The new year 2021 heralds the time for good resolutions, new goals set, introspection on the previous year, and desires for more or less significant changes. But in 2021, good resolutions take on a very particular fervor since the main wish is not to relive the year 2020!

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Enough of resolutions never kept!

By looking more closely at the resolutions we set for ourselves, we notice that they are often not very precise, sometimes obsess us until they become pain points, which in the end is not healthy for our mind. At the end of the year, the conclusion is clear: we have not achieved our resolution and are disappointed in ourselves. Thus, paradoxically, “good” resolutions can be experienced as “bad” ones.

Choosing resolutions based on the SMART model

Perhaps we should ask the question differently: For what reasons do resolutions made at the beginning of January not continue until December? For the simple and good reason that resolutions are often too broad, not achievable, impossible to measure, and do not focus on a specific period. To avoid seeing your good resolutions collapse from the very first months, it is better to rely on SMART goals. All the more so since this is a theory applicable in all contexts, both in the private and professional spheres.

Defining goals that are both qualitative and quantitative

SMART goals, what are they? It is a method used to define qualitative and quantitative goals. The concept was first defined in 1954 by Peter F. Drucker, a business management professor who, in his book The Practice of Management, emphasized the need to determine suitable goals for better performance. The acronym SMART, for its part, was coined thanks to George T. Doran, an American economist who published an article in Management Issue. He was then the first to mention the acronym SMART and determine the meaning of each of these five letters.

SMART: 5 letters, 5 indicators

What do these five letters stand for, you may ask? Know that S stands for Specific, M for Measurable, A for Achievable, R for Realistic, and T for Time-bound. SMART goals are thus like five criteria to define. In the same way as a to-do list, we invite you to create a checklist to ensure that your beginning-of-year resolution fulfills the five SMART indicators Below, we explain these different indicators in more detail.

S FOR SPECIFIC

A specific goal means that it must be personalized, unique to your work, and include as many details as possible so that you can see more clearly. To achieve your goal, you must ask yourself a few questions: What actions must I carry out to achieve my goal? Let’s imagine you want to talk with your childhood friends; this can involve several actions: calling them, writing them a letter, sending them a message, finding them on Facebook and contacting them via Messenger, sharing a photo with them to remind them of good memories. It is up to you to choose the action that suits you!

At Seven, we help you formulate your SMART goals and offer you training entitled Set a clear goal.

M FOR MEASURABLE

Your goal must then be quantifiable in order to allow you to evaluate whether or not your project is successful (here, your resolution). Percentages, figures, visitor counts, subscriber numbers, and other numerical data will help you verify the successful achievement of the goal. For example, you may want to obtain 10,000 VU per month before the end of the quarter, or reach a conversion rate of 20%, or reduce the bounce rate by 40%.

Let’s imagine that you do not give a measurement to your resolution and that you share the following goal with your friend living in Los Angeles: Raise enough money to go on a road trip in South America. Your goal is far too broad. For you, raising enough money may be achieved as soon as you have €10,000. For your friend, it may be achieved with €6,000. Therefore, you must specify the exact amount from which you consider your goal achieved. Obviously, depending on the length of your road trip, the number of countries you want to visit, the accommodations you choose, your amount will vary. So remember to give yourself a precise measurement. Likewise, you must specify the currency. For you, that may be in euros, but for your friend who lives in L.A., it will be in dollars. In this case, you must base yourselves on the same scale, that is, on a single reference currency for achieving your goal.

A FOR ACHIEVABLE

The goal must be consistent with the actions to be carried out. You must set milestones for yourself to achieve the goal, but also define reference points in order to track your progress toward your set goal. Ask yourself when the goal should reach 25%, 50%, 75%. Depending on the time of year, reaching 50% of your goal will not necessarily be achieved in July but possibly earlier or later. Thus, to fulfill your dearest wish, put all the chances on your side and give yourself mid-point deadlines. In the context of a so-called personal wish, a check-in with yourself can be done. Set yourself a reminder in your calendar and think about what you have put in place to try to achieve your goal. In the context of a so-called professional wish, a meeting with your teams will be welcome because together you will be able to discuss the actions carried out so far and see whether you are heading in the right direction to achieve your goal.

R FOR REALISTIC

Your goal must not be unattainable, nor generate too much stress for you, but be achievable, provided of course that you give yourself the means to get there and that you have the right resources to get there. For example, if you are 2 salespeople and have set goals that are achievable for 4 salespeople, you may quickly become discouraged and fall into a negative spiral. Taking your human, material, technological, and financial means into consideration is necessary. In the same way as in cooking, it is not only technique that matters but also the interpersonal skills of the cooks, the ingredients used, and the utensils they have available. Knowing how to set realistic goals is actually defining reference points in order to track your progress toward your set goal. Ask yourself when the goal should reach 25%, 50%, 75%. Depending on the time of year, reaching 50% of your goal will not necessarily be achieved in July but possibly earlier or later. Thus, to fulfill your dearest wish, put all the chances on your side and know how to allocate the right resources to achieve them.

T FOR TIME-BOUND

Finally, a SMART goal must be defined over time, meaning that a final date must be given. If you do not set yourself a time limit for your goal, you risk not putting pressure on yourself (which in one sense is good), but unfortunately you also risk taking too much time to complete a task, or postponing the deadline. To avoid procrastinating, we recommend defining a precise date by which your goal must be achieved 100%. Likewise, I strongly advise you to define intermediate dates when you will take measurements and observe the first results. Thus, you must impose a certain control on yourself to ensure that your final wish has every chance (although it is not luck but your actions that have something to do with it) of coming true.

SMART goals: anything but a waste of time!

Setting SMART goals will not be a waste of time, compared with all the positive aspects it can bring you. Indeed, thanks to this method you will be able to better manage your time, know precisely what to do, establish an effective and productive strategy, multiply your motivation, and above all FINALLY keep your good resolution made at the beginning of the year and be proud of yourself! You therefore understand that there is no miracle for your resolution to come true. It is your rigor, your self-discipline, your regular follow-up, and the precision you give to your goal that will make your resolution, for once, truly achieved!!