Not so SMART goals?

I was listening to an episode of The Imperfects Podcast recently about goal setting, and it struck me that the hosts all had a fairly negative relationship with goal setting.

They said they rarely set goals for themselves, and it was even more unlikely they completed them. They went on to discuss the importance of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound).

SMART goals are a good start, but unfortunately, they leave out some of the most important factors for achieving the goal. So I am going to tell you 4 ways to set better goals that give you the best chance of success.

1. Align your personal values with your goal

This is probably the hardest thing to do when setting a goal, but it is the most important. To identify your values, consider what is most important to you, what makes you happy, what type of person you want to be, and what qualities you want to display. A common goal clients of mine have is to lose weight. They don’t actually value being a lighter body weight. They value feeling confident, feeling capable to do more, and feeling healthy. A better target for these values would be to exercise 3 x week, focusing on actions that help them feel more confident.

2. Identify barriers, and create strategies ahead of time to overcome them.

Life tends to do an eerily good job at getting in the way of you completing your goal. But if you can identify what might stop you from achieving your goal and create a contingency plan, you’re not going to be left floundering when things go wrong. You can do this by writing “if” statements.

E.g. If it is raining when I want to go for a run, I will do my session on a treadmill at the gym.

If I have to stay late at work, I will do the first 4 exercises of my gym program instead of all 8.

3. Create a sense of accountability

Accountability is one of the most powerful motivators, and skyrockets your chance of achieving your goal. Tell a friend or family member what you’re trying to achieve. Post on social media what your goal is, and ask your friends to message you to check if you completed it. Knowing that you're accountable to someone has an incredible influence in making sure it gets done.

4. Develop an action plan, or ask someone to make you one.

It’s all well and good to set a target, but it’s not much use if you don’t know how to get there. You wouldn’t start driving to a place you’ve never been before without getting some directions first. Getting the assistance of a coach to help you create a plan will supercharge your chance of success. Having a coach in your corner also goes a long way to ticking off the points mentioned above. If this isn’t available to you, you can establish a list of actions you need to complete each week to ensure you’re on track with your goal.

Harnessing these 4 points will give you an astronomically better chance for success. They may take some more time than simply writing out answers to a SMART goal, but if you're serious about achieving what you're setting out to do, then it's the best way to set yourself up for a win.