Setting SMART goals helps you define your intentions and put them into practice, whether it be in pursuit of better health or any other goal you would like to prioritize. The acronym SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Time-based and Accountability. When you’re trying to make changes in your life, setting SMART goals can help you stay on track.
In this post, we discuss the five steps to creating new habits, and see how setting SMART goals plays a key role in your journey to success.
The Five Steps to Creating New Habits
Setting SMART goals is useful and important, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Here are all five steps that are required to create a new habit:
- Establish your WHY
- Make a Plan (Set SMART goals)
- Focus on Accountability
- Celebrate Success
- Remember to Pivot
Step 1: Establish your WHY
When you want to achieve something new in your life, it is crucial that you reflect on the reason or reasons WHY this goal is important to you. It is important to establish your WHY even before you begin setting your SMART goals. This will involve some serious self-reflection. You will need to ponder questions like…Why exactly are you wanting to do this? What’s your motivation? Here are a few examples of what a WHY might look like:
- Do you want to eat more vegetables so you can decrease the need for medication?
- Do you need to eat healthier so you can improve in a sport?
- Are you wanting to lose weight so you can play with your grandkids?
- Do you want to feel more confident in your skin?
Once you’ve come up with your “why,” get an object or symbol to help you remember it. Put it somewhere that you will see it often. For example, put a picture of your grandkids on your mirror, or front and center on your phone. Your object or symbol is something to motivate you when it feels difficult to continue with your goal. It is something that will say to you “don’t give up or give in. Here’s why you’re doing this.”
Step 2: Make a Plan (AKA Setting SMART Goals)
This is the stage when we set our SMART goals:
- Specific: Swap generic goals like “I want to be healthier” with something more specific. For example, “I will eat five vegetables every day.” (Also notice the use of will instead of want or try!)
- Measurable: How are you going to measure that goal? Are you going to write it down? Are you going to use an app? Tracking daily will give the best results.
- Actionable: What will your approach look like? Break it down into bite-size goals. If your goal is to run a marathon, obviously you’re not going to put it on your calendar and say you’ll run when you feel like it. You’ll need to plan it out, increase your mileage each week, and meal plan to optimize your training.
- Relevant: Are you approaching too many goals at once? Maybe you are pursuing the wrong goals? This one is so personal to you. Sometimes it takes a lot of thought to come up with what’s right for you.
- Time-Based: When will you achieve this? Put that date on all your calendars or in a planner. Get a countdown on your phone. Remind yourself weekly where you stand and how far you are from that goal.
- Accountability: Lots more on this below!
Step 3: Find Someone Who Can Help Hold You Accountable
The accountability piece of setting SMART goals might be the most important and impactful. When you keep your goal to yourself and have a slip up, it’s easy to brush it aside. However when someone else is on board, it creates enhanced motivation. Having someone who holds you accountable can also be one more reason to track your progress.
Ready to choose an accountability partner? Think through who in your social circle can give you support in reaching your goals.
Also consider bringing in a professional! Registered Dietitians make great accountability partners, and are also well-trained in setting SMART goals and sticking to them. To book a session with an Anderson’s Nutrition Registered Dietitian, click here.
Step 4: Celebrate Your Success
When choosing your timelines for hitting your goals, you should have a specific deadline for each milestone. If you’ve set only the final deadline for a longer-term goal, motivation can slip.
So, for larger goals it’s important to set a schedule with deadlines, and to celebrate the small wins you have along the way. Building new habits is hard, so celebrating is warranted! This will help build confidence with each goal you hit, as well as give you motivation to keep going.
Step 5: Make them SMARTER – Pivot when needed
Even when we have an accountability partner, set SMART goals, developed a strategic plan, and set a schedule, there are STILL times when our plans need to change. There is a constant barrage of potential obstacles that can disrupt us, from a new project at work to an increase in demands on the home front or even an unexpected injury or health issue.
In certain cases, you may need to pivot. Rather than abandon your goals, instead reevaluate and readjust your plan as necessary. Your timeline may need to shift, your game plan may change, or even the goal itself may need fine-tuning.
How We Can Help
At Anderson’s Nutrition, we focus on the four Pillars of Health – nutrition, movement, stress, and sleep – because we know each pillar plays a vital role in our overall health and reaching specific goals. Therefore if you are interested in working with one of our Registered Dietitians, book a session with us. Your dietitian can create a custom, realistic plan for you that addresses all four Pillars!
Click the button below to schedule an appointment online. Or, sign up for our 12 Fix Program designed to help you set a SMART goal in a specific area of nutrition and health each week!
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