In my social psychology class my professor recently went over SMART goals. I’ve gone over them before in a university seminar, but I loved the way my psych. prof. explained it.

Setting f’ing smart goals sounds so much more empowering than setting measly smart goals. Why be smart when you could be f’ing smart?

This whole notion is based on Locke’s theory of goal setting and at the very bottom there are examples!

These are my actual notes from class:

• F’ing—feedback
• S—specific
• M—measurable
• A—achievable (7-8 range on the challenging scale)
• R—relevant (why am I trying to do this?)
• T—Time bound (have some kind of expiration or due date)

• Set sub goals that get you incrementally to the top goal, because if you jump right to the top goal, you’ll probably fail.
• Your work ethic definitely helps, but it is not a cure all. There are some things that no matter how much you try you just can’t. Life is about exploiting your strengths. Find what you like and what you’re good at and do that.

Here I’ll explain each section in detail:

Feedback

Getting feedback or having somebody to hold you accountable always helps people reach their goals. Why do you think diets instruct you to write down every little thing you eat? It’s a way to hold yourself accountable.

Specific

If your goal isn’t specific it gives you room for excuses. This is one of the most important steps for me because I love to make excuses for myself when I don’t want to do something. On your goal paper, write down EXACTLY WHAT you want to achieve. Answer the “Who what when where why how” questions.

Measurable

This is how you’ll be able to tell if you achieve your goal(s). You can measure weight loss with a scale, you can measure graduation with a degree, etc. How can you tell that you achieved your goal?

Achievable

You have to be able to achieve your goal with little to moderate effort. The key to this is to realistically set your goals, and lead up to big goals in small, achievable increments.

Relevant

Your goal has to pertain to your current life in a way that gives reason to your goal. This is your driving force, your “why”. Why does this goal matter to you? Is in close enough in the future that you won’t procrastinate or forget about it?

Time Bound

Goals that have a ticking time clock drive you to do them. You have to give yourself a schedule and basis of when this has to be completed by. Why do you think your professors give you a due date for your homework? So you’ll do it and know when you’re done!

Examples

Losing Weight

F: Writing down everything you eat, having someone spot you at the gym, get a personal trainer at the gym to hold you accountable.

S: I want to lose 10 pounds by March 30th, 2017 by working out at Planet Fitness with a personal trainer, eating healthy  with the 21 Day Fix and by drinking 1 Shakeology shake a day.

M: I will use the scale in my room to weigh myself once when I wake up every morning until March 30th. I will measure the food I eat in ounces and calories. I will measure success by losing the 10 pounds.

A: This is achievable for me because 10 pounds is not a lot of weight for me and I have done this before. It is obtainable because I do not have to spend a lot of money and I have access to a gym.

R: This is relevant to me because it is almost Spring Break and I’m going to the beach with my new boyfriend and I want to look thin.

T: I want to lose 10 pounds by March 30th, 2017.

Studying for an Exam

F: Studying with people I can concentrate around will allow me to receive feedback by them telling me if I’m right or wrong in mock-quizzes or flashcard drills.

S: I want to study for my Macroeconomics exam every day with my study group of Joe, Maria, and John for 1 hour at Starbucks on George Street by using flashcards, asking each other questions, rewriting my notes, and taking mock-quizzes for 1 week.

M: I will measure the completeness of this goal by making a chart with a check box next to each day that I will check if I studied for the whole hour. I will have my phone to measure the time at Starbucks.

A: This is achievable because I have people that want to study with me, I’m motivated to do well on my exam, and I have ample study materials.

R: This is relevant because my exam is in 1 week and I have to make a good grade or I’ll fail the class. I don’t want to retake it!

T: This is time-bound because the exam is in one week. I also dedicate 1 hour a day to studying so I’ll be more likely to actually study, opposed to setting out 5 hours to not study.

If you have any questions about F’ing SMART goal setting; comment on this post, comment on my Facebook, or message me on Facebook!

-Jade

This post contains links to product pages, but I was not compensated in any way for them. The header photo is not mine.