So, by now you should know what the Objective app is. For those of you who may be new, the elevator pitch is that Objectuve is a goal management platform that allows for social accountability with and through community. We wanted to break through the social network fog of negativity and bring to the public an app designed to encourage goal achievement instead of curating an environment that breeds feelings of failure and negativity as many social sites these days create. You know the feeling: you may be struggling with your current weight goals, when you log on to Facebook and everyone else in the world seems to be having a picture perfect day or achieving their weight loss goals SO much easier and quicker than you. That’s depressing. This feeling can be constant and with social media’s addicting nature and false representation of real life people get stuck in a rut of negative comparison. We want those feelings to change.

So, let’s dive in. How is your goal achievement journey going?

Wherever you are on your journey, we want to congratulate you on your progress. Goal achievement can be super TOUGH. It’s a grind. A battle. Sometimes, it’s a freaking pain in the butt. But you know what? Once you meet your goal, it’s amazing. It’s gratifying. It’s so freaking exciting. Am I right?

This journey to goal achievement never ends: new goals pop-up, milestones change and goals evolve. And sometimes, we just get stuck in a rut. Which is why we like to use our blog as a place to educate our community on different methods, strategies, and ideas that can help you on this journey of yours. So, today let’s talk about some goal setting strategies that can help you move forward in your goal achievement journey. Let’s start with SMART Goal Setting.

OK, smartie pants what does SMART mean?
SMART is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal setting. It’s a set of conceptual rules written to help you in your goal setting, but just like pirate code this is more what you’d call guidelines' than actual rules.

Its criteria are commonly attributed to Peter Drucker's Management by Objectives concept. Because it’s guidelines instead of hard and fast rules, SMART has come to mean different things to different people. So let’s talk about what SMART goal setting is.

The idea is to make sure your goals are clear and reachable, by making sure each goal you set is:
* Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
* Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
* Achievable (attainable).
* Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
* Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).

Professor Robert S. Rubin (Saint Louis University) wrote about SMART in an article for The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and has flushed out what SMART goals are a bit more than Peter Drucker. He has said that the definition of the SMART acronym may need updating to reflect the importance of efficacy and feedback. However, some authors have expanded it to include these extra focus areas; SMARTER, for example, includes Evaluated and Reviewed.

How to Use SMART

Paul J. Meyer, businessman, author and founder of Success Motivation International, describes the characteristics of SMART goals in his 2003 book, "Attitude Is Everything: If You Want to Succeed Above and Beyond." We'll expand on his definitions to explore how to create, develop and achieve your goals:

1. Specific

It’s crazy how often the words who, what, where, when and why come back into play in adult life. When drafting your goal, try to answer the five "W” questions in order to make your goal clear and specific. This creates focus and a clear lane forward for goal or milestone achievement.
* Why is this goal important?
* Who is involved?
* Which resources or limits are involved?

Example: Imagine that you are currently an assistant at an insurance agency, and you'd like to become an insurance producer. A specific goal could be, "I want to gain the skills and experience necessary to become an insurance producer within my company, so that I can build my career and increase my salary.”

Objectuve Tip:
Use the categories feature in Objectuve to help narrow down and specify the area in which your goal lies. Is it a goal specific to wealth creation, personal development or health?

2. Measurable

It's important to have measurable goals, so that you can track your progress and stay motivated. Assessing progress helps you to stay focused, meet your deadlines, and feel the excitement of getting closer to achieving your goal.
A measurable goal should address questions such as:
* How much?
* How many?
* How will I know when it is accomplished?

Example: With the same goal mentioned above you would then say "I want to gain the skills and experience necessary to become an insurance producer within my company, so that I can build my career and increase my salary by 20% in 2 years time.”

Objectuve Tip:
Set milestones in the Objectuve App to give you incremental achievement periods within a larger goal. These milestones help the sense of achievement and growth more apparent within the goal achievement process.

3. Achievable

Your goal also needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. In other words, it should stretch your abilities but still remain possible. When you set an achievable goal, you may be able to identify previously overlooked opportunities or resources that can bring you closer to it.
An achievable goal will usually answer questions such as:
* How can I accomplish this goal?
* How realistic is the goal, based on other constraints, such as financial factors or ?

Example: You might need to ask yourself whether developing the skills required to become an insurance producer in 2 years is realistic, based on your existing experience and qualifications. For example, do you have the time to complete the required training effectively? Are the necessary resources available to you? Can you afford to do it?

Objectuve Tip:
When addressing if the goal is achievable, assess whether the goal is something that someone else has power over or if it’s within your control. For example, "Get the management position!" depends on who else applies, and on the hiring manager's decision. But "Get the experience and training that I need to be a qualified candidate for the management position" is something only you can control.

4. Relevant

This step is about ensuring that your goal matters to you, and that it also aligns with other relevant goals. We all need support and assistance in achieving our goals, but it's important to retain control over them. So, make sure that your plans drive everyone forward, but that you're still responsible for achieving your own goal.
A relevant goal can answer "yes" to these questions:
* Does this seem worthwhile?
* Is this the right time?
* Does this match our other efforts/needs?
* Am I the right person to reach this goal?
* Is it applicable in the current socio-economic environment?

Example: You might want to gain the skills to become an insurance producer within two years, but is it the right time to undertake the required training? Are you sure that you’re the right fit and that it’s truly what you want to do? Have you considered you and your spouse's shared goals as a family? For example, if you want to start a family in the next year, would completing training in your free time make achieving this other goal impossible?

5. Time-bound

Every goal needs a target date, so that you have a deadline to focus on and something to work toward. This part of the SMART goal criteria helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals. It’s a great example of time and priority management.
A time-bound goal will usually answer these questions:
* When?
* What milestones can I set for six months from now.
* What can I do six weeks from now?
* What can I do today?
Example

Gaining the skills to become an insurance producer will require you to get additional training. How long will it take you to acquire these skills? Do you need further training, so that you're eligible for certain exams or qualifications? It's important to give yourself a realistic time frame for accomplishing the smaller goals that are necessary to achieving your final objective.

So, there are a few ways that SMART goals can help you on your goal achievement journey! We’d love to know tips or tricks that have helped you with setting, managing and achieving goals.

Features of Objective that help with SMART goals.
Users are able to create short-term, long-term, bucket list, and ongoing goals that can be for the purpose of personal development, career development, relationship building, etc that help with keeping your goal Specific and Relevant. From there users can; create subgoals, or Milestones, to help bring those aspirations about quicker and allow goals to be Time-bound and Attainable. Finally join Communities to give and receive tips on similar goals, receive badges for activity, and more!