The Power of SMART Goals
Have you found yourself giving up on a goal you wanted to achieve? Feel like it’s too much with your schedule? Or maybe you think that goal was too big to achieve?
We are four months into 2026, and a common issue that many individuals face is either realizing their New Year Goal was unrealistic or giving the goal up. We all make goals for the new years and we try to hold onto them but sometimes it can become overwhelming and stressful knowing that we were unable to stick with them. Our goals often come from areas where we want to improve and we make these goals to make ourselves happier. However, oftentimes those goals can be very rigid and strict leading to us giving up or forgetting about them.
Try to think of a goal you wanted to accomplish for the New Year or in general. Were you able to follow through? Or did responsibilities and exhaustion take over? What holds you back from following through?
SMART Goals
It is never too late to give up a goal. What we can change is how we make those goals. One way to help make simple, specific, and directive goals is to use SMART Goals.
SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The goals we make clearly state what needs to be done, can be measured to track progress, is realistic, makes sense and fits a purpose, and has a timeline for completion.
Here are some examples of SMART goals:
If your goal is to journal instead of making the goal to just journal, think when you want to do it, what the focus will be, and how long you want to do it for.
- I will write in my journal for 10 minutes every evening at 8 PM, focusing on my day, for the next week to improve my focus and be mindful of my day.
If your goal is to workout, think of a focus area, when you can exercise, and why you are exercising.
- I will workout for an hour every morning at 7 AM, focusing on my cardio, for the next two weeks to help regulate my breathing and be more energetic.
If your goal is to improve study time, focus on what topics, how much time you can commit to studying, and why you are studying.
I will study calculus every Friday for an hour starting at 2 PM, for the next month to help me understand the material and to prepare for the exam.
It may feel like a hassle to sit and think how long you will do a goal, or when to do it. But by being specific, using measurements, and setting a timeline allows you to make realistic goals that you can follow through.
Remember
It is okay to not accomplish a goal. Sometimes you get so busy it is hard to focus on the goal itself. When you are mentally exhausted, it can also be hard to do things. SMART goals help you be realistic and relevant to your needs and take into consideration your availability. Not everyone has free time on a specific day or it may be hard for some to even get started with a goal.
Your therapist can help work with you to provide more detailed information about SMART goals and brainstorm with you what works for you. SMART goals are not just for new years goals but can help with boundary setting, conflict management, and even communication. SMART goals are catered for each individual, we can all say that we want to eat less sugar but how we do it will be different. SMART goals allow us to take into consideration our lifestyle, habits, and ability to accomplish a goal.
References:
SAMHSA - SMART Goals Fact Sheet
https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/nc-smart-goals-fact-sheet.pdf
National Library of Medicine - Goal Setting and Action Planning for Health Behavior Change By Ryan R. Bailey