SMARTER Goals: Testing and Fine Tuning

You have designed and set the perfect goal for the New Year. It’s based on an existing habit and you’ve designed a new routine that should be easy to follow. You followed the SMARTER Goals formula, and have written everything out. Now you are just waiting for January 1st to get started. Unfortunately, this goal will fail quickly if you aren’t prepared. Let’s look at an example, based on the picture above. Let’s write out our SMARTER Goal. Specific: I will lose ten pounds by making better food choices Measurable: At the end of each week I will have lost one pound Actionable: I will reduce my daily calories by 500 each day. 3500/week Realistic: I will replace junk food with fruits and vegetables. Time Bound: I will have lost the ten pounds after 10 weeks Existing Habit: I will replace my fattening treat at Starbucks with Fruit Routine: I will have my Latte with a banana instead of a scone On the surface this looks like a great goal. You take your existing routine and make a minor change. It’s only when you do the math and test the actual routine that you run into problems. I’ve set many seat-of-the-pants goals this way over the years, and many have ended in quick failure because of some unseen factors. Let’s take a look at this particular goal and see what might happen. Our existing routine happens on the way to work and on weekends. We stop every morning at Starbucks for a Latte and a scone or other high calorie pastry. Our goal...
Source: Success Begins Today - Category: Life Coaches Authors: Tags: Goal Setting Goals Habits smarter goals Source Type: blogs