A Goal Without a Plan is Just a "Wish"

Do you make goals… or do you make wishes? 

If you do make goals, how do you measure your progress in attaining those goals?

Are you able to hold yourself accountable or are you good at justifying and coming up with reasons why the goals are not met? I'm guessing most people make more “wishes” than set good "SMART" goals.

There is acronym out there about goals – you may have heard it and currently use it. The acronym is SMART goal setting. In other words, goals should be:

S   =  Specific

M  = Measurable

A   = Attainable

R   = Realistic

T   = Timely

The goals you set should be all of the above in order to make them achievable. An example of a goal I used just last year was, “I want to lose weight this year.” Is that a good goal? Well, the intent of the goal was good, but since it is so vague, it's difficult to know when the goal was or has been achieved. It is not specific as I do not know how much weight is to be lost to achieve the goal. It is not measurable as I did not set a number of pounds to lose. I don’t know whether it is attainable or realistic since there is no exact objective to hit. There is also no time limit assigned to the task, so timeliness is just a relative term.

Let’s try this one:  

“I want to lose 10 pounds to get from 190 lb to 180 lb over the next six months ending June 30, 2017.”  

• This goal is specific – 10 pounds
• It is measurable – 190 lb to 180 lb, which can be measured as progress is made.  
• It is attainable – 10 lb – not 100 lb. If it is not attainable, it will not motivate you.  
• It is realistic – the amount of weight and the time given to lose it – six months.  
• It is timely – by June 30. I now have a deadline for which I can hold myself accountable. If there is no deadline, then the goal is susceptible to procrastination.

Let’s look at a couple more:

“I really need to start going to board meetings” or,

“I want to attend 10 out of the next 12 board meetings over the next 12 month period ending December 31, 2017.”

“I need to get better at dealing with the tenant issues” or,

“I will follow up on 100% of the tenants’ concerns and requests in order to help increase my occupancy rate from 85% to 90% by June 30, 2017.”

You will find the more your goals follow the “SMART” criteria, the more wishes you will convert to achievable goals. Instead of making a New Year’s Resolution – try making a New Year’s SMART goal and stop wishing!

Share your 2017 SMART goals with us in the comments below.