Setting goals is an essential step that instills direction and purpose in our lives, whether it be in our careers, finances, personal growth or health. Goal setting can look different depending on your lifestyle and values. It’s common to have multiple health goals or to get excited envisioning new possibilities. Often having ideas comes naturally but the true challenge is bringing them to life.
Putting plans into action, creating a clear roadmap and maintaining consistency can present challenges, often leading to the familiar expression “Oops, I’ve fallen off the wagon again.” Of course, “falling off the wagon” doesn’t typically involve a sudden loss of interest in your health. Your long-term goal remains unchanged, but the transformation occurs within your day-to-day choices and actions.
When contemplating a health transformation, it’s common to feel overwhelmed, uncertain about where to begin, and experience lack of motivation or structure. If you feel unsure on how to connect or create your vision, check out this blog explaining how to identify your goals.
Goals are useful for setting direction. However, planning the process with SMART goals is a great tool as it offers a well-defined, and effective framework to initiate action, make steady progress and ultimately achieve our objectives.
Follow the steps below to bring clarity and focus to your vision.
Specific | Your goal needs to be well-defined. Focusing on clarity helps you precisely identify what you want to achieve.
- What will be accomplished? - What actions will you take? |
Measurable | Your goal needs to be measurable so that you can track your progress and determine how you’re moving forward.
- Using questions like “how much”, “how many”? - How will it be measured? (Tracking progress helps you identify areas that may need improvement) |
Achievable | Your goal should be challenging but realistic & attainable.
- Is the goal possible? It should stretch your abilities but remain achievable. - Do you have the skills or resources? |
Relevant | Your goals should align with your overall objectives and be relevant to your long-term aspirations.
- How does the goal align with broader goals? - Why is the result important? |
Time based | Establishing a specific timeframe for achieving your goals creates a sense of urgency and helps prevent procrastination. It promotes accountability & allows you to allocate your time effectively.
- What is the timeframe? |
Extra tips you can use when setting SMART goals:
- What is the minimum amount of time you would like to do the action weekly? What is the maximum?
- Keep your goals simple (small is best for building momentum).
- Learn to accept flexibility with your SMART goals, thinking of your goals as “experiments” might help to create more strategies to achieve your objective.
- Using a tracking method is not necessarily about the result, use it to understand your patterns and see if you’re showing up.
By integrating SMART goals into your goal-setting process, you significantly enhance your chances of success. As you resume your commitment toward improving your well-being, remember that health is often cultivated through your lifestyle - a journey made of many small decisions along the way.
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