Setting SMART Goals for the New Year

Whether you are a business owner or a worker trying to grow your career, you are likely using the time surrounding the new year to think about what you would like to accomplish as the calendar switches over. By having goals in mind, you can structure your tasks to best align with what you hope to achieve—but how do you know what goals to set?

By setting out to create goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound) for your career, you can ensure you are pushing yourself adequately and keeping yourself on track.

How to Create SMART Goals

Having goals that set you up for success is so important. While many things sound like exciting ideas, if they are not properly vetted, they may never be able to get to the reality stage.

Below, we will take a look at the elements of the SMART acronym and how these can be applied to whatever your goals may be.

Specific. Goals should be specifically tailored to what you want to accomplish and why. That way you know exactly what you hope to achieve and exactly how to get it done. You should also specify who is involved and which resources you may need to utilize to achieve the goal.

Measurable. Being able to measure your progress and completion of the goal is a must for staying motivated and on track throughout the process. Understanding how you will determine when a goal is accomplished is a great way to make sure it is measurable.

Achievable. Setting a goal that is achievable is so important—it should be difficult enough to elevate you above the status quo, but attainable enough that it is possible and not discouraging to work towards.

Relevant. A relevant goal means having a goal that makes sense. If your goal is to launch a new product, for example, it should be one that is in line with a business’ objectives and aims as well.

Time-Bound. Goals set with realistic timing not only give you an adequate amount of time to complete relevant tasks, but also push you to achieve things faster than you might otherwise. This also gives you a great touchpoint for setting milestones regarding the goal’s progress.

If you need a workspace to help you get ahead in the new year, we would love to help! Contact us today to learn more about our flexible workspace solutions.