Latest News
I’m Stopping Blogging…
about Blogging at ThomasSinfield.com.
I have been thinking about things and discussing ideas with a few other bloggers, and have come to the decision that starting a blog about blogging with my name as the domain name probably wasn’t the smartest idea. I always aimed to create my blog to be a valuable business - but […]
How to set SMART goals for 2008!
Posted In: Business Principles December 27, 2007
With next week being 2008 I figured it was about time to start talking about setting goals for next year.
There are two type of goals you can set:
- SMART goals
- Dumb goals
Here is an example of some dumb goals!
- I will make more money than last year from my blog
- I will regularly post on my blog
- I will make a million dollars online next year
- I want to grow the traffic to my blog
- I will spend time working on the SEO of my blog
Why are these goals dumb?
Before I can show you why these goals are dumb (if you haven\’t worked it out already), I have to show you exactly what makes up a smart goal. As you may have guessed SMART is an acronym that shows you the integral parts of a smart goal.
SMART Goals
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Relevan
T - Time Bound
Lets take a look at each of these essential building blocks individually:
1. Specific
To make a goal specific we have to look at the 5 ‘W\’s
Why?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
There is more chance of you being motivated by a goal that is specific as it gives you steps to achieve them not just a pie in the sky statement.
Lets look at the first of our dumb goals:
I will make more money than last year from my blog
A SMART version of this goal would be:
I will make an extra $100 a month from my blog through direct sales, affiliate promotion and Google Adsense
Now you have set a specific amount you will make which allows you to track your progress as well as the way you aim to achieve it.
2. Measurable
You have to make sure that you can measure your goals to make sure that you have reached them, or just to keep tabs on how you are traveling with them.
If you cannot measure your goal, you cannot manage your goal
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
3. Attainable
The reason I threw in the following dumb goal:
I will make a million dollars online next year
Is because I see a lot of new bloggers make statements like this - maybe not as big, but that is just it. They just pluck a number out of the air that they would like to make but we all know there is no chance that they will make it. Not because they can’t, but because of they way they have set their goal.
If you can explain how you will make the million dollars they maybe I will give you the benefit of the doubt. If you can make it specific and measurable, then maybeI will think you have a small chance of making it. Just don’t set goals that just pluck a figure out of the air just for the sake of having a goal.
4. Relevant
When you are looking at planning your long and short term goals is there a link between the two? Do your goals parallel each other? Make sure each goal is consistent with other goals you have established and fits with your immediate and long-term range plans.
5. Time Bound
It is no use having a specific and attainable goals if you do not give yourself a time frame to complete them within.
I will spend time working on the SEO of my blog
Looking at this goal it doesn’t really motivate you at all. I would change it to something similar to this:
I will write 1 keyword targeted articles and comment at least 2 new blogs each day for the next 30 days
This type of goal is so much easier to attain because each day you can go ‘Ok, I need to write one article and comment at least 2 new blogs each day’ and it gives you something to do to complete your goal. Instead of just an airy statement about spending time on working on your SEO.
So when you start looking at setting goals for 2008, make the SMART choice and set SMART goals!
Rate This Post:
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...If you liked this article, please...
 |
Subscribe to RSS | |
Subscribe Via Email |  |
Add To Technorati |
8 Comments Digg This | Stumble it! | Delicious Subscribe To Full Feed
Going full-time into internet marketing,
I split my time between my blogs,
affiliate marketing and my blog design
company.
Thank fook your posts are back.
I r wan 2 mak 2 million dolla on my blog next month. Possible, you think? hehe
The University Kid’s last blog post..John Cow Theme Ripper - The Truth
Nicely explained. If you earn $100 a month and just set goal you will earn more, on $101 a month your goal will be reached.
acca’s last blog post..Dont pretend be someone else in internet business
I disagree that a broad goal is a dumb goal.
My goal for next year is to optmize my site for search and to implement a search engine marketing program.
I am creating an entire project plan for it which will go into detail on how I will measure this goal, what my benefits will be, and what I am currently losing by not having a sem program in place.
A goal doesn’t have to be specific. A project does. You can create whatever goal you want.
Say you want to increase the value of your newsletter for you readers. That is very broad. The project that you create to do this needs to have the specifics. Such as how, when, why and the pros/cons of doing so.
You can’t have a dumb goal. All goals are smart in that you are trying to improve yourself or your project in some way. You will definetly need to find a way of measuring your goal, and I feel that you can do this in your project.
hey adam. But you are saying that you set a plan to accomplish your goals. I would classify this plan as part of your goal which would make it specific,wouldnt you?
As long as you make a plan then it is not a dumb goal. I just think people making statements like ‘I want to make a million dollars a year’ are setting dumb goals if they have nothing to back up how they are going to do it.
Yes.. SMART goals is very important…
Set your target and you can achieve with good planning..
I just write some of my target by doing SMART system.. Let’s do it for next year…
Tom
I understand what you are saying about being able to quantify your goals so that you can measure them. Goals should also be realistic, but I feel that if you set a goal for yourself in any way you are trying to improve yourself and therefore it is not dumb.
If you want I made a short blog post about it, check it out.
There is no such thing as a “dumb” goal
Adam
Adam’s last blog post..There is no such thing as a ?dumb? goal
SMART doesn’t actually make your goals smart, it makes them actionable. For a goal to really be smart it has to make a difference to you (if personal) or to your business.
For example: A goal that says “Work out 3 days a week for 50 out of 52 weeks next year” meets all of the SMART criteria. However, that’s an activity. Your goal is probably to lose weight, increase strength or something similar. Set that as you goal. Working out 3 days a week for 50 out of 52 weeks isn’t going to help if you increase you stop at McDonald’s after each workout!
The goal about making $100 is a positive change to your business. The goal to create keyword entries and comments is not. What if no one responds? Your business won’t be any better off than if you didn’t do that at all. You goal should be what you want to accomplish through your writing and commeting. Thay way, if you aren’t accomplishing it, you can change tactics.
Goals should be about change, not activity.
I like the SMART Goals method but I tweaked a little to better suit my needs. The most important thing when setting goals is be focus on the end result
Bigrayvin’s last blog post..Day 1 - Immediate Goals