(r) deadline combats procrastination and turns “some day” into a real time. For larger habit changes, you can create in-between goals and checkpoints to keep the momentum going. The more you continuously progress, the easier a larger, long-term habit will be to build.

Here’s an example to get your creative juices flowing:

Goal: I want to eat more vegetables.

(S)pecific: I can make half my plate low-carb veggies at lunches or dinners.

(M)easurable: I can measure progress by tracking how many times I make half my plate veggies each week in my Brook app Food Journal. If I make half my plate veggies at lunch or dinner 3 times in one week, I’ll know I’ve met my goal.

(A)chievable: Starting with adding veggies to 3 dinners this week seems like something I can do. I’ll create a grocery list today and go to the store this evening in order to start taking action tonight at dinner.

(R)elevant: I’m setting this goal to help improve my health. Eating more vegetables and making my meals look more like the Brook Healthy Plate will help me have more energy, feel less sluggish, and have better digestion. 

(T)imely: I’m going to start having my 3 veggie-boosted meals/week tonight. So the deadline is in 7 days. If I reach my goal 2 weeks in a row I will boost my goal to 4 meals/week! After 1 month I will reassess my goals.

By setting up a SMART goal, you can adjust it as needed based on whether you hit your daily or weekly measurement. If you didn’t, what problems did you run into and how can you overcome them? Did you forget to buy enough vegetables when grocery shopping? Make a list for your next shopping trip and you’ll have those veggies on hand to meet your goal. 

If you met your daily or weekly goal easily, make it a little harder. If you had some difficulty, keep the goal the same until it gets easier. Continue to build on those smaller goals and eventually you can meet that larger goal that was so daunting at the beginning!