How to Write a SMART Goal

SMART is a well-established tool that you can use to plan and achieve your goals. While there are a number of interpretations of the acronym's meaning, the most common one is that goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. When you use SMART, you can create clear, attainable and meaningful goals, and develop the motivation, action plan, and support needed to achieve them. 1. Specific Your goal should be clear and specific, otherwise you won't be able to focus your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve it.  2. Measurable It's important to have measurable goals, so that you can track your progress and stay motivated. Assessing progress helps you to stay focused, meet your deadlines, and feel the excitement of getting closer to achieving your goal. 3. Achievable Your goal also needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. In other words, it should stretch your abilities but still remain possible. When you set an achievable goal, you may be able to identify previously overlooked opportunities or resources that can bring you closer to it. 4. Relevant This step is about ensuring that your goal matters to you, and that it also aligns with other relevant goals. We all need support and assistance in achieving our goals, but it's essential to retain control over them. So, make sure that your plans drive everyone forward, but that you're still responsible for achieving your own goal. 5. Time-bound Every goal requires a target date, so that you have a deadline to focus on and something to work toward. This part of the SMART goal criteria helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals.  

How do I write a SMART goal plan?

  Start by asking exactly what you need to accomplish. This will make your goal specific. Quantify your goals. Measurable goals are easier to track, so build in milestones. Your goal should be achievable. Is this something you can do with the resources at your disposal? Think why you’re setting this goal. How will it improve your life or career? This is what makes it relevant. Know exactly when you’ll have reached your goal. Have a firm schedule, and stick to it.

SMART goals examples for students

1. Improve academic performance “I will get a 4.0 GPA this semester.” Specific: The goal is to get a 4.0 GPA for the year. Measurable: The student can track their GPA progress on a report card or online portal throughout the year to monitor their own smart goal. Achievable: The student might have achieved a 3.6 GPA last semester, so a 4.0 is definitely achievable if they work hard through the end of the school year. Relevant: Improving their GPA is a relevant goal for the student’s future success and long-term goals if they wish to attend college. Time-bound: This goal is for the year so they have a specific time frame to improve their GPA. 2. Learn another language “I want to learn Spanish, so I’ve committed to spending 20 minutes a day outside of class completing an online program. In 4 months I want to be able to have a conversation in Spanish.” Specific: Learning Spanish is a specific goal, as is the deadline. Measurable: The amount of time spent in an independent study can easily be measured. Achievable: Twenty minutes a day is achievable. Relevant: The goal of learning a language is relevant to diversifying skills. For college students or applicants, it is a demonstrable extracurricular. Time-bound: Online daily lesson time is easily trackable. 3. Improve reading level “To expand my knowledge base, I will read X book(s) per month of extracurricular material. I will do this by reading for two hours on the weekends and 30 minutes daily.” Specific: the target of a specific number of books per month is unambiguous. Measurable: it is simple to demonstrate success if the student is able to reach the goal. Achievable: when setting the goal the student can choose the appropriate number of books per month. Relevant: reading is an excellent academic skill that will improve vocabulary and spelling. This will increase overall personal development and contribute to better grades. Time-bound: at the end of the month it is clear whether the objective has been achieved. 4.  Memorize 100 Flashcards Within 3 Weeks “I will create a deck of 100 flashcards related to my history course and memorize all 100 dates within 3 weeks by spending 20 minutes per day on the task.” Specific: The goal will be to learn the things that are specifically listed on the flashcards. Measurable: I will be able to have a friend test me at the end of the 3 weeks to see my grade out of 100. Attainable: It is reasonable to be able to memorize 100 facts in 3 weeks or about 5 words per day. Relevant: Learning these words will make it easier for me to pass my history class. Time-Based: I will meet this goal within 3 week

Remember that SMART goal setting will improve with practice. Long—term goals will be achieved by ensuring students can break them down into achievable chunks within specific time frames. Ask your students; does your goal make sense? Is it clear and concise? Is the goal measurable? Is this goal challenging but not impossible? Will this goal help you achieve your long—term goals? Have you allowed yourself a realistic amount of time to complete the goal? Good luck using the SMART acronym with your students and maybe think about setting yourself some SMART goals!