Setting clear objectives is critical for accomplishing great things in your career and life. However, most people set opaque, grandiose goals without a structured plan which rarely manifest into reality.
This is where embracing the time-tested SMART goals framework pays dividends. I will walk you through exactly what makes SMART goals so effective, provide actionable examples across 6 common workplace scenarios, reveal supporting data on achievement rates, recommend top tracking apps, and equip you with research-backed best practices to start realizing your ambitions!
Overview: Why SMART Goals Work
SMART is an acronym for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
By framing your goals to be SMART, you clarify the exact end target, quantify measurable progress markers along the way, ground achievability in your unique context and resources, connect your objectives to broader aspirations for motivation, and construct an incremental time path to create accountability and urgency.
This methodology yields fantastic results. According to the American Society for Training and Development, participants with written, specific goals were 39.5% more likely to make significant achievements. Additionally, a meta-analysis by Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University found that individuals who wrote down goals, shared commitments with others, and sent weekly progress reports achieved their stated objectives over 76% of the time.
So in short – SMART goals successfully drive progress because they make you strategically map out the specifics, accurately measure incremental output, and stay on top of executing the plan within structured deadlines.
Now, let me provide some concrete examples of formulating SMART goals for common workplace situations.
6 SMART Goal Examples
Imagine you have these career objectives in mind:
- Grow your ecommerce business
- Improve health and lose weight
- Expand skills as a freelance writer
- Hit sales targets
- Learn new job skills
- Launch a side business
I will demonstrate how to make each of those goals "SMART" by incorporating the key framework elements.
Grow Ecommerce Business
Jenna sells hand-made jewelry online. Her goal is to grow revenue by 40% this year.
SMART Goal: Increase annual ecommerce revenue from $100K last year to $140K this year by adding 2-3 new product lines and spending $500 per month on targeted Facebook ads. Track monthly revenue numbers in Quickbooks and evaluate additional growth drivers needed if earning below $11,667 monthly.
Specific: Details exact dollar target along with 2-3 new products and $500 ads monthly as growth levers
Measurable: Will use Quickbooks to quantify ecommerce revenue monthly and overall for the year
Achievable: Believes $140K is viable through combination of product expansion via capabilities/resources and Facebook advertising within budget
Relevant: Revenue growth goal aligned with desires to scale business and ultimately pursue her passion full time
Time-bound: Outlines 12-month timeline with monthly checkpoints
Improve Health & Lose Weight
Frank has struggled with weight issues for years. His goal is to lose 30 pounds to improve long-term health.
SMART Goal: Get weight down from 210 pounds currently to 180 pounds by August 1st (6 months from now). Will track weight weekly and body fat percentage monthly. Achievable through meal prepping 5 clean meals per week and training for half marathon with workout schedule of 30 mins cardio and 30 mins weights 4 times per week. Success directly aligned with health objectives focused on adding years to my life.
Specific: Clearly defines target weight loss number and end timeline
Measurable: Will quantify through weekly weight checks plus monthly body fat assessments
Achievable: Outlines dual meal planning and exercise regimen tailored to lose 2 pounds weekly
Relevant: Losing weight clearly links to overarching health goals
Time-bound: Sets 6 month target achievement date with interim weekly and monthly quantifiable measures
Expand Skills as Freelance Writer
Wendy recently became self-employed doing freelance writing but needs to expand her skills. Her goal is tosuccessfully transition to full-time freelance work within one year.
SMART Goal: Generate $4K per month in freelance writing income by December 31st, 2023 by increasing niche technical knowledge and doubling published writing samples. Will track earnings monthly and commit 15 hours per week towards completing specialty e-learning courses in cybersecurity and data analytics plus producing additional case study content for marketing agencies. Success will indicate ability to sustain myself independently doing what I love.
Specific: Details exact monthly income target along with technical knowledge development and specific content outputs
Measurable: Will quantify through tracking monthly freelance earnings in spreadsheet
Achievable: Believes $4K monthly is viable through outlined knowledge building tactics and content production regimen
Relevant: Income goal and expanding expertise aligned to successfully freelancing full-time
Time-bound: 1 year timeline with monthly earnings checkpoints
Hit Sales Targets
Ray is struggling to hit his sales quotas in his current B2B account executive role. His goal is to get back on track to deliver expected performance.
SMART Goal: Make 50 outbound cold calls and 2 new demos weekly while closing 3 additional enterprise deals monthly to get sales figures back to $20K per month quota expectations by Q4. Will dedicate Monday and Wednesday mornings for dedicated calling blocks and track weekly activity in my CRM. Hitting targets will secure my annual commision-based earnings.
Specific: Quantifies calls, demos and deals closed needed monthly
Measurable: Will diligently enter call volume, demos scheduled and deals closed into CRM to monitor progress
Achievable: Sees activity quotas as reasonable through calling time blocks
Relevant: Directly aligned with hitting sales numbers that dictate his earnings
Time-bound: Sets Q4 timeline with standards for weekly activity and monthly closed deals
Learn New Job Skills
Alicia wants to gain new skills to earn a promotion to manager within her firm.
SMART Goal: Complete 4 advanced Excel courses by June 30th covering financial modeling, pivot tables, macros and lookup functions to bolster analytical capabilities. Will spend 8-10 hours every Saturday until course load finished to meet deadline, allowing time to subsequently apply knew knowledge on the job to position myself for manager role opening. Obtaining diverse analytical skillset aligns with required competencies for next level role.
