New Year is a time for reflection & if you are anything like me it’s the perfect down time to get planning. I love having a plan which is full of goals. In fact, I love this more than the fireworks, the BIG parties and about the same as my NYE cocktails.

On New Year’s Eve most of us feel obligated to trot out the usual resolutions; “I want to get fitter, I want to lose weight, blah blah” and rarely do they happen. Why is that? Well often they are said in the heat of the emotion which you truly have good intentions about. Or because you feel you should say something and really you have no intention of doing. The main problem is that they rarely are specific and “A goal without a plan is just a wish” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery). Instead you could say I want to go to the gym twice weekly, so I can get fit to run a half marathon in April. Or I will lose 6 kgs by the end of the month by halving what I eat (ha-ha).

The difference is that we need SMART goals to achieve. They give us clarity and focus allowing us to achieve them. Do you work with SMART goals or am I talking double Dutch? One of the key reasons why businesses fail, why women are not getting leadership roles is that they are failing to plan and are not setting SMART goals. “I want to grow my business” or “I want a promotion”, are simply not enough. Sometimes this stems from lack of knowledge but realising this will just give you another goal to find out, right?!
 

SMART goals are:

• Specific: Well defined, clear, and unambiguous

• Measurable: With specific criteria that measure your progress towards the accomplishment of the goal

• Achievable: Attainable and not impossible.

• Realistic: Within reach, realistic, and relevant to you. 

• Timely: With a clearly defined timeline, including a starting date and a target date. The purpose is to create urgency.

Now to add a little bit more explanation as we really want you to get this right.

Being specific means you are clear on the five “W’s”; what, where , why, who and when.

Measurable means you need to know when your goal is achieved. So you need to ask your self how much, by when etc

Achievable & attainable means you need to be kind to yourself. It is such a demotivator to take on impossible goals & deal with the fact that you are not achieving which can be a real downer.

Realistic means considering within your reach given your resources & other commitments. I have a tendency to take on big challenges so I try to double the time I think many of them will take so I do have time to achieve things.

Timely well speaks for itself.

Now you have all you need to set some SMART goals for yourself, your work or business. If you need help or support, feel free to reach out to us. Our final thought is “Planning is about bringing the future into the present so you can do something about it now” ( Alan Lakem) so don’t wait until tomorrow start planning TODAY!.

Cheers

Lisa

PS If you want a really good planner then Leaders in Heels have a great one