Define your goals

13/12/07 07:34 Filed in: Self-management | Goals
You’re focusing on working smart, not hard. And you want to move forward on this. Good.

What can you do? Define your goals. How? By making your goals SMART:
  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Timebound
For example:
  • Change “Get exercise” to “Starting Monday, jog 20 minutes 3 times a week.”
  • Change “Get organized” to “By Friday at 4:30, properly file all the files that are stacked on my desk.”
  • Change “Take on less” to “Starting tomorrow, say ‘yes’ only to requests that are directly related to the curriculum improvement plan.”
Making your goals SMART takes discipline, but doing so helps you clarify what you want to achieve. Knowing what you want to achieve helps you make better decisions about what to do next. And making better decisions means working smart.

To SMARTen up a goal, answer questions like:
  • Specific: What do you mean by ___? (What do you mean by “exercise”?)
  • Measurable: How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal?
  • Attainable: How doable is this?
  • Relevant: How will this goal help you?
  • Timebound: When will you do this?
Remember, focus on working smart, not hard. Define your goals. Today.