When it comes to achieving goals, the SMART framework has become a gold standard. The idea is simple yet powerful: make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Here’s a breakdown of the SMART framework, using the theme of losing weight, followed by an experience of mine that highlights the power of breaking goals into manageable chunks.
The SMART Goal Framework
S – Specific
A specific goal clearly defines what you want to achieve.
- Less Effective: “I want to lose weight.”
- Better: “I want to lose 15 pounds by eating healthier and exercising regularly.”
M – Measurable
A measurable goal allows you to track progress and know when it’s achieved.
- Less Effective: “I want to exercise more.”
- Better: “I will exercise 4 days a week for 30 minutes each session.”
A – Achievable
An achievable goal is realistic, given your resources and constraints.
- Less Effective: “I will lose 30 pounds in two weeks.”
- Better: “I will lose 1 to 2 pounds per week by reducing my calorie intake and exercising.”
R – Relevant
A relevant goal aligns with your overall priorities and values.
- Less Effective: “I want to fit into a specific outfit.”
- Better: “I want to lose weight to improve my health and energy levels.”
T – Time-bound
A time-bound goal has a deadline to keep you focused.
- Less Effective: “I’ll start losing weight soon.”
- Better: “I will lose 15 pounds over the next 12 weeks.”
My Push-Up Journey
In 2020, I had a simple goal: do 10,000 push-ups by the end of the year. I remember doing sets of less than five at a time when I started. This approach taught me two valuable lessons:
- Breaking It Down: Instead of focusing on a big, intimidating target, I focused on small, manageable chunks—one day or one week at a time. Not that I was doing push-ups every day but this worked out to around 27 push-ups a day to hit this 10,000 goal.
- Focusing on Activity Over Outcome: I didn’t obsess over the scale or immediate results. In fact, I didn’t even pay much attention to what I was eating which wasn’t ideal but instead of fighting that will power battle, the focus entirely was on the push-ups. Without realizing it, my body started looking more defined and less frumpy, and I became stronger and capable of more reps over time.
This method was a game-changer. By emphasizing consistent effort over immediate results, I achieved far more than I initially thought possible.
Three Lesser-Known Tips for Goal Setting
While the SMART framework is a fantastic starting point, here are three additional tips I’ve found helpful:
1. Make Tracking Easy and Accessible
Having an app or tool that’s always with you makes it easy to track progress and stay on top of your goals. Whether it’s a quick update during downtime or a reminder to stay on track, accessibility is key. For several years, I have been using the Strides. mobile app It’s not free but this is a case where you get what you pay for. It’s easy to update, I can see how I am pacing, and it offers flexibility not found in other apps like is this a daily/weekly/monthly entry or if every entry should be added to an overall total. Here’s a screen shot of one of my goals this year – simple but powerful.
However you want to track your goals, make sure it’s not adding friction to your whole goals process. One thing I noticed with Strides, is that I can bucket my goals into key categories – emotional, intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual. I often have too many intellectual goals with number of books to read, number of podcasts to listen to, number of videos to watch, and nujmber of PDFs to read. This is too much and not realistic. Have balance and don’t sabatouge yourself.
2. Make Each Day a Fresh Opportunity
Set up your goals so that every day feels like a new chance to succeed. For example, with my push-up goal, I had a yearly target but also knew the daily average I needed to hit. Missing a day didn’t feel like a failure but rather an opportunity to catch up and stay on course. Seting up your goals this way should avoid the typical New Year’s resolutions that crash and burn just a few weeks into the new year. Keep in mind, if you have a goal that you are not making progress on after a month, perhaps it just needs to be broken down into smaller, more doable pieces. Make it easy on yourself to take action.
3. Celebrate Milestones
Recognizing progress along the way keeps you motivated. Whether it’s completing a week of workouts or hitting your first 100 push-ups, celebrating these wins helps maintain momentum. Share your successes with friends and family. They can better support you and they may also catch the vision of hitting goals one day at a time.
Setting and achieving goals is a skill anyone can master with the right tools and mindset. By combining the SMART framework with these practical tips, you’ll be well on your way to accomplishing your objectives—whether it’s weight loss, push-ups, or any. What goals will you tackle next?