How are your New Year’s resolutions coming?

That’s obviously a trick question: I know you don’t make resolutions; YOU set goals! Here’s my goal-setting strategy.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, a 9-to-5 office worker, or a stay-at-home parent, you need goals. You will have no idea where you are going and if you’re making progress in the absence of them. Setting goals using the SMART methodology is an excellent way to get started. It is a method of writing goals that follow specific criteria. So what are “SMART” goals anyway?

It is generally accepted that the SMART acronym was codified in 1981 by George T. Doran, a consultant and former Director of Corporate Planning for Washington Water Power Company, in a paper entitled “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives.” In his paper, Doran provided some clarification for readers on applying the SMART acronym:

“‘How do you write meaningful objectives?’- that is, frame a statement of results to be achieved, Managers are confused by all the verbal from seminars, books, magazines, consultants, and so on. Let me suggest therefore, that when it comes to writing effective objectives, corporate officers, managers, and supervisors just have to think of the acronym SMART. Ideally speaking, each corporate, department and section objective should be: (SMART).”

— GEORGE T. DORAN

So, what’s your goal-setting technique? And how do you measure your success? Hit me back, I’d love to know!