Specific: Details specific skills acquisition through enumerated Excel courses
Measurable: Completion by June 30th deadline
Achievable: Laid out 10 weekly hours to realistically finish courses
Relevant: Manager role requires proficiency in advanced Excel-based analysis
Time-bound: 6 month deadline motivates urgent dedication to learning
Launch Side Business
Tim has an idea for tutoring SAT prep part-time online to supplement his income from his full-time teaching job.
SMART Goal: Launch online SAT prep business by August 30th by building tutoring package offerings, creating LLC entity, setting up payment processing and sales site to secure 5 initial clients at $50 per hour sessions. Block out 6-8 hours each weekend to do market research, create site content and complete legal/financial set up. Achieving supplemental income aligns with larger vision of potentially making entrepreneurial pursuits my full-time work.
Specific: Details the exact end goal along with four distinct milestones for getting there
Measurable: Five contracted clients will signal successful launch
Achievable: Weekend availability makes timeline feasible
Relevant: Aligns with bigger aspirations around potential entrepreneurship
Time-bound: Setting four month countdown drives urgency
I hope these real-world examples illustrate how effective SMART goals can be structured for your unique situation. You likely noticed some common themes:
- Laser focus on specifics
- Measurable output tracking
- Realistic about your bandwidth
- Connected to “why” this matters
- Timeline to motivate action
Now that you have the basics down for applying the SMART framework to your professional objectives, let’s cover some best practices to setter yourself up for success.
Setting Strong SMART Goals: 6 Pro Tips
The magic is in the details when creating winning SMART goals. Here are some expert-validated tactics:
1. Define Your Destination
Being precise upfront around what you want to accomplish is critical – set an unambiguous, quantitative target. Shooting for “write more” is nebulous and tough to action. Whereas “publish 3 freelance articles per week in niche newsletters” sets a crystal clear destination.
2. Map Your Milestones
Plotting exact incremental markers is key to measurability. Breaking an annual revenue target into quantified monthly or quarterly sub-goals greatly enhances your ability to monitor progress.
3. Do an Honest Gut Check
An the “A” in SMART is one of the most crucial elements – honestly assessing what is reasonably achievable given your bandwidth and resources. We are often overly eager about goals in the excitement of possibility rather than calmly pragmatic. Be real with yourself.
4. Get Colorful
Tying your objectives back to the “why” gives them outsized motivation and relevance. Getting specific around how they align with your greater life purpose colors them with richer meaning. Is your goal connected to lifestyle freedom, making an impact, passion expression? Outline how they ladder up.
5. Take baby steps
For timelines, narrowly defined shorter milestones generate momentum rather than intimidating long-range deadlines. Set weekly or monthly sub-goals all leading progressively towards your end destination to stay on track.
6. Put Pen to Paper
There is enormous psychological accountability created when you formally write out your SMART goals. Post them prominently as a continual reminder and manifest their reality by recording incremental progress.
These proven tips will maximize your chances of shaping powerfully effective SMART goals tailored to your situation. But maintaining persistence is also key to drive them across the finish line – which is where goal tracking apps can provide huge assistance.
5 Best Goal Tracking Apps
Dedicated goal tracking utilities assist by centralizing your objectives, milestones, and progress markers in one spot so everything remains visible. Features like reminders, encouragement prompts and analytical reporting keep you locked in.
Here are 5 top-rated goal tracking apps I recommend:
1. Strides
Strides provides an intuitive interface for visualizing SMART goals and related habits. Core features include:
- Dashboard collating goal progress
- Reminders and productivity tips
- Robust analytics reporting
- Note taking and journaling capabilities
Pricing: Free version + premium $4.99 per month
2. Habitica
Habitica uniquely gamifies your objectives for greater engagement:
- Transform goals into RPG elements
- Earn reward points as you progress
- Compete in parties for accountability
- Fully customizable avatar experience
Pricing: Free app + optional subscriptions starting at $4.99 per month
3. GoalsOnTrack
GoalsOnTrack provides deep data-driven tracking and analytics:
- Time-series charts visualize progress
- Calendar layout to schedule tasks
- Robust journaling capabilities
- Goal sharing and comments (team version)
Pricing: 14-day free trial, then $5.99 per month basic and $9.99 per month premium
4. Balanced
Balanced centers around benchmarking goal improvement across life categories:
- Built-in scoring algorithm
- Summary through points-based system
- Flexible scheduling options
- Integration with Google Calendar
Pricing: Free version or $9.99 per month premium
5. Lifetick
Lifetick aligns your objectives with personal values and desired outcomes:
- Begin by defining life areas
- Set targeted objectives within each
- Breakdown into tasks
- Tools for financial planning
Pricing: 14-day free trial, then $3.25+ per month
I suggest browsing through a few options before deciding on the solution that best fits your preferences, features needed and budget.
Realize Your Goals Following SMART Guidelines
I hope this guide has hammered home the effectiveness of constructing your professional goals according to the proven SMART framework, along with providing tactical examples and tracking apps to accelerate momentum.
Here are the key lessons as you charter our your ambitious course:
🎯 Laser focus your specifics
📈 Quantify measurable progress
⌛️ Plot achievable timelines
🔥 Connect to overarching purpose
📅 Embed structured deadlines
📲 Use apps to enhance visibility
I want you to start leading life on your terms doing meaningful, purpose-aligned work. Chart your course guided by insights within this playbook. I’m excited for all you will accomplish!
