Do you want to see SMART goal examples explained step-by-step using the SMART framework? Look no further…
A SMART goal is a simple, well-known life hack for completing your tasks. But the real beauty lies in its ability to make even the biggest goals attainable so that you can make your dreams a reality.
And doesn’t that sound like something worth doing?
In this post, you’ll learn:
- What makes a SMART goal… smart;
- Why you should use SMART goals;
- SMART goal setting for success.
And with our oh-so-sweet SMART goals examples, you’ll be setting your own in no time.
But first, a quick definition…
What is a SMART Goal?
A goal is something desired, yet often challenging to attain. And just adding (and adhering to) the SMART acronym makes it much more achievable.
Why?
Let’s break down the SMART goals template acronym to find out:
- Specific: An effective goal should be ultra-specific and leave no room for misinterpretation or vagueness.
- Measurable: Your goal should be quantifiable and the progress easy to track, so you know when you hit a benchmark or the finish line.
- Achievable: Where the rubber meets the road. Is your personal goal attainable? You must be realistic and determine if your specific goal is truly achievable, or an unrealistic ask.
- Relevant: Big picture time. Does the goal you’re setting contribute to your bigger overarching goals? Ensure you’re setting goals that contribute to what you want in life.
- Time-bound: SMART objective goals should have defined start and end times, and, if large enough, should also have incremental dates to meet specific objectives.
Why Use SMART Goals?
Goals are the ultimate form of motivation. They inspire us to work toward our life’s purpose and help keep us focused on a key result, or what we really want out of life.
And yet, so many goals go unfulfilled. They can ultimately be a source of confusion and frustration, which often eventually disappear altogether.
The truth is, a goal without supreme clarity is really nothing more than an unattainable dream.
But set right (i.e., SMART), attainable goals are powerful and can fuel extraordinary accomplishments.
Put another way:
Setting a SMART goal vs. just a goal can be the difference between your success or failure.
Whaddya say we dig into some real-life measurable goals?
13 Inspiring Examples of SMART Goals for 2024
With these SMART goals examples at your fingertips, it should be easier than ever to create your very own SMART criteria and get to work crushing your ambitious astute aspirations (how about that for alliteration?)
1. Studying
Simple Goal:
I need to study more.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I’m going to study daily so I can ace chemistry.
- Measurable: I have monthly quizzes to evaluate.
- Achievable: I’m good in school and can get great grades when I focus.
- Relevant: I want to graduate at the top of my class and have the opportunity for a great career in my field.
- Time-bound: I want to be at the top of my class when I graduate in a year.
Complete SMART Goal:
I will study daily to continually improve my grades, proven by my quizzes, in chemistry to graduate at the top of my class in one year.
2. Writing
Simple Goal:
I want to publish more blog posts on my website.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I’ll publish four 1,500 word blog posts on my blog each month.
- Measurable: I’ll have fifty-two blog posts on my blog by the end of the year.
- Achievable: I’ve already started a blog and will shift my focus to writing 1,500 words on my blog each week.
- Relevant: I’ve always wanted to increase traffic to my blog. This will allow me to build my brand and eventually make money blogging.
- Time-bound: I’ll start writing next week and will have fifty-two blog posts one year from today.
Complete SMART Goal:
Starting next week, I will post a 1,500-word article on my blog each week for a year, culminating in fifty-two blog posts and increased traffic to my site.
3. Reading More Books
Simple Goal:
I want to watch less tv and read more.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I want to read at least one book per month instead of watching TV.
- Measurable: I’ve joined a book club where we set weekly reading goals.
- Achievable: I enjoy reading and learning but have just gotten away from it lately.
- Relevant: By reading, I’ll learn more about my industry.
- Time-bound: I’ll start next week and do this for six months, then evaluate how it’s going and plan my next steps.
Complete SMART Goal:
I’ll spend more time reading and less time watching TV by going to a book club every week and completing one book per month for the next six months.
4. Mastering Emotions
Simple Goal:
I want to be more in control of my emotions.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I’m going to meditate to be more in control of my stress.
- Measurable: I’ll follow the Headspace app to track my meditation.
- Achievable: I only have to set aside ten minutes to meditate; I can easily find the time.
- Relevant: Being able to control my stress will make me happier and more productive.
- Time-bound: I’ll start next week and will meditate every day for six months, at which time I will assess how far I’ve come.
Complete SMART Goal:
I’ll meditate at least ten minutes per day, every day, for the next six months. I’ll track my meditation time with Headspace and will assess my results in six months.
5. Exercising More
Simple Goal:
I want to get fit again.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I’m going to work out every day to decrease my body fat percentage and finally be able to run a marathon.
- Measurable: I hired a personal trainer who will set goals and hold me accountable until I am below 10% body fat and can run a full marathon.
- Achievable: I’ve been in shape before, and I can do this with an experienced personal trainer helping me.
- Relevant: Lately, my unhealthy lifestyle has caught up to me in the form of fatigue, injuries, and health issues.
- Time-bound: I’ve signed up for the Boston Marathon eight months from today.
Complete SMART Goal:
Next week, I’ll begin working out every day with a personal trainer and we will continually track my fitness goals. I’ll be under 10% body fat and ready to run the Boston Marathon within eight months.
6. Improving Your Diet
Simple Goal:
I want to eat better.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I’m going to stop eating deep-fried food and eliminate bad carbs from my diet in order to drop thirty pounds.
- Measurable: I’ll plan my diet every week, and weigh myself weekly to ensure I’m dropping weight.
