This is part two in our five part series looking at setting SMART goals. If you've missed part one, you may want to take a moment to read through it.
Once you’ve built a strong base for your SMART goals, by being specific about what it is you want to accomplish, the next step is to set up the goal in such a way that it is measurable.
SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic & Time Sensitive
Today’s Focus: Measurable
For you to have any chance at meeting and exceeding your goals in 2009, they have to be measurable. Think about what it is you want to accomplish with each goal you set, and then come up with a quantifiable metric that will tell you if you have met or exceeded the goal. Let’s look at some good and bad examples of measurable goals so you can get a sense of what this looks like.
Examples
Bad Examples:
- I want to grow sales
- I want happy customers
- I want to network more
Good Examples:
- I want to grow sales by 25% year over year
- I want to increase my customer satisfaction score by 5 points
- I want to attend 5 networking events in 2009
Your focus here is to establish criteria so you can easily tell if you have, or have not, met your goal. The criteria should be concrete and quantifiable, as well as clear cut so you know how far you need to go in order to meet your goal. Again, non-committal language has no place here. If you want “more” of something, you need to directly answer the question “How much more?”.
If you are able to measure your progress towards a goal you are more likely to stay on track.
Tips for Success
- When you are done setting your goal, you should be able to answer questions like “How much?”, “How often?”, or “How many?”. If you cannot answer such quantifying questions after you’ve set your goal, you need to rework it until you can.
- Keep track of your progress at regular intervals
- Think first about what you want to achieve, then ask yourself what metric lets you know you have achieved it.
Up Next: Attaussiegallainable
Photo Credit: aussiegall
Similar Posts:
- SMART Goals – Specific
- SMART Goals – Attainable and Realistic
- SMART Goals – Time Sensitive
- Are You Getting SMART in 2009?
- Are Your Goals SMART?
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We started doing this internally for our different projects and having quantifiable goals definitely helps prioritize and focus the work we do.
Setting measurable goals is so important to be able to quantify the results! I love this series; It’s going to be really helpful for setting goals for the upcoming new year! Thanks for sharing with us!
@AverageGal
You’re right, if you can’t measure it, you never really know if you’ve hit your goal or not. Glad you are liking the series, hope it helps you set a couple goals in the New Year!
Matt
@jc22
That’s a great point, and one I didn’t touch on in the post…having a quantifiable goal makes it easier to prioritize your goals. You can focus your efforts on the “most bang for your buck” essentially.
Thanks for stopping by,
Matt
It’s great to see more people applying the SMART goals strategy! I have done that with all my blogging goals for next year and posted about it last week!
Nice blog! This is my first time here, but I just heading to subscribe now.
@Tom
I find that once I started using the SMART framework for my own goal setting years ago, my goals have become more focused, clear, concise, and above all followed through on more often. I’ve been a fan for a long time.
Matt
Hey Matt:
Great series. I am big on goals – and big on making them realistic. Nothing stomps out a goal like being discouraged because they are too difficult to attain.
Looking forward to the rest of your series,
Absolutely being specific helps. Measurement helps when presenting to clients and sometimes they can present for you too.