For us mere mortals, turning a dream into reality is no simple feat. You might have dozens of goals for the upcoming month, year, or even decade—but it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose motivation, and then your goals fizzle into sad, broken dream shards before you even get started. So how do you break the mold?
The first step: understanding your objective in the first place. SMART goals help you clarify your intentions, create a solid plan of action, and actually start achieving your goals.
What is a SMART goal?
The idea of the SMART goal was first proposed by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. The SMART goals acronym originally stood for “Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time-bound,” but the system has gone through several versions and evolutions since. Today, the most popular version of a SMART goal stands for:
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Specific
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Measurable
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Achievable
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Relevant
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Time-bound
Regardless of the particular words you choose to use, the common thread is that the SMART approach should give you a clear framework for setting goals and expecting outcomes. It’s a way to turn your vague aspirations into logical, realistic projects that you can tackle with confidence.
For example, you might have a hazy desire to become a novelist, launch a successful startup, or get in shape someday. But as they say, when something can be done anytime, it gets done at no time.
On the other hand, what gets measured gets done. Instead of dreaming of becoming a novelist, you’ll have much better luck if you set a specific goal—like completing a creative writing class, joining a writing group, or writing 300 pages of a manuscript—and then give yourself a deadline. These goals should be easy to measure, relevant to your overall values, and something you can realistically achieve.
How to write SMART goals
The best way to create a SMART goal is to apply each word in the acronym to your vague idea as you refine it into a clear, straightforward plan of action.
For example, a startup founder’s overall ambition might be to build the most successful business in the industry, but—while admirable—that doesn’t give them much to work with. Let’s practice by clarifying this idea into a SMART goal.
1. Make it specific
First, choose one specific outcome. There’s nothing wrong with having vague ambitions, but when it comes to getting things done, you need to focus on one concrete step at a time.
Ask yourself what one outcome will take you closer to your larger ambition. What’s the most important thing to achieve next, and how will you get it done? For example, a specific goal for our B2B business owner might be to increase signups.
Specific
Increase signups for Acme’s software.
2. Make it measurable
Next, decide how you’ll measure your goal’s success. Every good goal has clear success criteria, which helps relieve indecision and streamline movement from one task to the next.
In our example, the B2B business owner might choose a metric, like sales outreach, and decide on a benchmark that seems reasonable.
Measurable
Reach out to an average of 50 qualified leads per week.
3. Make it achievable
Each goal should be something you know is actually possible. This provides the confidence and clarity you need to reach the larger goal. When setting tasks, take the time to understand your strengths and limitations (time, skills, and resources) and how they’ll affect each task so you can keep tasks achievable.
Achievable
Our sales team has the experience and bandwidth necessary to reach out to 50 leads weekly.
4. Make it relevant
Next, make sure this goal lines up with your overall values or business strategy.
Personal goals should help you get closer to your ideal self, and they should feel worth the effort. It should also feel like the right time to work toward the goal. For instance, you might want to plant a garden, but it wouldn’t be a good idea to start on that goal in the winter.
If you’re setting a goal for your company or team, it should contribute to your organization’s larger aims. Ask yourself if you’re the right person (or your team is the best fit) to work toward the goal. Is this the right time and is it worth placing your focus on this goal right now?
If the answer is yes, you’re good to keep planning your goal. If not, you might want to table the idea for a later time.
Relevant
Increasing signups is relevant to growing our user base and increasing revenue.
5. Make it time-bound
Finally, set a realistic deadline for achieving the goal. Give yourself enough time—but not too much.
If you have month-long deadlines for a task that will take you three hours, you’re much more likely to procrastinate and delay your overall progress. Don’t sign up for more than you can handle, but make sure there’s enough of a time gap to keep you focused.
Time-bound
Achieve this goal by the end of Q4.
SMART goals template
Once you’ve thought through each word in the acronym, transform your goal into a clear, concise sentence or two. Your SMART goal should define your aim, deadline, and measurable criteria. Here’s a template you can follow, but feel free to put your own spin on it.
SMART goals template
I will [specific achievement or action] by [deadline]. I’ll measure my progress by [measurable criteria].
SMART goals examples
Want to see a planning session in action? Here are a few examples of SMART goals to show you how you might turn a vague idea into a SMART goal—complete with a time frame and clear path to victory.
