For us mere mortals, turning a dream into reality is no simple feat. You might have dozens of goals for the upcoming month, year, or even decade—but it's easy to get overwhelmed and lose motivation, and then your goals fizzle into sad, broken dream shards before you even get started. So how do you break the mold? 

The first step: understanding your objective in the first place. SMART goals help you clarify your intentions, create a solid plan of action, and actually start achieving your goals.

What is a SMART goal? 

The idea of the SMART goal was first proposed by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. The SMART goals acronym originally stood for "Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time-bound," but the system has gone through several versions and evolutions since. Today, the most popular version of a SMART goal stands for:

• Specific 

• Measurable 

• Achievable

• Relevant

• Time-bound

Regardless of the particular words you choose to use, the common thread is that the SMART approach should give you a clear framework for setting goals and expecting outcomes. It's a way to turn your vague aspirations into logical, realistic projects that you can tackle with confidence. 

For example, you might have a hazy desire to become a novelist, launch a successful startup, or get in shape someday. But as they say, when something can be done anytime, it gets done at no time. 

On the other hand, what gets measured gets done. Instead of dreaming of becoming a novelist, you'll have much better luck if you set a specific goal—like completing a creative writing class, joining a writing group, or writing 300 pages of a manuscript—and then give yourself a deadline. These goals should be easy to measure, relevant to your overall values, and something you can realistically achieve.

How to write SMART goals

The best way to create a SMART goal is to apply each word in the acronym to your vague idea as you refine it into a clear, straightforward plan of action. 

For example, a startup founder's overall ambition might be to build the most successful business in the industry, but—while admirable—that doesn't give them much to work with. Let's practice by clarifying this idea into a SMART goal.

1. Make it specific

First, choose one specific outcome. There's nothing wrong with having vague ambitions, but when it comes to getting things done, you need to focus on one concrete step at a time. 

Ask yourself what one outcome will take you closer to your larger ambition. What's the most important thing to achieve next, and how will you get it done? For example, a specific goal for our B2B business owner might be to increase signups.

2. Make it measurable

Next, decide how you'll measure your goal's success. Every good goal has clear success criteria, which helps relieve indecision and streamline movement from one task to the next. 

In our example, the B2B business owner might choose a metric, like sales outreach, and decide on a benchmark that seems reasonable.

3. Make it achievable

Each goal should be something you know is actually possible. This provides the confidence and clarity you need to reach the larger goal. When setting tasks, take the time to understand your strengths and limitations (time, skills, and resources) and how they'll affect each task so you can keep tasks achievable.

4. Make it relevant

Next, make sure this goal lines up with your overall values or business strategy. 

Personal goals should help you get closer to your ideal self, and they should feel worth the effort. It should also feel like the right time to work toward the goal. For instance, you might want to plant a garden, but it wouldn't be a good idea to start on that goal in the winter. 

If you're setting a goal for your company or team, it should contribute to your organization's larger aims. Ask yourself if you're the right person (or your team is the best fit) to work toward the goal. Is this the right time and is it worth placing your focus on this goal right now?

If the answer is yes, you're good to keep planning your goal. If not, you might want to table the idea for a later time.

5. Make it time-bound

Finally, set a realistic deadline for achieving the goal. Give yourself enough time—but not too much. 

If you have month-long deadlines for a task that will take you three hours, you're much more likely to procrastinate and delay your overall progress. Don't sign up for more than you can handle, but make sure there's enough of a time gap to keep you focused.

SMART goals template

Once you've thought through each word in the acronym, transform your goal into a clear, concise sentence or two. Your SMART goal should define your aim, deadline, and measurable criteria. Here's a template you can follow, but feel free to put your own spin on it.

SMART goals examples

Want to see a planning session in action? Here are a few examples of SMART goals to show you how you might turn a vague idea into a SMART goal—complete with a time frame and clear path to victory.

Tips for creating SMART goals

Now that you have a clearer idea of what SMART goals are and how to build one, let's look at a few ways to simplify the SMART goal setting (and achievement) process. 

Use a SMART goal generator

Looking for inspiration? I built a SMART goal generator chatbot using Zapier Chatbots to help you get the creative juices flowing. It'll ask you a couple questions, then spit out a SMART goal for you, including a clear description of your goal and even a few action steps for getting there. 

Get your plan into a project management or to-do list app

Writing down your SMART goal will help you organize your thoughts, but it won't help you stay on track daily. Your best bet is to transfer your plan to an app where you'll regularly keep tabs on its progress.

For some goals, you might want a project management tool. For others, a task management or to-do list app is sufficient. Or maybe you just need a habit tracker. It's tough to know which is best for your unique situation, so here are some criteria to consider when picking a home for your goal plan:

• Does your goal require collaboration or rely on the work of others?

• Does your SMART plan include many and frequent tasks and subtasks?

• Do you need to keep track of completed tasks for later?

• Does complex software with a lot of options distract you?

Generally, project management software is better when collaboration and multiple tasks, subtasks, and assignments are required. Task management and to-do apps provide varying levels of complexity but are focused more on organizing yourself versus organizing a team or company goal. Or if you like to stay organized with spreadsheets, you might use Google Sheets or Airtable to track deadlines and action items. And if you're building a habit, dedicated habit trackers are purpose-built for it.

Personally, I like to brainstorm first and get organized later—which makes Notion the perfect app for me. If you're also a Notion obsessive, feel free to adapt my Notion goals template to your needs. Or, if you're more analog when it comes to goal-tracking, learn how you can build the perfect productivity system with paper notebooks and digital tools.

Regardless of which system you choose, try not to view all your tasks at once. Stay focused on the very next step. Setting a daily or weekly filter on your dashboard or list can help you stay focused.

Automate your goal management

The less time you need to spend managing the administrative side of your goals, the more likely you are to stay on track. I recommend automating as much busywork as possible with Zapier. For instance, you might send action items from your to-do list to your calendar so you'll have visual reminders of what to work on and when.

You might also want to create regular reminders to check in on your goal progress. You can use Schedule by Zapier to create a task or reminder on a regular schedule.

And when it comes to the "measurable" aspect of the SMART system, it can be helpful to keep track of key metrics like time spent working on your goal. If you use a time-tracking app, you can use Zapier to send that information to a spreadsheet or other log. Then, when you reach key milestones on your goal, make a note of how long it took you to get there. Not only will tracking your time help gamify your progress, but it'll help you plan better timelines for future goals.

Start making progress the SMART way

When your ambitions are vague and open-ended, they can be overwhelming—which means you'll likely never get started on them. In most cases, the first step to reaching your goal is to fully understand it in the first place. 

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant, with a clear timeline to boot. Using the SMART method lets you design a clear, manageable path to your goal, without being overwhelmed by the big picture. And when we mere mortals use the right tools and strategies to integrate goals into our lives, it's much easier to turn those dreams into reality after all. 

Related reading:

• Meet your goals with quarterly and monthly check-ins

• Eat the frog: a practical approach to reaching your goals

• When to give up on a goal—and how to do it

This article was originally published in January 2017 by Jamie Irish. The most recent update was in June 2024.