What Are SMART Goals?

Setting attainable goals helps you understand what’s important to you, both in your personal life and business strategy and career goals. SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—help you think through your goal to make sure it’s something you can achieve with your given resources, help you develop an action plan, and help you measure progress along the way. 

What are SMART goals?

A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This acronym is a tool for setting realistic goals that can be achieved instead of setting yourself up for failure with unworkable goals. 

A large, vague goal—like becoming an astronaut, inventing something unique, or fighting climate change—is admirable. But it’s hard to achieve without breaking that goal down into manageable milestones to track progress and have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish next. SMART goals help you do just that. 

Each letter in the acronym represents a quality that each goal you set should have. 

Specific

It’s important to be specific with your goals so that you understand exactly what it is you want to achieve. Specific goals help you plan the tasks you need to accomplish and give you a clear picture of where you’ll be once you’ve reached your goal. Ask yourself why you want to accomplish the goal, what you will be doing, what will be required, and who will be involved in helping you achieve the goal.

Using the climate change example above, a more specific goal might be to reduce the amount of single-use plastic sold in the United States every day and the use of plastic sandwich bags in school lunches daily. 

Measurable

A measurable goal gives you the ability to see whether or not you are making progress toward your goal and if you have reached it. To measure a goal, you must determine what metrics you will measure and how. You might use time, such as hours, days, weeks, or months, or weight, a percentage, or any other metric that applies.

To improve on our example, reducing the amount of plastic sandwich bags by 75 percent in school lunches daily is a goal you can measure. First, you must determine how many plastic sandwich bags go into school lunches every day. Then, you would monitor that metric for progress toward your goal. 

Achievable

Setting an achievable goal means considering what you can actually accomplish, given your tools, resources, time, and other constraints. Once you define your goal, you have to determine if your goal is realistic enough to achieve. This can prevent discouragement and set you up for longer-term success. You are more likely to achieve a smaller, attainable goal, and this smaller success can encourage you to set the next higher goal.

Our specific and measurable goal of reducing plastic sandwich bags from school lunches by 75 percent may or may not be achievable based on the resources at your disposal. To make this goal a SMART goal, we’ll have to scale down to a project size we can manage. Maybe it’s more achievable to reduce the single-use plastic bags in a given school district, school building, or even classroom. 

Relevant

A relevant goal relates directly to your broader strategy or life purpose. In the process of drilling down to a measurable, specific goal you believe you can achieve, relevancy steers you back to make sure you’re still making progress toward the bigger picture. 

Would it help fight climate change to reduce single-use plastic bags from school lunches by 75 percent in a local classroom? Yes, it does work toward that end. 

Time-bound

A time-bound goal gives you a deadline for achieving the task and a framework to set milestones. A schedule is also another way of measuring success. 

By adding a time goal to our example, we can round out our SMART goal: to reduce single-use plastic bags from school lunches by 75 percent in a specific local classroom by the end of this academic year. 

What are SMART goals used for?

You can use SMART goals whenever you need to set a goal or any time you want to identify what’s most important to you and move toward your vision of success. This may include setting goals for academics, finding a job, career success, or personal development. You can use SMART goals any time you want clarity on the best next steps to reach your goal. 

Who uses SMART goals?

Everyone can use SMART goals, whether you’re setting goals for keeping your home clean and tidy, finding your dream career, completing your education, getting certified, or performing better. You may wish to set goals to correct a bad habit, develop a good habit, or take steps toward achieving something big. 

Examples of SMART goals

At first, it may take you more time to compose your SMART goals. However, as you get more comfortable with this method, you might find yourself starting to use it more frequently in your personal and professional life. Many people find it helpful to have a clear and actionable format for their goals, and research shows you are more likely to accomplish these goals when you write them down.   When you set a SMART goal, it might look something like the following. 

Goal: I want to increase my job skills to get a promotion. 

• Specific: I want to increase my job skills and get promoted to assistant manager of my department. 

• Measurable: I want to complete a management training program to increase my job skills. With management training, I’ll have the qualifications required for a promotion to assistant manager of my department. 

• Achievable: I will complete an online management training program to increase my job skills and still be able to work around my current schedule. A training program I can complete at my own pace will give me flexibility and help me reach my goals. 

• Relevant: Ultimately, I would like to be the manager of my department. The assistant manager role will help me gain the experience I need to qualify for a manager. Therefore, my goal of getting a promotion to assistant manager helps me work towards my greater goals. 

• Time-bound: After reviewing online programs, I aim to complete an online management training course in the next six months. I’m ready to earn a promotion to assistant manager the next time an opening is available. 

Why set SMART goals?

Setting SMART goals makes your goals easier to achieve. Specific, relevant, time-bound goals help you build action plans and structure exactly how you will achieve your goals. Measurable goals help you determine when you’ve been successful and give you metrics to determine progress. Achievable goals help you determine appropriate milestones for the tools and resources you have available. Together, these attributes help you set goals that you can accomplish to improve your personal and professional life. 

Tips for creating SMART goals

• Choose motivational goals: The more motivated a goal makes you feel, the more you want to work towards achieving it. Think about why you want to accomplish your goals and how your life will differ after you finish. 

• Be positive: Lift yourself up by focusing on what you can do and not how you’ve failed in the past. For example, set a goal to drink four large glasses of water every afternoon instead of setting a goal to stop drinking so much coffee in the afternoon. 

• Use SMART goals to write an action plan: An action plan is a great tool to help you track progress and stay on task while accomplishing your goal. 

Strategies for achieving SMART goals

After you create your SMART goals, it will be time to follow through and achieve them. Here are some tips to help you successfully achieve your SMART goals: 

• Visualize: Imagine what your life will look and feel like after you’ve completed your goal. This will help you feel motivated to make that vision a reality.

• Write it down: Committing your goal to a piece of paper makes it feel more real. It also allows you to track your progress for a visual cue of how far you’ve come.

• Talk about it: Tell a trusted person about your goal. They will help keep you accountable and also provide support along the way. 

• Think about your values: Set goals that reflect your own values and are important to you. It’s easier to achieve a goal when you feel passionate about it. 

Getting started with Coursera

Setting SMART goals is a great way to orient your path toward success. By clearly defining actionable, measurable targets with a clear timeline, you can effectively track the steps you take toward your goals and stay motivated throughout your progress. If you’re ready to increase your goal-setting skills using SMART goals, consider completing the University of California's Career Success Specialization. You could also earn a certificate from courses like OKR Certification: Leadership and Goal Setting offered by Measure What Matters, which can help you develop your business strategy, planning, leadership, and management skills.