Get Back into the Swing of Things the SMART Way
School is back in session! As we send little ones back to class with reminders to try their best and reach new academic heights, how can we set ourselves up for success in reaching new goals this fall?
After a summer of just trying to survive lockdown, to be real, my gumption to crush new goals has been building at only a snail’s pace. If anything, my aim is to just try to get back to where I was pre-pandemic energy wise.
I struggled a lot during the past year to create a schedule in a sea of uncertainty and so I know I’ve got to try to come up with a better plan than just “hope for the best” when it comes to getting on track physically and mentally. We wouldn’t expect students to go through a school year without schedules, benchmarks, and reasonable standards, so why not adopt a similar SMART approach to our own autumn goals?
S- specific
M- measurable
A - achievable
R- relevant
T - time-bound
So let’s give the 5 SMART steps a try with my goal of feeling more energetic again.
1- S- specific : What exact clear goal do I have?
“Being more energetic” isn’t very specific— “I want to sleep at least 7.5 hours every night” is more concrete.
2- M- measurable : What tools will I use to track my progress?
I’ve downloaded a sleep tracker to my phone and can also log my hours of sleep in my journal each morning.
3- A- achievable: How can I balance making my goal a challenge while also being realistic about time, personal, financial, etc. constraints?
I know I’ve been sleeping between 6.5- 7 hours a night, so a 30min. - 1 hour increase is feasible , yet will require effort. I can use the time between my classes more efficiently so that I stop working so late in the evenings.
4- R- relevant : How well matched are my actions to my specific goal?
I can identify actions to take such as a relaxing bedtime routine, as well as some to avoid like late night Netflix binges and phone calls that start too late at night.
5- T- time bound: What’s a reasonable amount of time to give myself to reach my goal, and how will I make time in my schedule to work towards my goal?
I want to give myself two months to make a minimum of 7 .5 hours of sleep every night a habit. I’m moving my bedtime earlier 5 days a week to start by setting my bedtime routine alarm clock earlier and won’t work or do other stimulating activities once it has gone off.
We can apply the SMART approach to countless areas of our lives. Why not give it a try by putting a pen to paper and writing out your goal along with each SMART step?
Which goal do you have for starting September off strong? Can the SMART way of doing things be useful in building the structure and habits you want to have in your life? Let me know how it works for you, and share it with someone you know who wants to make changes this fall in their lives too!
Keep on moving!
xx,
Katie