What I mean by smart, is nothing but the most logical way of organizing things in a predetermined setting, so that they become simpler to follow. So do not get scared of the topic heading. The setting for the smart goal being easy and not confusing is the word SMART itself.

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Realism
T – Tangible

Let us start with the first letter S for SPECIFIC. While setting a goal and in fact planning in general, specific can be the deciding factor between a terrible and brilliant goal.

When you plan or set a goal, all the entities involved, like places, people, finances, objectives, and any other requirements for the planning should be specific. Say, an individual is responsible for doing a particular job for an organization, that individual should be given a designation, and not just the department that is represented by that individual.

The second point starts with the letter M and is MEASURABLE. When you are specific with the goals, then your next step would be to be tangible.

The tangibility of the goal should be able to be measured. This measurement will be the means to assess the progress of the goal. Many experts call it quantifiable.

By this, you can say that we mean something that has quantity, or something you can count. For example, you can say that “We require ten thousand to print the company’s annual report” than say “we require several thousands to print”.

The third letter of smart is A and stands for ATTAINABLE. This word has something to do with ideas. If your goal is confusing, then there are chances that you can get weighed down and your goal will become a dream.

Having a dream is a good thing. In fact, most discoveries, inventions and ideas are usually thrust by a dream. But when you need to plan smartly, to realize your dream, you need to have goals that are attainable or achievable. If a goal does not have the first two parts, i.e., specific and measurability, then it can never be attainable.

You may think as to how your goals are attainable. That should be simple. If the source of your finance is less than the financial part of the plan or goal, then there would be a problem in attaining the goal.

Similarly, if the manpower currently present in your organization is not enough to take on the work load being planned, then it looks like that the goal/plan that you have set is not smart as it is not attainable.

Problems of planning do not necessarily lie only with finance and manpower, but can also be of time. Take an example of you planning for a house warming party in 3 months, but it will take at least 6 months to finish the house. Do you think this is attainable?

The fourth letter of smart is R which stands for REALISM. Be realistic in your goals. Being realistic is being honest with yourself. So, be honest, especially in your abilities to complete your goals.

Any planning or setting of goals requires a lot of hard work, especially on implementation. If the plan is beneath the level you are capable of, then you tend to become lazy and this will affect your productivity. So you must remember to balance care with confidence.

The main reason for planning and setting goals is to improve your performance. You will need to plan so that there is also improvement for the better.

The last letter in smart is T and stands for TANGIBLE. Being tangible is the capability of being touched or felt i.e., a tangible thing can be subjected to the five senses. Tangible is related to being real, and your plan is real if it is specific, measurable and attainable.

Author's Bio: 

MindMaster is a personal development program that has helped thousands of people effectively set their personal goals through computer based messages reflecting positive thinking , and is used by professionals around the world. You can download and try the program Free by visiting http://www.MindMaster.TV.