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Vague idea |
SMART goal |
SMART goal breakdown |
|---|---|---|
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Get a promotion |
I will build the skills and experience necessary to be promoted to Marketing Manager within the next 2 years. I will make progress toward this goal by successfully leading 4-5 ad campaigns and completing a mentorship program within my company. |
Specific: Get promoted to Marketing Manager. Measurable: Successful completion and evaluation of 4-5 ad campaigns, and completion of a mentorship program. Achievable: Given my current role and resources, this is attainable within the specified timeframe. Relevant: This will enhance my career growth and align with my professional aspirations. Time-bound: Achieve this promotion within the next two years. |
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Launch a new product feature |
We will launch an AI feature for our existing software by the end of Q1 2025. We will make progress toward this goal by completing product development, going through multiple rounds of beta testing, and coordinating with marketing and sales to promote the product. |
Specific: Launch an AI feature for our existing software. Measurable: Completion of product development, beta testing, and marketing and sales coordination. Achievable: Given the resources and timeframe, this is attainable. Relevant: This aligns with our company’s growth and innovation goals. Time-bound: Launch by the end of Q1 2025. |
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Run a marathon |
I will run The St. Jude Memphis Marathon on December 7. I will make progress toward this goal by following a structured training plan, incorporating long runs, cross-training, and rest days. |
Specific: Run the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. Measurable: Successfully complete the marathon. Achievable: Given my current fitness level and running experience, this is attainable with proper training. Relevant: This goal aligns with my personal fitness and endurance goals. I currently have time to start a rigorous training plan. Time-bound: Be ready to run the race by December 7. |
Tips for creating SMART goals
Now that you have a clearer idea of what SMART goals are and how to build one, let’s look at a few ways to simplify the SMART goal setting (and achievement) process.
Use a SMART goal generator
Looking for inspiration? I built a SMART goal generator chatbot using Zapier Chatbots to help you get the creative juices flowing. It’ll ask you a couple questions, then spit out a SMART goal for you, including a clear description of your goal and even a few action steps for getting there.
Remember: Chatbots use AI models, including GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.0. Because AI is a new technology that generates dynamic on-demand responses, we always encourage you to fact-check and verify responses are correct/meet your needs.
Get your plan into a project management or to-do list app
Writing down your SMART goal will help you organize your thoughts, but it won’t help you stay on track daily. Your best bet is to transfer your plan to an app where you’ll regularly keep tabs on its progress.
For some goals, you might want a project management tool. For others, a task management or to-do list app is sufficient. Or maybe you just need a habit tracker. It’s tough to know which is best for your unique situation, so here are some criteria to consider when picking a home for your goal plan:
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Does your goal require collaboration or rely on the work of others?
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Does your SMART plan include many and frequent tasks and subtasks?
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Do you need to keep track of completed tasks for later?
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Does complex software with a lot of options distract you?
Generally, project management software is better when collaboration and multiple tasks, subtasks, and assignments are required. Task management and to-do apps provide varying levels of complexity but are focused more on organizing yourself versus organizing a team or company goal. Or if you like to stay organized with spreadsheets, you might use Google Sheets or Airtable to track deadlines and action items. And if you’re building a habit, dedicated habit trackers are purpose-built for it.
Personally, I like to brainstorm first and get organized later—which makes Notion the perfect app for me. If you’re also a Notion obsessive, feel free to adapt my Notion goals template to your needs. Or, if you’re more analog when it comes to goal-tracking, learn how you can build the perfect productivity system with paper notebooks and digital tools.
Regardless of which system you choose, try not to view all your tasks at once. Stay focused on the very next step. Setting a daily or weekly filter on your dashboard or list can help you stay focused.
Automate your goal management
The less time you need to spend managing the administrative side of your goals, the more likely you are to stay on track. I recommend automating as much busywork as possible with Zapier. For instance, you might send action items from your to-do list to your calendar so you’ll have visual reminders of what to work on and when.
Zapier is the leader in workflow automation—integrating with 6,000+ apps from partners like Google, Salesforce, and Microsoft. Use interfaces, data tables, and logic to build secure, automated systems for your business-critical workflows across your organization’s technology stack. Learn more.
You might also want to create regular reminders to check in on your goal progress. You can use Schedule by Zapier to create a task or reminder on a regular schedule.
And when it comes to the “measurable” aspect of the SMART system, it can be helpful to keep track of key metrics like time spent working on your goal. If you use a time-tracking app, you can use Zapier to send that information to a spreadsheet or other log. Then, when you reach key milestones on your goal, make a note of how long it took you to get there. Not only will tracking your time help gamify your progress, but it’ll help you plan better timelines for future goals.
Start making progress the SMART way
When your ambitions are vague and open-ended, they can be overwhelming—which means you’ll likely never get started on them. In most cases, the first step to reaching your goal is to fully understand it in the first place.
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant, with a clear timeline to boot. Using the SMART method lets you design a clear, manageable path to your goal, without being overwhelmed by the big picture. And when we mere mortals use the right tools and strategies to integrate goals into our lives, it’s much easier to turn those dreams into reality after all.
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This article was originally published in January 2017 by Jamie Irish. The most recent update was in June 2024.
