Comments on: Why SMART Goals Don’t Work and How to Fix Them

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 04:29:34 +0000

Great article! I’m not a fan of SMART goals for huge things and totally agree with your theory. I recently read a book-(Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals – Hardcover (Dec. 23, 2010) by Heidi Grant Halvorson), an interesting read on this subject.

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:53:52 +0000

Its very true that if you set too rigid of goals you will be led to failure, But I believe that some level of rigidity really does help you reach your goals. I set the goal of completing p90x and eat more healthy, I know I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish that goal without setting a very rigid schedule. So maybe you need to find the happy medium between SMART goals the the very loose and fluid goals.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:32:06 +0000

I think the theme thing is a good way of looking at it. When you are looking at where you want to be in life, setting rigid SMART goals takes the fun out of it I suppose.

I prefer to keep things simple, so I pick targets of where I want to be, but work on the journey as we could be hit by a bus tomorrow. Ultimately, when you’ve reached a ‘goal’ you only have another one to set yourself, with a target – if you follow the SMART approach.

Nice one,

Chris

By: Maria | Never the Same River Twice

Maria | Never the Same River Twice — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:10:13 +0000

@Christopher – Absolutely! Share this far and wide and we might eventually rid ourselves of horrible strategic planning meetings!!

@Matt – I have most of my fun when I’m wandering

You’re right that in organizing a group you need some action items and objectives. I’m sure as an activist, though, you completely understand the need for flexibility and responsiveness to external changes.

Read Maria | Never the Same River Twice´s latest article – Carnival of Personal Development

By: Matt Kreiling

Matt Kreiling — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:26:51 +0000

Maria, Thank you so much for validating those who don't follow a narrow mission statement, those who wander, experiment, start on new paths, change direction, allow life to happen, pursue multiple interests, or simply don't have the ego to declare that their future is specific and measurable. I have been trying to write a series of posts about "purpose" but I realized that starting off with the premise that we should have a purpose might be already be leading people astray. I am happier than I have ever been, in part because I haven't confined myself to the specific and measurable. Your idea of a theme is perfect. Thank you, thank you, thank you for articulating it. In answer to your questions, I use a system that is basically what you describe in the second part of your post. My experience with SMART goals mostly has to do with activist organizing, where I think it may have more validity. When a group or organization has a goal, specificity, measurability, time-boundedness, and the rest are much more important. Thanks again, -Matt @Dreaming Right Read Matt Kreiling´s latest article - Distilled Existence

By: Christopher

Christopher — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:11:58 +0000

This is so great – Can I pass this on to everyone I work with?!?

Read Christopher´s latest article – Happiness Habit – Routines to Make your Life Richer & More Productive

By: Maria | Never the Same River Twice

Maria | Never the Same River Twice — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:25:46 +0000

@Happiness - That's a good, balanced approach to completing your goals. Completing an Iron Man is an awesome goal but you are right that many things (family obligations, injuries, changing interests) could get in the way. It's good to stay flexible on that and be open to different experiences. Read Maria | Never the Same River Twice´s latest article - Carnival of Personal Development

By: Happiness Is Better

Happiness Is Better — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:20:18 +0000

I agree with all that is said. Most of my 2009 goals are SMART. About 75% of the my goals are very doable. I threw a few goals on there that would be extremely difficult to accomplish because I want to push myself. As far as long term goals, I agree that it's more difficult to estimate whether something is even doable or not. A goal that I am considering pursuing is completing an Iron Man Triathlon. I have a goal to complete a marathon this year so that is going to get my part of the way towards an Iron Man Triathlon, but I may decide that I'd rather spend time with our kids instead of spending the necessary time training for the event. Nice article and I like the picture! Read Happiness Is Better´s latest article - Interview: The Franchise King

By: Maria | Never the Same River Twice

Maria | Never the Same River Twice — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:29:26 +0000

@Happy Rock - thanks for your perspective. I do agree that planning out a project can help you think through the steps that will be required to complete it. That's one of the reasons that I say that "Get an MBA" and "Read the latest business book" carry the same weight on an initial list. In my experience *most* projects need to be broken down into smaller steps. Even when you're just reading the book you still have to 1) get a copy somehow 2) find time to read it 3) maybe take some notes. That all takes place later in the process. Read Maria | Never the Same River Twice´s latest article - Carnival of Personal Development

By: The Happy Rock

The Happy Rock — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:36:13 +0000

I think you are right that rigid long term goals are usually bound to 'fail'. The planning is the useful part, not as much the actual plan which will change and will need to be flexible. I think the 5 steps are good expect for step one. Get an MBA is a task that will sit on that list forever because it is too big to wrap your mind around. This is were SMART comes into play. Large tasks need to be broken down into actionable segments or else most people will never execute. Get an MBA is its own large task maybe starts with research schools and select you top three choices in two weeks. That can be done and then you can review. Read The Happy Rock´s latest article - Crafty Creditors Are Making Changes