SMART Goals Examples

By Inspiware Staff Writer

Boston, MA | Updated 30 Mar, 2021

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You always hear about setting SMART goals as in Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals and objectives. Yes, SMART goals are great. The question is how to set goals that are SMART and not ambiguous and non-specific? A ton of theoretical articles exist all over the web, but here are some smart goals examples for you to review, learn, internalize, and implement in your career and life.

SMART goals examples help you in understand the nuance and subtlety in transforming any goal into a SMART goal.

SMART GOAL Examples:

The examples of the left are all good intentions, but without specificity, measurability, attainability, relevancy, and time-limits, they remain good intentions. The goals on the left are not truly actionable. The rephrasing and recasting on the right-hand column follow the key tenets of the SMART goals.

Current Goal	Revised SMART Goal
“I want to lose weight.”	I want to lose weight by limiting my daily diet to 1800 calories, eating fish two times a day, and exercising 30-minutes every other day, and on both weekends.
“Improve marketing within large accounts.”	Adopt an account-based marketing approach by Spring of 2020, and then implement “ABCD” software to realize the process by Fall 2020, and train the sales and accounts teams in learning the new process and software before the end of Winter 2021.
“Reskills our employees to the digital age.”	Hire “ABCD” training firm and implement their “Digital Core” program across North America by April 2020.
“I want to travel more.”	In September 2020, after schools start and tourist explosion diminishes, I will visit the Budapest and Prague and while driving between them take advantage of other sightseeing opportunities.
“Improve Candidate Experience during Hiring.”	“Implement <XYZ> application tracking system and adhere to making a decision within 30-days and keeping the candidate abreast of all milestones and decisions via email or phone every week.”
“Keep the office kitchen clean.”	“Every evening after office hours, use Roomba to pick up food dropped on the floor, empty and clean the fridge every Friday, and to reduce waste eliminate single-use plastics and replace with durable wear.”
“I want to achieve work-life balance.”	“At least three days a week, I will go home to eat dinner with my family, and twice a week take yoga class during lunch, make every Friday, a date night with my spouse, and over weekends, I will limit work to two-hour blocks when kids are still asleep.”

Practical Exercise to Use the Smart Goals Examples:

Here is a practical exercise you can do with your own goals. On a sheet of paper (or on your computer), set up a sheet for various types of goals. Write several goals – self-development, travel, mindfulness, raising kids, retirement, job relocation, promotion, education or what have you – as you normally write them. And then paying attention to the 5-tenets of the SMART goals, rewrite them again. Then prioritize a few goals you want to take on and work on them. If you want, you can download Inspiware.com’s SMART Goals Template and get going.