New Year’s is traditionally the time many set their goals for the year, but even as we move past January, you can set new goals for yourself. However, if your goals aren’t realistic or well-thought-out, it might be hard to envision a path to success, slowing your momentum toward achieving them.
When setting your goals for yourself, take a smart approach—by using the S.M.A.R.T. framework! By making SMART goals, you’ll create a well-reasoned, achievable path toward career success. We’ll break down this helpful framework to help you get started.
Specific
Clarity is vital for goal setting. If you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, you’re building a tumultuous foundation for any future steps. You want to solidify that foundation by having a clear idea of what you’re looking for.
Ask yourself what exactly you’re looking to accomplish so that you’ll know what steps to take next. Avoid being vague. Forbes’ Rachel Wells uses the idea of “starting a side hustle” as a vague goal but being a freelance SEO specialist as a specific one. The latter is still a side hustle, but because you clarified what type, it’s easier to build on.
Measurable
To take your initial goal from a dream to a path, you must build on your specific goal by asking what meeting this goal looks like. Making your goal measurable allows you to track your progress and stay focused. This way, you can celebrate milestones, which will keep your morale high and keep you working toward the goal.
The Muse’s Leonardo Capita uses the example of increasing sales as a specific goal. To keep this measurable, that might be “increasing sales by 15% by next quarter.” That gives you a way to track your progress as well as set a timeline, which will come in handy in further steps.
Achievable
While having big dreams can lead to big accomplishments, it’s wise to consider whether your goals are something you can actually accomplish. This is someone out there who grew up wanting to be president who will accomplish that goal, but for most people, it’s not realistic (at least not without a ton of outside help). Instead, you need to find a balance between something you want to achieve and something you can realistically make happen.
CEO Jake Munday describes this balance as creating a challenging but attainable goal with the available resources at hand. Is this goal something you can currently achieve with the resources, including people, you have access to? If not, that might change your goal, or even create a new one—obtaining the resources you need.
“An achievable goal is realistic given your current resources, skills, and timeframe.” –Leonardo Capita, The Muse
Relevant
You might have many different goals in your career path leading toward an ultimate goal. Every major accomplishment needs to be broken down into smaller, actionable steps, and each of these steps should have its own S.M.A.R.T. plan. But don’t get too caught up in the small details of every little plan and forget the big picture. Keep your goals relevant to your overall ambitions.
Consider your larger objectives. Will this particular goal help your overall career journey, or is it just a somewhat exciting side quest? Smartsheet’s Kate Eby says that you only have so much energy to work with. In our “specific” goal of being a freelance SEO specialist, is learning that skill set aligned with your overall career? Will those skills help you in future positions or is this something you might bounce off of quickly?
“A relevant goal will directly contribute to successful results. Keep in mind that every action you take should move you closer to your goal.” –Indeed
Time-bound
Finally, consider the scale of your goal. Is this a long-term goal or something you can take steps toward immediately? A long-term goal is great to have. However, if you don’t have some sort of time limit in place, you might not take the necessary steps. In a way, this step is directly related to the measurable stage. Having a timeline is one of the easiest ways to measure your progress.
Rachel Wells does say to allow yourself some flexibility. Things can inevitably get in the way, and you won’t always account for all outside factors. But deadlines spur action, so it’s good to set a timeline early. Adding a deadline will allow you to learn the discipline needed to attain your goals.
Wrap up
By embracing each of these steps, you’ll set meaningful goals for yourself with clear, achievable results. Breaking down a complex topic into smaller, doable steps always makes things easier, and with a clear goal in mind, you’ll better be able to create those steps and work toward your goals.
Before You Go
View Current Job Openings
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Follow NexGoal on X
“Like” NexGoal on Facebook
Connect with NexGoal on LinkedIn
