What Are SMART Goals? | Coursera

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SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals that can make it easier to track progress and successfully complete your goals. Learn more about the benefits of this goal-setting framework.
SMART goals are a structured way to turn broad plans into clear, achievable goals by focusing on specificity, measurement, and timelines.
SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Using the SMART framework helps you break large goals into manageable steps and stay focused on your bigger objectives.
You can apply SMART goals to academics, career development, personal growth, and business planning to clarify your next steps and progress toward what matters most to you.
Learn how the SMART framework works in practice and see examples of how it's used across personal, academic, and professional settings. Then, enroll in the University of California's Career Success Specialization to start developing goal-setting and career skills. Upon completion, you'll earn a shareable certificate.
A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This acronym is a tool for setting realistic goals that can be achieved instead of setting yourself up for failure with unworkable goals.
A large, vague goal, such as becoming an astronaut, inventing something unique, or fighting climate change, is admirable. But it’s hard to achieve without breaking that goal down into manageable milestones to track progress and have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish next. SMART goals help you do just that.
Each letter in the acronym represents a quality that each goal you set should have.
It’s important to be specific with your goals so that you understand exactly what it is you want to achieve. Specific goals help you plan the tasks you need to accomplish and give you a clear picture of where you’ll be once you’ve reached your goal. Ask yourself why you want to accomplish the goal, what you will be doing, what will be required, and who will be involved in helping you achieve the goal.
Using the climate change example above, a more specific goal might be to reduce the amount of single-use plastic sold in the United States every day and the use of plastic sandwich bags in school lunches daily.
A measurable goal gives you the ability to see whether or not you are making progress toward your goal and if you have reached it. To measure a goal, you must determine what metrics you will measure and how. You might use time, such as hours, days, weeks, or months. You may also use weight, a percentage, or any other metric that applies.
To improve on our example, reducing the amount of plastic sandwich bags by 75 percent in school lunches daily is a goal you can measure. First, you must determine how many plastic sandwich bags go into school lunches every day. Then, you would monitor that metric for progress toward your goal.
Setting an achievable goal means considering what you can actually accomplish, given your tools, resources, time, and other constraints. Once you define your goal, you have to determine if your goal is realistic enough to achieve. This can prevent discouragement and set you up for longer-term success. You are more likely to achieve a smaller, attainable goal, and this smaller success can encourage you to set the next higher goal.
Our specific and measurable goal of reducing plastic sandwich bags from school lunches by 75 percent may or may not be achievable based on the resources at your disposal. To make this goal a SMART goal, we’ll have to scale down to a project size we can manage. Maybe it’s more achievable to reduce the single-use plastic bags in a given school district, school building, or even a classroom.
A relevant goal relates directly to your broader strategy or life purpose. In the process of drilling down to a measurable, specific goal you believe you can achieve, relevancy steers you back to make sure you’re still making progress toward the bigger picture.
Would it help fight climate change to reduce single-use plastic bags from school lunches by 75 percent in a local classroom? Yes, it does work toward that end.
A time-bound goal gives you a deadline for achieving the task and a framework to set milestones. A schedule is also another way of measuring success.
By adding a time goal to our example, we can round out our SMART goal: to reduce single-use plastic bags from school lunches by 75 percent in a specific local classroom by the end of this academic year.
You can make the goal-setting process using the SMART framework of specific, measurable, attainable (and action-oriented), relevant (and realistic), and time-bound easier by keeping a few important considerations in mind:
- Break your goal into smaller steps.
- Anticipate and prepare for challenges.
- Visualize your achievement and creative incentives to foster motivation.
- Manage your time and track your progress.
- Seek accountability partners with whom to share your goals.
You can use SMART goals whenever you need to set a goal or any time you want to identify what’s most important to you and move toward your vision of success. This may include setting goals for academics, finding a job, career success, or personal development. You can use SMART goals any time you want clarity on the best next steps to reach your goal.
Everyone can use SMART goals, whether you’re setting goals for keeping your home clean and tidy, finding your dream career, completing your education, getting certified, or performing better. You may wish to set goals to correct a bad habit, develop a good habit, or take steps toward achieving something big.
At first, it may take you more time to compose your SMART goals. However, as you get more comfortable with this method, you might find yourself starting to use it more frequently in your personal and professional life. Many people find it helpful to have a clear and actionable format for th