The year is over, and we are ready to start a new chapter. It is so common that when a year is ending everyone starts to give themselves new ideas and new goals they want to achieve in the new year, but do you have SMART goals?

I am one of those people, since I was a teenager, I always set myself with new goals for the new year, and most of the time I did not achieve them. I am not someone who is good at consistency and keeping myself accountable is hard, especially since my goals were always with me, if I did not share them, I did not fail.

After some years working in corporate, I notice that having goals is important and necessary, it is what gets you to improve yourself and try to be better. I was lucky enough that I was coached by amazing managers that teach me how to set proper goals and how to get to them.

I know that it can be difficult, especially if you have ambitious goals but I want to share what I have learned and how you can apply these methods to set achievable goals with a proper structure and to help you get to accomplish everything you want this next year, no matter if it is in your personal or professional life.

Why it is important to set goals?

You probably have been taught that setting goals are part of life, no matter how crazy they are. However, some people mistake goals for wishes and how to approach each one to do the work and achieve what you have set for yourself.

When you set a goal to help you achieve something, get you to a milestone for yourself, your business, your career, or your relationships. When you set a goal is something that will require work, and effort and will make you get out of your comfort zone to achieve that thing you wish for.

Goals get you going, it helps you push yourself and think outside of the box. It helps you try to improve something in your life or come up with a solution for something that other people will benefit from.

Your goals have the power to help you stay focused and motivated. It gives you something to look forward to, something to work and strive for.

Also, with goals, you measure your success, what you have accomplished and what your progress has been and what is missing to get what you want. You have your priorities straight and know what you need to do to get there.

What are SMART Goals and Why Do They Work?

If you have been looking at how to set better goals, you probably hear of SMART goals and wonder what SMART goals are anyway and how is that going to help you. In short, SMART goals are a way to structure your ideas and objectives to be successful. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

When setting any type of goal, it is important to make sure that it is specific. This means that it should be clear and well-defined so that you know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish.

It should also be measurable, meaning that you should be able to measure your progress in relation to the goal. This could be a numerical value or a metric that can be tracked. This should adapt depending on the goal.

The goal should also be achievable, meaning that it should be realistic and attainable. I know sometimes we like to think big and that is ok but if you are not able to be realistic about what you want to achieve it is better to reduce to goal to something smaller and more manageable to be able to be successful.

It should also be relevant, which means that it should be connected to your larger goals and objectives. This will be explained later but your goals should have a common objective, what is the main thing you want to accomplish this year? That should be the anchor of everything you will put the effort into.

Lastly, it should be time-bound, meaning that it should have a deadline or timeframe associated with it. This is important especially if your goals are set for the new year. Do you want to take all year to achieve this, or do you want to finish it earlier? Is this something that will take more than a year? This will completely depend on your time and effort. By following the SMART criteria, you can set yourself up for success in whatever goal you are trying to achieve.

SMART Goal Setting Methods

Now we know the basics so you may be wondering how to set your SMART goals. This will take some time and it is best to do it alone and in a calm setting. This will define what you will work this new year and you should be able to be as transparent with yourself as possible.

SMART goal setting is an effective way to set and achieve your goals, this does not mean this is the only method out there, but it is effective to have a clearer view of what you need to do to achieve your goals.

To make sure you are setting SMART goals, ask yourself questions such as:

• Is this goal specific?
• Can I measure my progress?
• Is this goal achievable?
• Is this goal relevant to my overall objectives?
• Is this goal timely?

By asking yourself these questions, you can ensure that you are setting goals that are realistic and achievable. Additionally, breaking down your goals into smaller, more manageable chunks can help you stay on track and achieve everything you planned.

Steps to Creating Effective Goal-Setting Tips

This is my overall process of creating new goals for a new year. This is how to get a clear view and understand better what can be achieved and what will need more work.

Remember, this can apply to all aspects of your life, business, personal life, self-care, etc. You decide what you want to do with your goals and how to make them work for your overall success.

1. Write down what is my objective this year: See what you want to accomplish, and what you want to change as a person. Do you want to change careers? Whatever it is, this will help you have the bigger picture of what you are working on.
2. Write down all my goals: See all the things I want to do, and all the things I want to accomplish, and do not hesitate to be as specific as possible, make you write everything down.
3. See what work I need to do to achieve those goals: What things are necessary and will require a change from you during the whole year to get there? Do I need to buy something? Change my schedule? Get a planner?
4. Narrow things by quarter, month, or week: See where you need to put your efforts in specific chunks of time to achieve your goals. Be honest and transparent about things that will require change. This is excellent to take out the goals that are just not realistic at all.
5. Make your goals SMART: This is the moment to be specific, make the goals measurable, aligned, achievable, realistic, and timely. This is the point where certain goals will need to be cut short or simply modify to actually be successful.
6. Review your goals: Do not just let them stay day all year and never look back, track and check what are doing to get to the finish line of each of your goals. It is recommended to schedule some time during your day or week to see your progress and what needs to be adjusted.

How to achieve your SMART goals

So now that you have your goals then what? Well, it depends on you. You know what you are capable of and the work and effort you need to achieve your goals.

Be kind and take the time and do the work for your goals. Check multiple times during the year to see what you are doing and whether you need to remove those goals or modify them.

Do not wait for others to check on your, this is the path you want to follow to be the best version of yourself and you can be successful, everything takes time, but you can for sure make it.

This is a small guide on how to set SMART goals and be successful. This is just the surface, and you have the tools to get there. Use a notebook, journal, or template to set and track your goals.