Soon we will be ringing in the New Year. Personally, I plan to enjoy the festivities by my fireplace watching Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. This year I want to forgo those unrealistic resolutions and make SMART goals instead.

The SMART methodology is a management strategy, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Based. Setting a goal will enable me to work smarter by creating a path with goals along the way to help me achieve my final outcome.

Specific (pick an area for improvement)
Measurable (criteria for measuring progress to achieve goal)
Attainable (objective is within reach)
Realistic (goal must have meaning to you)
Time- bound (time-line for accomplishing goal)

Don’t set yourself up for failure making unrealistic resolutions. Now go write down a detailed goal you would like to achieve professionally. Be specific, set deadlines and work daily on the steps that will help you achieve your goal. Do your best to record the results. This will help you to pinpoint problem areas where you can improve to get better results.

This methodology can be applied on a number of levels in both professional and personal goals. It doesn’t guarantee success, but at least it gives you the ability to apply a measuring stick.

I hope everyone has a safe, warm holiday with plenty of joy and laughter!

If you would like to learn more read, The SMART Goals Book by Anna Stevens.