How To Set SMART Goals (And Stick To Them)
This post is all about setting SMART goals and sticking to them!
I particularly enjoy goal setting at the start of the New Year, although these tips can guide you at any time. So, read on to find out more about my process for creating and keeping goals, as well as the goals I am working on…
“Lofty ambitions…Sometimes my head is wayyyy up in the clouds” | Photo by Amy-Jo Lynch
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Now, let’s get back to my take on how to set goals.
What are SMART goals?
There are five things that everyone needs to know about goal setting to get started: make sure that they are SMART goals. Adopting this approach to creating goals and making progress in reaching them can really help you to stay focused and refers to:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Relevant
T - Time-sensitive
Thankfully, SMART goals are applicable to our home life and work life. The initial work spent on clarifying your goals is a worthwhile investment of your time.
Alongside gaining clarity on our intentions and desired outcomes, I find it extremely useful to think about why I want to set a goal. The clearer the purpose and my vision, the more motivated I am to want to reach it and the easier it is to plan for.
Have a goal setting plan
Once you have set your goals, it’s time to make a plan! I prefer to keep it simple and write down my thoughts in an accessible format, such as a Google Doc, so that I can easily refer back to them. I tend to place an emphasis on the purpose of my goals, milestones and timescales, and then I’m good to go! For example, I intentionally stopped dining out with friends (one of my favourite things to do) for a few months, so that I could put the money towards resourcing this blog. Being honest about not wanting to spend too much money during that time really helped and my friends understood.
Next, as I start to shape and tweak my goals, I begin to add more detail to them and check which milestones I have reached so far. Think of milestones as small steps or mini goals that come together to assist you in making progress and completing your plan. It can also be very satisfying to create and plan goals with someone you care about. This helps to refine your goals, keep each other motivated and share the responsibility for completing your milestones. For example, planning a trip with my partner to relax and spend quality time together in a warmer climate, whilst combining our interests and what we like to get out of a holiday: a mixture of beach time and adventure!
Review your goals
Putting time aside to review your goals is a must! This is an important step to take periodically to help you stay on track and measure your progress against your intended outcomes, which can be really useful in assessing what’s going well and not so well. Figuring out the why - the purpose - is also what will keep you going when you are feeling particularly demotivated, overwhelmed, or simply finding it difficult to give your goals the time and attention they deserve.
Why is there so much emphasis on new goals?
I find the newness of creating a goal really exciting, but I am also mindful of wanting to keep the momentum and not become too complacent. Sometimes, we may need to push ourselves to revisit the goals that we have yet to reach or even acknowledge that we may not wish to pursue them further (and ideally explore why), that way there are no loose ends playing at the back of our minds.
Tip: A goal doesn't necessarily have to address a challenge that you are facing, it can also be a way to optimise the things that you are already doing well. For example, perhaps you have started a new role and would like to work on being the best leader you can be from the start. To enhance your leadership capabilities around communication, self-confidence, self-awareness and inspiring trust. This is something that I can support you with through 1:1 Wellbeing Coaching focused on your professional wellbeing.
New year, new goals
There is something special about the start of the year. It feels like an opportune time to revive and create new goals. I particularly enjoy visualising the year ahead with renewed energy and motivation, brimming with ideas. This includes focusing on creating the change that I would like to see in the different areas of my life. Do you feel this sense of excitement too?
That said, the tough bit is taking action and maintaining the momentum throughout the year, right? So, I will go on to share some strategies to help with this.
I actually started writing this post in January and, as I’m sure you can relate, life got in the way! Well, at least it’s finished now! This is a powerful reminder for me to be unashamedly ambitious in setting the goals that I am working towards and to also keep them realistic and somewhat flexible, where possible. My perspective on goal setting enables me to stay focused and is very much aligned with the concept of SMART goals, which can be applied to so many different contexts, whether we are taking the next steps in our personal or professional lives. This is also why I firmly believe that making the effort to prioritise our wellbeing and self-care, and factoring this into our desired outcomes, is non-negotiable because it truly underpins our satisfaction in life and at work.
SMART goals make it easier to track our aspirations with the emphasis on measuring them, which is especially useful with stretching or ambitious goals that invariably take us outside our comfort zones. For example, I plan to write bi-monthly blog posts for the rest of the year, giving me the time and headspace to write high quality and engaging content, with insights into my own experiences. Moving to this schedule means there is less pressure on me whilst I juggle the other passions that I care deeply about, namely family life and building my private coaching practice.
Another lesson for me here is to accept that things don’t always go to plan and that’s OK. If you’ve not had the headspace to think about your goals and plans on how to reach them yet, don’t worry or be too discouraged. Now is as good a time as any.
Set goals (and stick to them)
Attainable goals are important and can be broken down into smaller milestones to make meaningful progress and stick to them. I also like my goals - whether personal or professional - to be stretching. It is important for me to take the time to dream BIG and bring my lofty ambitions to life. Sometimes my head is wayyyy up in the clouds, just like in the photo above taken on my way to Las Vegas earlier this year. Yet, somehow, I still manage to stay grounded.
Thinking about my current situation and future, and dreaming about the changes that I would like to see is often an exciting and creative process, affording me the opportunity to deepen my self-awareness. I encourage you to dream BIG too! The main thing is that your goals are relevant and have meaning for you; that’s the way to stick to them, even if you do find yourself going off track at some point!
