SMART GOALS…Time Bound or Timeless?
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound. These are the attributes that make up what many of us refer to as SMART goals. The use of SMART goals is not new and they are often touted as an effective tool to promote behavior change. So let me go on the record that I am not anti-SMART goals by any means. I do however, in certain instances, take pause with the time bound piece. Let’s take a quick look at each component of the SMART goal.
Make it specific. One of the top responses I hear when I ask about a health goal or vision is “I want to be healthier”. Great, you are pursuing good health and ready to take action! However, how are you defining healthier? Is it lowering your blood pressure or cholesterol, losing weight, or perhaps it’s staying more connected with friends and/or family or getting a better handle on your finances. Regardless of what your end goal is, this step in the SMART goal process can be tremendously helpful to identify the specific action that will help you achieve the outcome. For instance, let’s say you want to lower your blood pressure by managing your stress better. Rather than say I will manage my stress better, you identify a specific action to help manage your stress, perhaps meditation.
Now that you’ve identified meditation as the action you would like to take, how are you going to hold yourself accountable? This measurable component allows you to track and gauge how you are doing with the chosen action. Let’s say you want to start with meditating for 5 minutes 3 times a week. You will now have quantifiable data to gauge your progress.
Next we discern if it is attainable and realistic. Does 5 minutes of meditation 3 times a week feel like something you can actually do right now? Is it a realistic expectation? This doesn’t mean it won't be challenging but it also shouldn’t feel like an impossible undertaking. I like to ask myself this question, ”If I’m having a really hectic week, does this truly feel not only possible, but probable?”
Then we arrive at time bound. This involves setting a deadline or end date for carrying out said action. How this looks can depend on the goal. If you’ve been putting off getting that gym membership, maybe it is setting the goal to sign up for a gym membership by the end of the month. This works well because having a deadline to complete the task creates a sense of urgency. If we don’t set a time frame to complete the task, it can wind up in the “I’ll do it later” pile.
With many goals, the time bound piece can be a double edged sword. Let’s go back to the goal we set to help better manage stress to improve blood pressure. “I will meditate 5 minutes 3 times a week.” If we add the time bound piece, it might look like “I will meditate 5 minutes 3 times a week for the next 4 weeks”. The endpoint can help it feel more approachable, more startable. Here’s the concern though, when we use SMART goals to help build a practice we need to keep in mind the time bound component will get us started BUT we also need to recognize we are working to build a lifelong practice. If you find yourself shirking at the idea of lifelong, you’re not alone. That’s a long time (at least we hope).
This is where another component might offer vast value. Evaluation. It takes me back to my nursing days and the ADPIE nursing process. As I write this I’m thinking maybe I should’ve written about how to apply ADPIE to behavior change. The two are actually very similar in nature, and the evaluation element is incredibly powerful and can serve us well in making sure what we are doing is appropriate and effective.
So it’s not that I don’t find value in the time bound component. However, I think it’s really important to have an awareness of the ultimate outcome we are striving for when we begin. I also really love the specificity piece and how we assign an action to our intention. When we consider the time bound piece I might consider, is this a task oriented goal (like getting signed up for the gym membership), or is this a practice oriented goal (like actually going to the gym 3 times a week)? Merriam Webster defines a practice as “a repeated or customary action or the usual way of doing something”. While there are certainly task oriented goals that can help us optimize our well-being, we might find the biggest benefits in the practice oriented goals (think lifestyle habits). When we use SMART goals with a practice oriented goal, consider that the time bound component marks an evaluation check point. Does the action feel effective? Is it time to increase the potency/frequency or do I still need to work on consistency? I would also offer that even once we have an established practice, it’s a good idea to evaluate from time to time. What felt realistic or relevant at one point in our life might shift. Teaser for my next post, practice does not make perfect.
“Begin with the end in mind.” ~ Franklin Covey