- Achievable: I have a meal plan and can follow it. I’ve let myself go but have been at my goal weight before.
- Relevant: My weight and health are affecting my lifestyle, and I want to get back to being more active.
- Time-bound: I’ll weigh myself every week to ensure that I’m trending in the right direction, with an end goal to be at my ideal weight one year from today.
Complete SMART Goal:
I’ll start my diet plan next week, weighing myself consistently in order to reach my goal of dropping thirty pounds one year from today.
7. Becoming More Productive
Simple Goal:
I want to stop procrastinating and be more productive.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I need to be more productive every day, so I have at least five hours to work on my side hustle every week.
- Measurable: I’ll track the hours worked on my side hustle every week.
- Achievable: I have extra time every day, but spend that time on social media or watching TV.
- Relevant: I’ve always wanted to start a side hustle that can eventually become my primary income source.
- Time-bound: I want to have a profitable side hustle by the end of this year.
Complete SMART Goal:
I’ll track my time to ensure I work five hours every week on my side hustle. If I do this every week, it will help it be profitable within one year from today. Then, I will assess my goals and create a new clear SMART goal to make it my primary source of income.
8. Time Management
Simple Goal:
I want to get a promotion.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I’ll better manage my time to get a promotion at work.
- Measurable: My manager will track myself for advancement in our weekly one-on-one’s, while I use a productivity app and daily task list to ensure I’m bettering myself every day.
- Achievable: I can do a better job focusing on project management by removing everyday distractions using the Pomodoro technique.
- Relevant: If I can focus, I can accomplish more every day, which will help with my career advancement.
- Time-bound: I’ve worked with my manager and shared my goal of getting a promotion within the next year.
Complete SMART Goal:
Next week, I’ll start focusing more on my work with the Pomodoro technique, a productivity app, and a task list. I’ll check in with my career advocate throughout the year to ensure I’m on track for a promotion.
9. Social Media Addiction
Simple Goal:
I want to stop wasting so much time on social media.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I’ll cut out social media and spend that time being more social.
- Measurable: I can track my hours on social media apps and track that I attend at least three social functions each week.
- Achievable: I’ll shut off the notifications, use a tracking app, and have signed up for a volleyball league and a gym membership.
- Relevant: I spend too much time on social media, which hurts my chance for career advancement, having a social life, and affects my health.
- Time-bound: I’ll start next week and be entirely off social media in three months.
Complete SMART Goal:
Next week I’ll start attending social functions instead of spending that time on social media. I’ll shut off notifications and only go on social media if I have to, tracking my progress in an app. In three months, I’ll be entirely off of social media.
10. Finance and Savings
Simple Goal:
I want to save money for a house.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I want to save $40,000 for a down payment on a house.
- Measurable: I’ll track my expenses to ensure 15% goes into my savings each month, and I have a money-saving app to track my action plan.
- Achievable: I spend a lot on expenses that I can do without.
- Relevant: I want to buy a house to prepare for the next step in my life.
- Time-bound: I’ll have enough in my savings for the house I want in eighteen months.
Complete SMART Goal:
I’ll start saving 15% of every check and tracking my finances immediately to have $40,000 for a down payment for the house I want in eighteen months.
11. Improving Spirituality
Simple Goal:
I want to be more spiritual.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I want to better myself by starting a daily spiritual practice.
- Measurable: I’ll journal about my practice every day.
- Achievable: I have time to practice every day, and I’ve joined a spiritual community to help hold me accountable.
- Relevant: This will allow me to live the better quality of life I’ve always wanted.
- Time-bound: I’ll start my journey on January 1st and will track my progress for a year, after which I’ll re-evaluate.
Complete SMART Goal:
On January 1st, I’ll begin my daily spiritual practice and participate in the community. I’ll journal daily to track my progress for one year, after which I’ll evaluate how far I’ve come.
12. Journaling
Simple Goal:
I want to start a gratitude journal.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I’ll learn to be more grateful in life by writing in my gratitude journal every day.
- Measurable: I’ll write three things I’m grateful for every night in my journal and track my progress.
- Achievable: It’ll only take me 5 minutes before bed.
- Relevant: I want to be happier and more grateful in my life.
- Time-bound: I’ll write in my gratitude journal every night for three months starting tomorrow.
Complete SMART Goal:
I’ll become more grateful by writing my gratitudes every night for three months, tracking my progress. After three months, I’ll decide if I want to keep this practice as a mainstay in my life.
13. Learning a New Language
Simple Goal:
I want to learn French.
SMART Goal Components:
- Specific: I want to speak French fluently to communicate better when traveling to France.
- Measurable: I’ll take an online class every week and will practice with others in class to track my progress.
- Achievable: I’ve learned languages before and I have extra time.
- Relevant: I’m going to France for two months, and want to speak French.
- Time-bound: I’m traveling to France in six months.
Complete SMART Goal:
Next week, I’ll start weekly French classes, practicing with students to progress for the next six months, so I can speak fluently when I travel to France.
Are You Ready to Use These Smart Goals to Fuel Your Ambitious Aspirations?
If not now, when?
When will you have another opportunity to use a great SMART goal example to encourage you to create your own epic SMART goal framework for the betterment of your life?
If you’re anything like me, you realize the time is now.
So grab a notebook and pen, write down an ambitious goal, create it into SMART goals, and get ready to crush it.
And if you need more encouragement or just a kick in the pants, come back to peruse this article anytime. It’ll be here… waiting.
