"Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement."
~ Brian Tracy ~
Goals can unlock your true potential which is why I'm such a big proponent of their use in moving you forward. I believe that without them most people never achieve all they could.
Unfortunately, as effective as they are, I would say the vast majority of people don't know how to set them. It is simply not something that is commonly taught.
If I've just described you, don't fret because I have some really great news. Setting goals does not have to be complicated to be useful. The key is to set them the "R-SMART" way.
R-SMART is based on a goal setting method that's been around for a long time, with a few changes on my part. Simply use each letter to remind you of what makes a effective goal.
R - The R reminds us to make sure our goals are "recorded," or written down.
S - The S reminds us to make sure our goals are "specific," as opposed to something general, like a wish.
M - The M reminds us to ensure our goals are "measurable" in some form or fashion.
A - The A reminds us to make sure our goals are "actionable," or something we can actually take action on.
R - The R reminds us to be sure our goals are "reachable." Not doing so is just setting yourself up for failure.
T - The T reminds us to be sure our goals are "timed," so each one has a time frame attached to it.
And there you have it. The R-SMART system for setting goals. Give it a try. I bet you'll be glad you did.
Well, that's it for now. Until next time...
Keep reaching,
Jay
P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!
Jay, you wrote, "based on a goal setting method that's been around for a long time"
I agree AND I have seen how well this time tested process works. After going through these steps with goals over the years it becomes second nature to start thinking about goals this way. Rather than "I want to make more money" (for example) it has our minds ask questions like "how much, when, from what, etc."
I believe an important point to also realize is not to have too many goals. It's okay to have a lot of goals -- but get them out of our heads and onto paper. I believe that choosing our top 3 goals for the year, for the quarter, for the month, for the week and for the day is a way to keep things simple and to have better focus.
Thanks for sharing this post.
Posted by: Rich | 11 January 2010 at 01:45 PM
Rich, thanks for your feedback. Like you, I've seen this process work so many times for myself and others that I know it works!
And I agree that setting your top three goals is an important step too. Thanks so much for pointing that out.
Posted by: Jay Platt | 11 January 2010 at 02:02 PM
Jay, I really liked this latest article on setting goals. As one of your clients, I can attest to it working (especially when combined with acountabilty). :-)
Posted by: Jim Edwards | 11 January 2010 at 02:08 PM
Thank you Jim. And you are right about the accountabilty!
Posted by: Jay Platt | 11 January 2010 at 02:12 PM
Great system Jay, short, simple yet powerful.
Posted by: Chick Sickels | 11 January 2010 at 02:40 PM
Thanks Chick! I really appreciate your feedback.
Posted by: Jay Platt | 11 January 2010 at 03:00 PM
Funny that you came up with this because in my Teaching education classes, this is how we write behavioral and academic goals for the child's IEP.
Posted by: Maria Kaminski | 11 January 2010 at 10:50 PM
Maria,
Thank you for your feedback. As I said in my post, this is based on an old system for setting goals.
I have just added some things and made some changes.
There is no doubt that it works, which is why it's been around so long.
Thanks again!
Posted by: Jay Platt | 11 January 2010 at 10:57 PM
Jay thanks for sharing. I look forward to each post. This one reminds me of the need I have to do it continually not just once in awhile. It's also reminded me of "One Minute Management" that I read years ago. Keep up the good work . God bless you
Gene Dasher,TN
Posted by: Gene Dasher | 12 January 2010 at 09:35 AM
Thanks Gene! I really appreciate your feedback. And, just so you know, "The One Minute Manager" is one of my favorite books!
Posted by: Jay Platt | 12 January 2010 at 09:48 AM
One Word Jay! "AWESOME"
Posted by: Sarah Allen Fitzpatrick | 12 January 2010 at 06:17 PM
Thanks Sarah!
Posted by: Jay Platt | 12 January 2010 at 07:53 PM
Jay, I knew you were SMART, but now I know that you are R(eally)-SMART! Wonderful to read your spin on a time tested system of achievement. Thanks for prompting use to do better and for sharing with us the tools to do it.
Posted by: Alan | 09 September 2011 at 08:51 AM
LOL! Thanks Alan! :-)
Posted by: Jay Platt | 09 September 2011 at 08:58 AM
Thanks for the reminder. I've been so busy trying to reach goals that I sometimes lose site of the very goals I'm reaching for. You have reminded me of the most important part of goal setting....WRITE IT DOWN! Thanks again.
Posted by: Brenda Keefer | 09 September 2011 at 11:08 AM
Thanks Brenda! I have to remind myself sometimes too. :-)
Posted by: Jay Platt | 09 September 2011 at 11:18 AM
Jay, I really needed this. I fell off the weight loss wagon after the holidays and have not been able to find a way to get back on. I have every excuse but plan. Thanks for the tools! Miss you guys!
Posted by: Margie | 11 September 2011 at 10:48 PM
Thanks Margie! Time to get back on the wagon, girl. You know what to do. We miss you too.
Posted by: Jay Platt | 13 September 2011 at 03:07 PM