Did your New Year’s resolutions fizzle out like New Year's Eve fireworks? Do you find
yourself frustrated that there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish
everything on your to-do list? Are you crunched for time when an important
deadline is looming?
To stay on track, maybe some reflection is in order. What
exactly is your plan?
Perhaps you should try setting S.M.A.R.T. goals.
S.M.A.R.T.
goals criteria:
·
Specific—This
can be a broad statement of your ultimate goal. What is it you are hoping to
achieve? For example, “Start a career in Business Management.”
·
Measureable—Your
goal should have quantifiable steps that indicate progress, such as “Complete
my Associate’s degree by 2016.”
·
Attainable—This
criterion answers the question “How?” Is this goal realistic and achievable
given your resources?
·
Relevant—Make
sure your goal is worthwhile and rewarding.
·
Time-bound—Set
target dates for every step in achieving your goal.
S.M.A.R.T. goals help you to stay focused on your efforts
and help you plan your activities to aim for outcomes, not individual tasks.
Making them measurable helps you stay on track and meet your target dates and
benchmarks. You should evaluate your progress periodically and adjust as
necessary.
For more information on S.M.A.R.T goals and other goal-setting
strategies, check out The Freelance Cat or Cengage Learning's Engaging Minds blog, geared to college students.
Good luck with setting and achieving your goals!
Image from The Freelance Cat used under a Creative Commons license.
Image from The Freelance Cat used under a Creative Commons license.