As 2020 draws to a close, we’re faced with the annual dilemma of deciding what next year’s goals will be. Having made it through one of the most turbulent years of our lives, people are starting to plan for the future after many goals were put on hold. You may feel motivated to set SMART goals – the acronym that helps people set specific and attainable goals by meeting a set of criteria. But there is one crucial problem with this goal-setting strategy: it doesn’t ask you to analyze your emotional reasoning for setting these goals. It doesn’t ask why.
Why SMART goals don’t work
The SMART method will ask you to consider five things about your goals: are they Specific? Measurable? Assignable? Relevant? Time-based? Breaking down the goal-setting process into bite-sized actionable steps makes it more accessible and less daunting. But when people set goals in this way, they completely bypass the one thing that actually matters – what does it mean to you?
According to a study by the University of Scranton, compiled by Statistic Brain, 92 percent of people fail to achieve their New Year’s resolutions. And while cutting out coffee for example, isn’t the same as fulfilling your goal of becoming self-employed, the problem is still the same in that people don’t ask the crucial question of why they want it.
SMART goals also ignore the significant element of alignment, meaning they should be linked to a bigger vision. Many people set too many disparate goals and they end up feeling disjointed. Your goals should be linked to bigger visions whenever possible. For example, if you want to cook at home because you want to stop eating fast food to lose weight and you also want to save money, that means these two goals are aligned. This way you can accomplish two goals at once.
Problems that arise from SMART Goals
Following the SMART goals formula is almost guaranteed to have you setting goals that you will convince yourself are worthy, but aren’t actually what you want. It may be hard to see in the moment, but setting goals in this way will have you aiming for things that social media, society or even your family have convinced you are important. It’s a tough step to admit you don’t really care about the things that society would applaud you for, but your goals must be for you and you alone.
In a similar way, if you don’t set a goal that constantly motivates you because of your emotional attachment to it, you will mostly likely give up when the going gets tough. Setting goals that don’t give you an emotional response is a sure-fire way to prevent them from becoming a reality. Asking “why?” is the single most important step in your goal setting – SMART goals completely bypasses this.
How the CLARITY method helps you achieve your goals
As a goal-setting coach and the author of A Woman With Vision, I created my own acronym which is guaranteed to see more success than the SMART method. Setting the goals is a good starting point, but this should be a written process, and not a sequence of fleeting thoughts. The CLARITY method is made up of the following points:
- Crystal clear
- Linked to a bigger vision
- Action-oriented
- Realistic
- Important
- Time-bound
- Your Why
Most people fall victim to the same pitfalls of setting the same goals every year, setting goals that are too big, and not knowing what they really want. By setting CLARITY goals, and making yourself reflect and/or act on every point, people are forced to not only ask what a particular goal means to them, but also how they will execute it.
SMART may work for intellectual and professional goals, but they don’t work for personal ones. Reinventing the way you set your annual goals may just be the first step to actually achieving them.
L’areal Lipkins is an author, inspirational speaker, and goal-setting coach. She’s passionate about helping women achieve their goals and realize their vision. She is the author of A Woman With Vision and hosts her own podcast. You can follow her on Instagram @awomanwithvision.