4.26.2011

Goal Week - Setting Goals

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post by Amy from A is for Ampersand.
Now that you have a journal to keep all your goals in, we can get started with setting them!


Now that we have a place to set them let's talk about how to set them.
For those goals that are important or require more planning, I use a simple guide to write. 

High school was the first time I was exposed to planning & setting goals.
I believe it was part of reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
which is exactly like the effective people version but has a cooler cover!

None the less, I learned this great strategy to write goals

S - specific
M - measurable
A - attainable
R - realistic
T - timely

I am not quite sure where the 
original source for these are from
so if you know, please tell me!

This is how I think about goals when I start to set them.  I really like the S in Smart.
From experience, being specific is the most important part.
You can't just say 'I'm going to eat healthier'
You have to be specific: 'I will eat 3 fruits & 3 veggies a day'

The M in Smart is the next part.  You have to be able to measure or grade your progress.
'Over the next two months I will eat 3 fruits & 3 veggies a day'
Now this you can measure.
If you are visual person, writing this down is not the primary way you will remember to do this

Draw up a cute chart & post it on the fridge
or
Outline it in your journal
or
Make a check box for it on the side of your day planner
or
Track it on the side of your blog

Here is my visual goal setting from my 20 before 24 journal:




A goal has to be within your reach. That's the A in Smart - attainable
It also has to be realistic, the R in Smart.
You have to be able to reach it by means you are capable of & with in the measurable time frame.
Which brings us to T in Smart - timely.
I think this is significant because it makes you breakdown your goals into smaller chunks.
So if you have that overall goal of eating healthier,
you can break it down into smaller goals like:

'Over the next two months I will eat 3 fruits & 3 veggies each day'

'Over the next two months, I will pack my lunch 2x a week'

Over the next two months, I will walk the dog 15 minutes longer 2x a week'

Now it's not so scary!

I know that loads of people are familiar with this goal setting strategy
but I like to use it visually to see the progress
instead of just putting it down on paper, you've got to draw it out!

On Thursday, we'll talk about organizing goals & staying on track

What strategies do you use to set goals? 
How do you keep track of yours?
PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

3 comments:

  1. I love the way you have drawn out your goals. They look like so much more fun! This is really inspiring because I usually think of my targets as super serious and just right a boring list which isn't how my mind likes to work and so it usually gets tucked away! I will give your way a go!

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  2. Love this. Smaller goals are just so much better because you will always feel fulfilled and motivated to keep working toward the next goal. Great ideas!

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  3. So glad I found your blog (FTOB). I love all things related to goal setting and lists.

    hanizeyecandy

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Hi there, thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I love &value each & every one! If you have a question, I will respond as soon as I can. Don't be afraid to shoot me an email! If you have a blog, I will pop on by :)