A SMART Goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (smart goals acronym). Download our printable goal setting excel template to create and track your SMART goal, including a section for listing key steps and a log for monitoring your progress. Further, You can use it for Excel, Google Sheets, or as an editable PDF. Continue reading below to learn more about goal setting and how to use this template.
What are Smart objectives?
Your goals should be clear and concise with a scope narrow enough to help you focus on what you need to do to achieve it. A short version of the goal may not have all the details pertaining to S.M.A.R.T., but using this goal setting worksheet helps you include the extra details. Here are a few examples that include both the measure and the time frame.
- I will lose 20 lbs by Oct 10, 2021
- Will sign 5 new clients to increase sales by Feb 31, 2021
- I will increase the open rate of emails by 20% in the next 2 months.
- Our business will go paperless within 6 months.
You may want to include the main primary purpose of the goal within the main description. In the above examples, this could be done by adding “so that [purpose]” to the end of each of the goals.
This is a very simple template for creating a concise SMART goal:
Basic SMART goal example template: I will [action] [measure] by [time] so that [purpose].
To help make your goal more specific and narrow the scope, ask yourself if you have adequately defined the Why, When, Where, Who, and How.
Smart goals definition
Your goal should be measurable, to know if you have achieved the end goal, and you can also track the progress by measuring along the way.
The MEASURE section at the bottom of the worksheet provides a place for you to keep a log of your progress. For a weight-loss goal, you can record your weight each period. For a business goal, you can record the number of new contacts, sales numbers, etc.
Smart target action plan
Identify the challenges you may come across and the resources you’ll need is an important part of goal setting. Take the time to fill in some of those details in the CHALLENGES section of the worksheet.
The KEY STEPS section is another useful tool to help you create a plan to achieve your goal by breaking it down into smaller attainable steps. Some of these steps may be directly related to the challenges and resources that you mentioned.
For example, part of a weight loss goal might be to
(1) purchase a bathroom scale
(2) sign up with a physical trainer at your favorite gym
(3) sign up for the Pilates class
(4) download and begin using a health tracking app, etc.
If achieving your goal requires the event of recent habits or routines, you will have to implement some variety of tracking and accountability system beyond just occasionally measuring. Memory triggers can even be a giant help. it’s beyond the scope of this page to deal with the methods for developing good habits, but there are many books on the topic – “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg is one I enjoyed.
RELEVANT(smart goals stands for)
A goal is relevant when it has a definite beneficial purpose. So, this goal setting worksheet has a section for recording the PURPOSE of the goal. Why are you trying to achieve this goal? What are the benefits?
The purpose is often the main motivation for achieving the goal, so do not skip this part of the goal setting worksheet. The purpose is so important that you may want to include the primary purpose within the concise definition of the goal like I mentioned in the SPECIFIC section above.
TIME-BOUND
A goal is time-bound activity with clear start and end date. Defining a completion date is a very important step. It’s human nature to postpone the work, so if you don’t have a specific deadline or completion date, you are may not achieve your goal.
Try to make realistic data to help you in setting a goal date. Remember that your goal should be achievable. For example, losing 2-3 pounds per week may be achievable with a basic diet and exercise routine, so a goal to lose 20 pounds in 2 months may be a reasonable time frame.
