Who developed the SMART acronym
The SMART acronym was developed in the 1980s by George T. Doran, a professor at the University of Georgia. In the mid-1980s, the concept was popularized by management author and consultant Peter Drucker. Drucker claimed he heard the concept from George Doran. He also pointed out that the acronym has been around since at least the 1950s, when it was used by management consultant Walter Shewhart. Drucker, however, has sometimes been erroneously cited as the originator of the concept and acronym. The concept of SMART goals has been criticized for its inability to address the "why" behind a goal. Some academics have also criticized the SMART acronym for being too simplistic and not addressing other aspects of goal setting such as goal difficulty or goal commitment.
What Does SMART Mean?
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. SMART goals are a good way to ensure that your goals are well-defined and effective.
Specific: A good goal is specific. It's clear what you need to do and what you want to achieve. For example, "I want to improve my sales" is not a good goal. "I want to make at least $100,000 in sales this year" is better. "I want to increase my sales by 10% each month" is even better.
Measurable: A good goal is measurable. You should be able to measure your progress toward your goal. For example, "I want to improve my sales" is not a good goal. "I want to make at least $100,000 in sales this year" is better. "I want to increase my sales by 10% each month" is even better.
Attainable: A good goal is attainable. It's something you can achieve if you work hard enough at it. For example, "I want to buy a Ferrari" is not a good goal. "I want to earn enough money to buy a Ferrari in the next three years" is better. "I want to earn enough money to buy a Ferrari in the next two years" is even better.
Realistic: A good goal is realistic. It's something that you can achieve given your current circumstances and capabilities. For example, "I want to become the president of the United States" is not a good goal (unless you're planning on running for office). "I want to earn enough money this year that I can take a month off and travel around the world" is better. "I want to earn enough money this year that I can take two weeks off and travel around the world" is even better.
Timely: A good goal is timely. It's something that you need to do now or in the near future. For example, "I want to buy a Ferrari when I retire" is not a good goal.
Why SMART goals are effective
Smart goals are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and time-bound. They are clear and unambiguous, which means that they are easy to understand and follow. They can be quantified, which means that you can measure them precisely.
They can be implemented because they are actionable. They are also important to you, because they are relevant to your life. And they have a deadline, which means that you have a time limit in which to achieve them. If your goal does not have a deadline, it is not a smart goal. It is a wish or an aspiration. You can aspire to achieve anything you want, but without a deadline you will never achieve it. You will never take action if you do not have a deadline.
You will never achieve anything if you do not take action! So, the first step to achieving your goal is to set yourself a smart goal with a deadline. That’s the first step of the SMART goal setting process. The next step is to break down your smart goal into smaller, more manageable steps or actions that will get you closer to achieving your goal.
These smaller steps or actions are called action steps or action items and they make up the second step of the SMART goal setting process.
The third step of the SMART goal setting process is to break down each action step into even smaller steps or tasks that will get you closer to completing each action step or task. This third step is called task analysis and it makes up the third step of the SMART goal setting process. The fourth and final step of the SMART goal setting process is to monitor your progress on your smart goals by measuring your performance against each action step or task and by reviewing your progress every day, week or month.