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- How To Set Effective Goals
Welcome to the Empire of One newsletter—the resource that teaches you lessons, strategies, and mindsets for building digital businesses as a solopreneur.
This week’s issue is about setting effective goals using the S.M.A.R.T. framework
Average read time: 3.5 minutes
Achieving lofty goals is not an easy feat.
A lot of people are big dreamers, but only a small percentage of them turn their dreams into achievements.
So what’s the usual approach?
You set a goal.
At first, the motivation is high. You make a bit of progress, but it seems like a small drop in such a large ocean.
You start to get discouraged.
And ultimately that goal gets put on the shelf and starts collecting dust.
Sound familiar?
How to Set Effective Goals
If you want to achieve what you’re aiming for, you've got to learn to set effective goals.
With the right framework in place, you can shift the odds in your favor.
Introducing the S.M.A.R.T. Framework
The SMART goal framework is a proven method for increasing the likelihood you will complete your goals.
It’s all about being intentional with your goal setting. It helps in structuring goals in a way that makes it easy to reflect on what’s working and where you can improve.
So let’s break it down:
Specific
Clearly define your goal, so you know exactly what you are working towards. Break it down into one or two sentences to cut any confusion as to what you are pursuing.
Be concise.
I want to increase my subscriber count for my email newsletter.
Measurable
Construct your goal in a way that allows you to track your progress. Including measurable parameters will give you something to reflect on.
Give yourself a benchmark to strive for.
I want to increase my subscriber count for my email newsletter to 500 active subscribers.
Achievable
Be realistic about what you can accomplish. Consider your current resources, skills, and time-constraints. It’s great to be ambitious, but if you keep failing at your goals it’s a quick way to get discouraged and give up altogether.
Be honest with yourself.
I want to increase my subscriber count for my email newsletter to 500 active subscribers by being consistent and promoting it on my social media accounts.
Relevant
Your goal should align with the vision of what you want to achieve. It should be relevant to your personal or professional life in a way that it will improve your life in some way.
I want to increase my subscriber count for my email newsletter to 500 active subscribers by being consistent and promoting it on my social media accounts, so I can grow my network and help more people succeed in building their own digital businesses.
Time-Bound
Give your goal a deadline. Creating a sense of urgency is a great method for keeping yourself accountable.
It also gives you an opportunity to reflect on your goal overall.
Set a realistic timeline for achieving your goal and work backwards from there to create a plan of action.
I want to increase my subscriber count for my email newsletter to 500 active subscribers by the end of 2023 by being consistent and promoting it on my social media accounts, so I can grow my network and help more people succeed in building their own digital businesses.
Try It Out!
So the next time you set a goal, try out the S.M.A.R.T. framework.
Making your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound is an effective method for providing clarity around your goals and improving your odds of achieving them.
That’s it for this issue. Be sure to follow along on Twitter for daily insight on building your Empire of One.