SMARTER goals are an extension on SMART goals, designed to make them more motivating and increase your chance of success. Fundamentally, we are driven by our emotions and our dopamine system, this is why I felt it important to add two more components to the SMART goal framework. These additions address our need to feel compelled to action, and use our biochemistry to help us remain focused on the outcome we originally desired. Below is a description of each component of the SMARTER goals framework, and a worked example.

The target outcome should be clear to remove ambiguity. It can be useful to ask yourself, what does the end point look like if I’m successful?

Progress and achievement should be able to be quantified to make it obvious whether it has been achieve or not.

While big goals have a place, we want the bulk of your goals to be achievable to ensure you are successful and avoid setting yourself up for failure

How does this goal link to you, your desired outcome, business outcomes, personal outcomes? It needs to be linked to something important to help with motivation (can use 5 whys exercise to understand what lays beneath the goal)

Time constraints provide two benefits for goals, it helps us prioritise when work is to be done, it also can elicit a sense of urgency which can be motivating for individuals. Goals without a timeframe tend to extend out indefinitely into the future.

Academic or logical goals alone struggle to motivate us. We are emotionally driven beings, making sure the goal is exciting or engaging can help tap in to the emotions and our brains architecture to help motivate us. Even if the goal is not exciting, it should be engaging and we may need to engage through the two R’s in SMARTER

All goals and their success should be celebrated. If achievement of the goal is not inherently rewarding, you should consider how you will celebrate. Rewards don’t have to only be reserved for the end of a goal, use mini milestone rewards to give yourself a much-needed lift. Rewards can be as small as a sticker, a self five or a “good job” from a colleague.
Example goal
I want to get fitter and run
Specific | What exactly am I trying to achieve, what would success look like? |
I want to be able to run 10km continuously without needed to walk | |
Measurable | How will I know if I achieve it? |
I will do my local park run course twice. I will know I have succeeded when I’ve done two laps | |
Achievable | Am I confident that with effort I can do this? |
Yes, I have been able to do this historically, and with running 3 times a week I will be able to achieve the fitness I need for this | |
Relevant | What is this important to me? |
It is important to me to be healthy so I can continue to do the things that bring me joy in the weekend like getting outdoors with friends and family | |
Time Bound | When do I need to have achieved this? |
I want to do this by my birthday, on the 21st of October this year. I will do the 10km run the Saturday before on the 20th. | |
Exciting | What about this goal excites me? |
I want to be able to be quicker on the touch field so I can be a better player | |
Rewarded | How will I celebrate? |
At the end of each run I will post it to strava for recognition When I pass 5km I will buy myself some new running shoes I will go out to dinner for my birthday and raise a toast to a healthier me |
SMARTER Goal: I am going to train to be able to run 10km continuously, with the target of running 10km on the 20th of October this year. I am doing this to ensure I can do the things I love including touch and getting outdoors with family and friends. I will reward myself by posting on strava each run, buying myself some new shoes once I can run 5km continuous and going out for my birthday dinner. I am confident I can achieve this is I put in the effort and run 3 times a week.
What can I do right now? ⏱️
When you are looking at setting yourself a new goal, work through the SMARTER goal framework when constructing the goal. Tick of each component of it, and hopefully it will help you not only articulate where you need to go, how you mean to get there, but also give you the inspiration and the fuel to go and get it.
Once you’ve had a go with the framework, or if you have any thoughts on what’s in this post, please leave a comment below.
What will this mean in Resolute? 📲
Resolute will feature a goal setting wizard, which using generative AI and the SMARTER goal framework will help you set clear, compiling and ultimately successful goals.