How to Set SMART Goals | My End of the Year Goals

Background

This year has been nothing short of crazy.  I had so much hope (like most) that this year was going to be great.  And then COVID hit. Protests took off. And then some very influential figures such as Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman passed away.  It’s been filled with new challenges, constant changes, and a whole lot of unknown. I have set some goals for myself both in the Instagram, Youtube, and Blogging realm, but also for personal development and academically.  Today I wanted to share with you those goals, but first I want to give you all some tips on how you can set SMART goals and make long-term goals for yourself.

Setting SMART Goals

I’m sure most of you have heard of this, but I am going to tell you about how to set SMART goals. I grew up learning this basically every year and I find it actually useful now.  You want to make sure that your goals are SMART:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely

If you are creating goals that are impossible for yourself to reach, they aren’t good goals.  Like the acronym says, these goals need to be attainable and you need to be able to complete them. Now let’s actually set SMART goals using examples.

Example of a SMART Goal

An example for myself would creating a goal such as this: I want to get all A+ on all of my exams this year. While that would be great, it’s not a realistic goal, “this year” is too broad of a time table, and while it’s easy to measure, it’s going to be hard for me.  To set SMART goals – I could say instead: My goal is to get a B or higher on all of my management exams for the fall semester. I will do this by meeting with my professor once before each exam and creating detailed study guides. So, let’s use that and put it into each SMART category.

Specific: I want to get a B or higher on my exams.

Measurable: Easy to tell if I got a B or higher on exams

Attainable: This class is relatively easy and I understand what I am learning, so a B or higher is doable.

Relevant: I said “fall semester” which is when I am taking that specific management class.

Timely: Again, I said fall semester which indicates the timing, as well as meeting with my professor before the exam.

As you can see, it’s super easy to set SMART goals and it’s really useful in creating ones that you can actually accomplish and are realistic and relevant to your situation.

This also goes for long term goals.  The timing and relevance might differ if it’s for a longer period of time, but the concept is still the same.

Now I want to share with you all my goals for the end of the year.  My Instagram goals and Youtube goals are a little less specific and more flexible since I don’t have a ton of control over them.

My Goals for This Year

Here are some of my SMART Goals for this year and what I hope to accomplish.

Goal: Minimize the amount of sweets I eat on a weekly basis by only eating them every other day until the end of the year. This is in order to keep my body healthier.

Obviously, I can’t cut sweets out of my diet completely, but to be on the healthier side, I am limited the days I eat sweets. This is not to lose weight, but it is to make sure that my body is healthy. So, every other day of the week, starting on Monday, I don’t have sweets. TO be honest, it is going a lot better than I thought it would.

Goal: Track my mood daily in order to find things that make me happy or things that make me stressed. This is in order to help myself and improve my mood overall.

Tracking my mood each day has been something that I found helpful.  I have depressions and there are some days that are really great, and some days that make me want to just crawl in bed and go back to sleep. I use this app called Daylio and it’s great for tracking my mood each day, and being able to see what kinds of things make my mood worse, and what things make it better.

Goal: Go for a walk outside at least 2-3 times a week in the fall, in order to stay active and get fresh air.

I try to go outside for walks every once in a while. Since I am stuck inside most of the day and am going remote classes, I find it relaxing and helpful to take a break and take a walk. This way I get out into nature and into fresh air instead of being cooped up inside all day.

Goal: Go hammocking at least once a week during the fall season to destress and have fun.

I just got a new hammock and my friend and I plan on going hammocking a lot! I am so excited to do this, just like walks, it is a great way to be outside while it’s still nice out, and it’s relaxing. Grab a book or just listen to music and chill.

Goal: Work on assignments at least 2 days ahead of the due date in order to be on top of my work for the remainder of the fall semester.

Academically, I plan on working ahead. With so many things due online, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of dates and assignments. This is why I LOVE my planner. I like to work ahead as much as I can during the week so I can have the weekends free.

Remember there will be a new blog post at The Cozy Corner every day for the rest of September! Come back tomorrow for more 🙂 Thanks for the read!

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