Setting goals visually and using the SMART Structure can help you succeed by bringing clarity to your business or project by narrowing the goal into smaller project “sprints.” It helps you to gain clarity and track individual time-bound projects to reach your ultimate goals.

So what is a SMART Structure?

SMART is an acronym that stands for:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-bound

What is a Project Sprint?

Sprints are project segments that help you to achieve your bigger goals by breaking it up into smaller more achievable goals. For example, if you want to make a million dollars in one year, you have to bring clarity to how you will accomplish that goal by setting up measurable time-bound project sprints to get you to the final results.

How Does This Work and Why Use this Structure?

Most people write down their goals by creating a list of what they want to achieve with a broad picture of their goals. Then, most people walk away from it and forget about it.

Instead, if you use a system that lets you outline the ways to achieve the goals, you are more likely to stick to it and break through.

Using the SMART acronym structure allows you to gain more clarity by making sure you have all of the SMART components in smaller achievable sprints in a clear and time-bound format to make you more accountable for achieving success. Having clarity with a structure and time-frame helps to create goals that are realistic and achievable. By breaking your projects up into smaller sprints using the SMART structure, you can track your goals and measure how you are doing.

This can provide amazing insight to learn and grow. Being specific with smaller project sprints will help you to focus on more achievable segments of your goals within a specific amount of time.

Using the SMART Structure

This Structure is best used for individual project sprints for your business, professional life, project or personal goals. Think about your overall goals and break it up into a project sprint.

Specific

The idea of the SMART structure is to set a smaller, more realistic goal that help you set a path to your larger goal. It is important to be very Specific here and not just generic. Write down your goals and be sure to set specific numbers. For example, increase profits by $5,000 this quarter or lose 10 pounds this month.

Measurable

Every Specific goal needs to be Measurable. Set a deadline or benchmark to measure and evaluate your goal. For example, checking in on the budget daily or your weight weekly, will help you measure how you are doing.

Achievable

Obviously your goal needs to be something Achievable. For example, if you have a goal of sending out a million emails individually on a small budget, it isn’t very feasible to do in a month. A more achievable goal would be to send out 1,000 emails everyday and reach 90,000 by the end of the quarter. You can stretch this goal to 120,000 to push yourself beyond in a realistic and achievable way.

Realistic

Realistic goals are similar to achievable goals. The difference is that achievable is something that maybe could be achieved if you work 24 hours a day, but it is not realistic for you to do so. Sending 1,000 emails everyday individually might be achievable if you can spend 5 hours a day doing so, but it might not be realistic if you have other responsibilities and do not have the time to do that. So even though the goal is technically achievable, it’s not realistic.

Time-bound

Setting a Time boundary on your SMART goal is vital in this structure to provide a measurable result. An end date makes you accountable and forces you to take action and stay on track. It gives you the opportunity to evaluate your success and create the next short term task using the results to learn and grow. For example, send emails everyday for 90 days.

Stay on track and check in regularly

The SMART structure only works if you check in and use it to stay on track and measure your results. It lets you evaluate your target goals and learn and grow as you work towards your ultimate goals.