When setting your goals they should be SMART
S is for specific
If your goal is financially orientated the goal should not be “I want to earn a lot of money” .That is not specific enough. There should be a specific amount, e.g. $500 per month.
M is for measurable
You must be able to measure your progress towards your goal.
For example,you may be looking to lose weight.
If your goals is “I want to lose a lot of weight.” that is not measurable.
The phrase “a lot of weight” can mean different things to different people.
However,if you state “I want to lose 7 pounds” that is not open to interpretation. You have either lost 7 pounds or you haven’t.
A is for achievable.
If you just starting your own business,you may want to be a millionaire.
That may be admirable but if you state “I want to be a millionaire within 6 months” you may be lucky,but it is not likely.
Your goal may still apply later,but it would be more realistic to state “I will earn an extra $500 per month in 6 months time.
R is for relevant
The goal must be relevant to your business
For example,if you have decided to start a business providing services to SMEs, it would not be relevant to have a goal to develop a product for consumers.
If you are working for a corporation,the goal must be in line with the objectives of the corporation.
T is for time-bound
For example, you might say that you want to lose weight by next year .
Again that’s not specific enough.What you need to do is to pick a date and say that you’ll lose a certain amount of weight by a particular date.
So ,in summary , examples of SMART goals could be :
“From my online marketing activities,I will earn an additional $500 per month by July 31st this year.”
“By November 30th this year I will lose 7 pounds in weight.”
The next step is to take these SMART goals and develop plans to achieve the goals.