Accountability
Being accountable for our goals is key. Therefore, I have arranged for my new blog posts to be sent to all my subscribers directly. Check your inbox! If you haven’t subscribed yet, click the button below. This action has encouraged me to get back into the rhythm of writing down my thoughts on a regular basis. So, I guess you could say, that you are helping me to stay accountable with my goal to blog more regularly. Thanks for that!
Tip: Choose at least one goal that really excites you to help stay motivated. Forget about what other people are doing, instead how about you focus on what’s important to you right now and over the next few months.
My goals for this year
So, what's my plan for the year?
It should come as no surprise that my goals are rooted in promoting wellbeing and self-care.
Whilst I enjoy thinking about and planning new goals at the start of the year, I also feel the pressure, partly self-imposed, to do things like joining the gym and exercise like I have never done before! Is that going to happen? Ummm, probably not. In fact, I recently gave up an expensive gym membership and returned to hot yoga...feels so good!
Sticking to our goals is tough, right? Well, I've been thinking about some meaningful goals for the rest of the year and I'd like to share a few of them with you. Perhaps they'll spark some ideas for you too. I would love to hear your thoughts.
I am focusing on three areas, as it relates to my wellbeing and self-care:
Personal goals - take a look at my posts in the LIFE category
Professional goals - take a look at my posts in the WORK category
Personal finance goals - take a look at my posts in the FINANCE category
Sometimes, saying ‘no’ can be a form of self-care | Graphic by Amy-Jo Lynch
📌 Personal goals
Maintain boundaries
One of the ways that I am doing this is by saying “no” to those in my trusted circle, at times, and not feeling bad about it. I do this to keep boundaries and practice self-care. It can be a daunting task, but most people will understand, especially if you offer an explanation, although don’t feel that you have to explain why. Your privacy should be respected.
Family time
Unsurprisingly, family time is my number one priority this year. I use the term loosely because this can mean so many different things depending on who you ask. Ultimately, I am going to prioritise nurturing my close relationships. I find myself gravitating toward those with whom I enjoy spending my time the most and I am less concerned with other people's expectations. So, I am choosing to surround myself with those who give positive energy and in return, I will do the same. Let's uplift each other.
Bright colours
Wear bright colours to enhance my mood and get me in the right mindset…it seems to be working and yet it is something so simple! You may be interested in reading my top tips for How to Look Good on a Budget, which touch on the relationship between wellbeing and personal style.
Pause
Take time to pause and chill out guilt-free to restore my energy levels. I like to keep busy but sometimes it can be just as important to keep still. Don't you think? This means keeping some of my evenings free and not just my weekends.
📎 Professional goals
Provide coaching support
Focus on supporting coaching clients, including professionals and entrepreneurs working in public and private healthcare who do so much to care for others, but also need care and support too. Private coaching can be super handy in supporting you to stay on track and realise your goals. This is a long-standing ambition of mine, having previously worked in Health and Social Care across sectors. To do this, I have set aside Sundays for new clients, enabling me to continue to be a listening ear and thinking partner. Sunday is for self-care after all, right?
Book a free discovery call if you are interested in online coaching to support you in reaching your own life and work goals, with a focus on your wellbeing, of course!
Be open to receiving support
I recently received great advice to seek support and I am pursuing that. Let's make seeking support less taboo. I am often considered the ‘strong friend’, with a good head on her shoulders but that doesn't mean I don't need support too. I am more inclined to offer support to other people, but have been reminded that I need to look after myself too. Support systems are so important and something to celebrate. For me, this involves being able to trust, talk to and say what's on your mind without fear of judgement or having to edit ourselves.
Did you know that Coaches often reach out to their peers and may undergo supervision to look after their own welfare and self-care too?
Continuing professional development (CPD)
I have come to accept that ‘done is better than perfect’ sometimes and to be less self-critical, making space for more self-compassion. This shift in my mindset enables me to maintain high-quality care for my clients and for myself. Furthermore, as a perpetual learner, I am keen to continue to develop my coaching skills, as part of my professional development, which is facilitated by my membership with the British Psychological Society’s Division of Coaching Psychology.
💷 Personal finance goals
Saving
This one is short and sweet: continue to save and invest regularly. And, yes, I'm still budgeting and automating my payments!
Reduce my outgoings and expenditure
With the cost of living rising and our essentials becoming noticeably more expensive, the time definitely feels right to share my thoughts on this as it affects us all, no matter our income. As you may know, I review my spending regularly thanks to my monthly budget plan and often dedicate time to think about finding ways to lower my outgoings and expenditure. Mostly lifestyle expenses, and therefore making more room in my budget for living expenses. Take a look at my Budgeting Checklist for more details and look out for my future post on tips for reducing household bills, which was recently requested by a reader.
What are your goals this year?
I hope that sharing some of my goals will get you thinking about the goals that you would like to create for yourself.
We can all do with some support in goal setting and writing this has been incredibly motivating by helping me to gain even more clarity on what I’d like to achieve, as well as encouraging me to stay focused. I hope that reading this inspires you to do the same!
Tell me, what are some of your goals for this year? I'd love to hear your thoughts and how you plan on achieving them.
Thank you for your continued support and if you are new here, why not have a good look around and see what other articles are of interest to you. Better still, send me your suggestions and let me know what you'd like to read about next.
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Let's set goals and accomplish them! Be kind to yourself. Be Your Own Date.
~ Amy-Jo ☀️
