- Amy Jacques, M.S. Ed.
- CPC, ELI-MP
- CLDS, CTDS
- 19 Main Street, New Milford, CT, 06776, Suite 3
- 860-222-0797
- amy@aspireself.com
A quick guide to effective goal setting
You have a goal you want to achieve, but how do you most effectively go about achieving that goal? You can’t just think it or even just write it down. You have to think about a meaningful purpose, set some action plans, and set a deadline. Otherwise, as `Antoine de Saint-Exupéry says, “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”
You need to decide how much energy you will put into your goal
AIM is a measurement for this; it stands for acceptable, ideal, and middle. We further define AIM as; acceptable means the minimum effort you can put in, ideal is the maximum effort you can put in, and middle effort means finding a place in the middle of acceptable and ideal. This way, you are not overwhelmed and do not risk not attempting the goal.
Make Sure Your Goal is S.M.A.R.T.
Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Timely.
Specific
In detail, write down your goal.
Measurable
Can you see, in your goal, that you don’t have something, and then you do?
Action-Oriented
Does this goal require that you do something?
Realistic
Is this goal within the realm of your wheelhouse? Is it something you can do?
Timely
Do you have a deadline, a start, and a stop time?