How a S.M.A.R.T. Goals Worksheet Can Change Your Life
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Ever heard of a S.M.A.R.T. Goals Worksheet? If not, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. And if so, maybe you’d like to know a little more about them. Read on and we’ll explain how using a S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheet may be one of the best things you do for yourself this year.
No matter who you are, your age, where you live or what you do for a living, you should have a list of goals that you’re actively working toward. Goals help to keep you focused and on track, they can give you motivation for getting through tough times, give you a sense of purpose in your daily activities, and prevent you from wasting time on things that are unproductive or that just really don’t matter.
But when it comes to developing and accomplishing goals, many people run into the same problems. In the beginning, they’re excited to make goals and easily commit to them for the first few weeks, but then when things get a bit tougher and the newness wears off, they feel the goals are too difficult and end up abandoning them. (New Year’s resolutions anyone?)
But if you treat all of your life goals like this, how will you ever accomplish anything?
The truth is that you won’t. If you want to succeed, you have to change your mindset and habits around goals.
So maybe it’s time to start using a S.M.A.R.T. Goals worksheet.
What are S.M.A.R.T. goals?
The purpose of S.M.A.R.T. goals is to make goals plain, specific, achievable and realistic rather than having them seem vague and difficult or unattainable.
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound. Each of these terms have an important role to play when it comes to both creating and executing goals.
“Specific” means ensure that the goals you develop are precisely identified and defined. Clarity on what you want, what you wish to achieve and/or your expectations relative to outcomes is crucial.
“Measurable” means that there is a way to precisely measure or track progress toward satisfying the goal.
“Achievable” means the goals you define are humanly possible and attainable.
“Relevant” ensures that a goal is reasonable and feasible to resource.
“Time bound” ensures that the goal will be time-based (i.e. completed within a defined period of time).
So how do you create S.M.A.R.T. Goals? With a S.M.A.R.T. Goals Worksheet of course!
Download Your FREE Printable S.M.A.R.T. Goals Worksheet
S.M.A.R.T. Goals Worksheet
The benefit of defining your goals through a S.M.A.R.T. goals formula is that you can make ensure that the goals you are developing are clear, precise and attainable. It also helps you to realistically estimate the resources you need and the time it will take for you to accomplish what you desire.
But none of this can happen without a S.M.A.R.T. Goals worksheet.
A S.M.A.R.T. Goals worksheet gives you an organized plan and instructions on how to create well-defined, realistic goals using the effective acronym. It also helps streamline your thought process and keep all of your goal-setting resources organized.
By following the S.M.A.R.T. goals formula and using a S.M.A.R.T. Goals worksheet, you can better understand what your goals are, why and how you will accomplish them.
A S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheet helps you to organize your goals and take small, gradual steps to accomplish them. It’s important to both set and complete milestone goals as you work toward your larger goals because this increases your confidence, improves your long-term vision and empowers short-term motivation.
Without the ability to accomplish goals, there is no hope for self-improvement or professional development.
We have created a simple printable S.M.A.R.T. Goals Worksheet for you to use. You can download it here for free!
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Kimberly Clay is the founder and creative force behind What She Say. She’s a business professional, writer and editor who’s been creating and managing digital content for nearly twenty years. Her work is now focused in the areas of self-improvement and personal development, and she is passionate about helping other individuals, especially women, to find a path for living their best life.