Measuring your progress for the goals you’ve set is the second part of the SMART Goals method. You won’t know if you’re making progress or gaining traction on your goal without a way to measure it. Measure goal progress so you can track how far you’ve come, keep focused, and stay motivated by celebrating each smaller milestone you complete along the way. To be able to assess your progress, you’ll need a set of criteria.
Answer a Few Questions to Measure Goal Progress
Similar to the Specific step used in the SMART goal method, you will need to answer a few questions about your goal:
- How many?
- How much?
- What is the progress indicator?
How many and how much refers to the progress indicator of what success for your specific goal looks like. The progress indicator shows the way you decide to track the progress you make. This varies significantly depending on the goal.
If it’s a business goal, the indicator of progress could be gross sales. A personal goal may be the number of pounds lost per week, if your goal is a healthier weight. Tracking how far you’ve come is important because it will keep you focused on your ultimate goal. Get motivated by ability to celebrating the milestones of your progress along the way.
Using the same goal as above, to lose 10 pounds by exercising more, specifically state, “I will go to the gym to work out for 45 minutes every weekday morning before work to lose 2 pounds per week.” Now, not only is the goal specific and clearly stated, you have added measurement of the goal, “2 pounds per week”. In this case, you’ll measure the goal with your scale. A business goal example might be, “I will build brand awareness through social media, to increase gross profits by 20% per month”. The quantity of measurement and the indicator is your profit increase in comparison to previous months.
A Proven Method
Putting the SMART Goals method to use is proven to yield better success rates. Measuring goal progress is an important part of this process. When you track your progress, you will stay more motivated and keep a stronger focus on your goal. Using a project management tool such as Plutio or a simple habit tracker can help you track your goals.
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Love, Luck &
Laughter,
Kimberly
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