By Suzanne Doad, MS, RD, LDN
How many people have set out to achieve lofty goals, whether it be in improving their health or another area of their lives, and ultimately failed to take the first step because it just felt too overwhelming? Big dreams become their own impediment when we are unable to put together a road map that will help us to get to where we want to be.
Behavior change is tough and you need a reliable approach to keep you on track. I’m a big believer in SMART goals; those that are Small, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Setting goals this way makes it more likely for you to accomplish small successes, each of which builds on the previous success, and ultimately helps you stay the course to completion. In the context of goal-setting, “slow and steady wins the race.” Implementing change in this manner also helps your new behaviors to become habits. For many, this is the desired outcome.
Five Criteria for Ensuring Goal Success
SMALL
It’s easier to make small changes rather than “go all out” from the start. While the later is also okay, keep in mind that it may make it more difficult to stay the course if what you’re working towards seems overwhelming. Small goals are easier to achieve and the success of each accomplishment is encouraging, facilitating the move forward in setting new goals that will get you to where you ultimately want to be.
MEASURABLE
A measurable goal is one that asks the questions, “how much?” or “how many?” These questions will help you determine when one goal has been accomplished and you are ready to move on to setting the next goal. Making your goals measurable will help keep you focused and give you something more tangible to work towards.
ACHIEVABLE
Keeping your goals realistic is an important aspect to consider in order to keep moving in the right direction. They should be challenging without being too overwhelming, which can lead to a stagnation in progress. When considering the achievability of your goal, it is necessary to take into account your abilities, resources, and time availability. If any of these are overstretched beyond their limits, your ability to accomplish your goal will be diminished.
RELEVANT
To determine a goal’s relevance, ask yourself, “how does this change align with what I have previously accomplished?” and “how does this change relate to what I’m trying to achieve overall?” Identifying the relevance of the desired objective, why it matters, and how it will be beneficial to you will help in determining whether or not it is one worth pursuing. Examine each new goal into the context of the overall plan so that time isn’t wasted in the process.
TIME-BOUND
This is perhaps the most simple of the criteria. Estimate the amount of time that it will take to implement a change based on previous experiences and give yourself a timeline for achieving each goal. Keeping in mind that you have a desired “date of completion” will help you to continue moving forward, setting new goals, and continuing to make progress.
Putting it into Practice
To put all of this into context, let’s look at an example:
“I want to change my eating habits in order to improve my digestion and overall health.”
How do you get started in order to achieve this goal?
A SMART goal for this desired behavior change could be:
“By the end of the next two weeks I will increase my fruit and vegetable intake by adding a serving of vegetables to my dinner and replacing my afternoon snack with a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts.”
This goal is small, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, which will help you be able to stay on track, feel a sense of accomplishment as you make progress, and gets you closer to your ultimate goal of improving your health.