A New Approach to Achievable Goals

The path to success starts with setting smart goals. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. When you define your goals using these criteria, you are more likely to stay motivated and achieve success. You can start by breaking down large goals into smaller, doable objectives and then setting realistic timelines. By having a clear plan, you can make steady progress and stay focused on reaching your goals.

The SMART framework has some serious drawbacks, however. The idea of setting goals seems straightforward enough – make sure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. But often, people don’t take the time to break down what this really means and how to apply it to their own lives. As a result, they find themselves in a difficult situation, unsure of how to move forward. With this lack of clarity, they are left feeling frustrated and unmotivated. It’s important to understand the potential drawbacks of smart goals, as well as how to avoid them, in order to maximize progress and reach desired outcomes. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the challenges of setting smart goals.

Specific takes time — new models prove that one must sit and visualize the goal, imagining exactly what the world will look like once the goal is attained. This kind of specificity can be frightening for certain personality types. Another drawback is that the visualization process must be repeated regularly to be effective. Unless you are an Olympic-caliber athlete, visualization on a regular basis may not be in your schedule and it may trigger anxiety for some people.

Measurable seems simple enough, right? Measurable can be difficult in the modern world when goalposts keep moving. Sometimes there is simply no concrete “finish line.” The definition is more subjective than it should be.

Achievable. How do you know something is achievable if you’ve never tried it? Achievable is also subjective, with the added problem of discouraging some risk-averse people from trying anything more than the simplest goals.

Relevant. WTF?

Timely. Now? Later? Again, not specific. Some people thrive with rigid schedules and some people chafe under them, giving up when the milestones fall behind.

Is there an alternative?

PACT goals represent a new approach. Instead of the planning-dense SMART system, PACT goals are more action-oriented and meaningful, eliminating a lot of mental clutter from those of us who suffer from decision fatigue and planning paralysis.

PACT goals are:

• Purposeful. Goals you are personally invested in, ones that are meaningful to you. This increases your motivation to achieve them.
• Actionable. Broken down into tasks that are doable. Motion creates inertia, so creating on-the-ground tasks with a view towards achieving goals with larger purpose increases your motivation and, thus, your success rate.
• Continuous. Creating your next steps as you go along. This builds flexibility. Traditional goal setting advice suggests planning from the beginning to the very end. Planning each step as you go along lowers the failure rate when an unplanned event occurs. It also leaves room for changing circumstances. Flexibility helps people with anxiety, depression, and decision paralysis.
• Trackable. Simple to mark off. No fancy Gantt charts, no lengthy task lists. Mark it done and move on to deciding the next step.

Retire SMART goals and try PACT goals.

Let us know how it works for you.