The other day I was thinking about that show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?.

Truth be told, some of those fifth graders were pretty dang smart. Smart enough to use the following tool to give themselves the best possible chance of actually accomplishing their New Year’s resolutions!

Saying you want to lose weight, or land a promotion, or grow your business is a goal – yes. But it’s a goal without a clear path forward. It’s a goal that a fifth grader wouldn’t say is smart.

Instead, think about your goals this way…

Is my goal specific?

Is my goal measurable? How will you evaluate your progress along the way?

Is my goal achievable, as in within your scope, and possible to accomplish? (Bad news, some of us aren’t becoming astronauts.)

Is my goal relevant, as in something worth going after?

Is my goal timely? Have you set a specific timeframe for yourself?

If your goal checks all these boxes then you have yourself a S.M.A.R.T. goal. Clever, right?

If not, you are, in fact, not smarter than a fifth grader.

An example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal is: I want to lose 10 pounds to improve my health (specific & relevant) by walking for 20-minute in the morning and 20-minutes in the evening 5 days a week (measurable and attainable) for the next 3 months (timely).

Take some time this weekend and make your goals as S.M.A.R.T. as they can be.