SMART is a commonly used acronym for describing how good goals should look like. The letters correspond to:

S - Specific

A goal needs to be specific to clearly determine whether you met or didn't meet it.

For example, if your goal for this year is simply "be a better person", how would you know at the end of the year whether you achieved that goal?

To help with creating specific goals, try to answer all the "W" questions:

• What exactly do you want to achieve?
• Where will you achieve it?
• Who will be doing what? (Usually, for personal goals, this is always you)
• Why does this need to be done?
   

M - Measurable

A Measurable goal not only provides a clear objective criterion on whether the goal was met or not but also provides you with guidance during the period on how you're progressing and whether you need to make adjustments to your actions to reach the goal.

For example, if your goal is "Spend less than last year", it is a  Specific goal, but not very measurable - in the middle of the year, unless you already failed by spending more than last year, you wouldn't know how well you're progressing. Instead, reformulate the goal as "Spend less than $2500 this year". This would mean that you cannot spend more than $210 per month, so if in March, for example, you've already spent $700 - that's already $630 above your goal.

A - Achievable

The goal should be realistically achievable given the amount of time and effort you're willing to invest, not a pie-in-the-sky wish such as "peace in the world", or "learning Spanish to C2 level in a year by studying 5 minutes a day."

R - Relevant

Relevant verifies that the goal is aligned with your broader interests, values, and desired future path.  For example, a goal such as "I will learn Spanish to B2 level in a year by studying 20 words and practicing 1 hour every day" might be very well formulated. Still, if your broader life goal is living in Paris, you'd probably be better off studying French instead.

T - Time-Bound

Finally, when you plan your goals, you should have a clear time frame in which they need to be achieved. It's not useful to have a goal of "Learning 5000 words in Spanish" if there's no time limit attached to that goal.

Examples of SMART Goals

• To increase the club's stability and richness, we will increase the membership by 50%  in one year.
• To increase our impact in the community, we will develop 10 community projects in the next 6 months that will involve at least 50% of the membership.
• To invite interesting trainers and purchase some equipment, we will raise $2,500 in the next 10 months.
• I will earn the following three professional certifications: X, Y, Z in the next 6 months.
• To increase my chances of landing a job, I will submit at least 10 resumes daily during the next month - a total of 300 submissions.