Get S.M.A.R.T with your Goals!

Ask anyone you meet today if they thought goals are important, and there would be no doubt that they would agree without thinking twice. Whether you want to climb Mt Everest, swim the English Channel, get that driver's licence or to ace an academic examination, such goals provide a clear focus for our time and energy. Without goals, there might not be a point to our effort. Imagine you trained for months, readying yourself for the StanChart Marathon, only to sleep in on the eventful morning itself! What a waste of one's discipline and sacrifice, not to mention time!

From the process point of view, getting to those goals also provide us with 'creative tension' which gives us the motivation to meet life and all its challenges. Without goals, we simply would not have the drive to get on with life. As we begin the year with our resolutions, the key to making them happen lies in being S.M.A.R.T. Not just the goal-makers, the GOALS we mean.

The acronym S.M.A.R.T refers to the key characteristics of attainable goals.

• S - Specific: Goals need to be SPECIFIC; ie when stating a goal, the goal has to state clearly the desired end-state. For a student, a SPECIFIC goal would be "to recite the various causes and effects of wave processes in shaping beaches". "To know wave processes"is certainly not going to be enough. A person embarking on an exercise programme has to say that he wants to "be fitter than last year" is going to have less success than if he said he wanted to improve his muscular strength or aerobic fitness this year.
• M - Measurable: A MEASURABLE goal for our wave process student would be "To score at least 85% on the wave processes test". Being measurable, he could then assess if he was able to attain it. The person attempting to improve his aerobic fitness might want to say that he wants to run a quarter-marathon this year.
• A - Attainable: Some readers might say 'Duh!' at this point. Goals need to be attainable, based on the resources at hand. Not back then, not in the future. By analysing our resources available before we begin directing our efforts, we spare ourselves the disappointment of not being able to reach our goals. For our wave process student, he might need to consider if he has enough time or even resource material to consult on his venture. The fitness guy might need to consult his doctor, to know if he has other medical conditions that might impede his progress. There's no real point in planning running a quarter-marathon if he has not dealt with his 180 kg weight.
• R - Realistic: Goals have to be Realistic ie whether they are indeed feasible, even if we do have the resources to attain them. It might mean drawing on other resources meant for other goals, well and good if you can afford sparing them. If you can't, and that these goals are more important then a decision has to be made. Our wave process student might already be an 'A' student in Geography, but might be floundering in Math. He might very well get another 'A' on the wave process test, but he might be better off devoting his time and energy on passing the coming Trigonometry test.
• T - Time-based: Goals have to be Time-based, because without a time-element attached, PROCRASTINATION often sets in. The time element gives us an urgency to complete the goal because there would be other goals on the horizon that require our attention and effort. We can apply greater focus and diligence as the dateline for completion draws closer, because the date allows us to see how much more progress needs to be made.

Making our goals S.M.A.R.T, we can identify more clearly what we need to do in order to align our efforts with the ends we have in mind. Whether you are a student or someone keen to work on an area of your life, sit down for a moment one of these evenings and work on those Whole-Brained New Year resolutions and convert them into S.M.A.R.T goals. Have fun with them!

Noel
Resident Philosopher

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