SMART-ER goals

Written By Conor McCarthy

We have all heard about SMART goals. And some of us might know about SMARTER goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Evaluate, and Reward.).

But a simple rewrite to the 'ER' part that I heard recently on Dr. Richard MacKinnon's fantastic WorkLifePsych podcast changed my goalsetting the most...

Instead of:

E = Evaluate

R =Reward

Instead:

E = Enthusiasm

R = Revisit

Are you Enthusiastic about your goals? Enthusiasm towards your goals might be the biggest predictor of goal success. Not being enthusiastic means they will fall to the back of your daily schedule.

Revisit. Do you Revisit your goals often? If your goals aren't obvious, or you aren't being reminded of them frequently, they tend to slip to the back of your mind.

If the SMART part is about the actual goal, the ER part is about you. Are you paying enough attention to it?

Conor McCarthy http://www.conormccarthy.me
Previous

Tension creates action.
Next

When the goal is to build a business, where does the founder begin?