How many times have you attempted to establish personal goals or financial goals, but find yourself adhering to the same monotonous routine and schedule?
This has happened to almost all of us. One of the reasons behind this is that the goals set are not adequately defined and lack clarity in terms of what, where, why, when, and how.
To help you with the same, the SMART goals strategy comes into the picture. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound which can give directions to your goals and dreams.
SMART goals strategy is a game-changing approach that can help you map out your ambitions and take steps towards realizing them. So, if you’re ready to take charge of your dreams and create a roadmap to achievement, stick around until the end of this blog as we share the array of SMART goals worksheets to make the goal-setting process easy and fun.
But before that, let’s first understand what the SMART goals strategy exactly means and how to use it to set realistic goals.
The SMART Goals approach helps build a roadmap by setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound Goals. It can transform vague aspirations into a concrete plan of action. These goals help you achieve your dreams step-by-step that are decoded in the following section –
S – Specific – As the name suggests, it means to be very specific about the goal you want to achieve. While you might already know what you want, this step encourages you to think more precisely about the target you want to achieve in your set goal.
For example, Instead of writing “I want to be good in academics”, write “I want to improve my ______ (subject) grades from ___ to ___ by the end of this term.
M – Measurable – Just like you measure the speed of the car to know the total time it will take to reach your destination or by what speed a plant grows, you can also measure your goals.
Continuing with the same example above, you can measure that goal by keeping track of the hours you spend studying and looking at your grades on the subsequent unit tests that lead to the end-term examination. This step helps you figure out how to tell if you’re moving closer to your specific goal set in the first step.
A – Achievable – It is popularly said that “The journey of thousand miles begins with a single step”. You may want to climb Mt. Everest but that would only be possible if you begin with small achievable steps one at a time. After you’ve decided on the things you can measure, this step is about making a list of smaller actions you can take now to reach those measurements and hence the specific goal.
For instance, in order to improve your grades in the unit tests, you might need to increase your study time by 30-40 minutes daily and make your own study notes instead of copying them from other students.
R – Relevant – In this step, you take a moment to think about the goal you picked earlier. As the first step focuses on the specific target you want to achieve in your desired goal, this step encourages you to think critically and analyze if your set specific target will help you achieve your goal in the long run.
According to the above example of improving grades, the measure and the actions set along with focusing on your conceptual understanding is more relevant and will yield positive results for the defined goal which is improving overall academics instead of swimming.
T – Time-bound – Think about what would happen if there was no deadline for finishing your exams. Time is important in everything we do. Keeping a note of the time is not crucial for exams but for everyday life. So, in this last step, you need to set a time limit by which you believe you’ll be able to achieve the aforementioned actions and targets.
So, to put it all together, a SMART Goal would be – “I want to improve my math grades from ___ to ___ within this term by studying for at least 30-40 minutes extra every day”.
By now, you might have got an idea about how to set realistic and attainable goals. Let us level up the goal-setting game by employing interactive and innovative worksheets which can provide you with a structured framework to clearly define your goals, plan effectively and track your progress. The following attached worksheets can guide you through the process of setting and reaching your goals step-by-step.
There are four different types of worksheets each tailored with an aim to cater to diverse requirements and preferences. Every worksheet has specialized columns dedicated to each element of the SMART criteria. The designs and layouts of these worksheets are unique and offer a rich variety of options according to the specific requirements and likings of students.
Moreover, the worksheets are visually appealing that attract and captivate the user’s attention stimulating them to use these worksheets and make the most of them.
