Learning how to think about, and set, appropriate goals is a cornerstone of academic, personal, and professional achievement. Goals serve as a roadmap for success; it’s much more difficult to get where you want to go if you don’t identify exactly where that is. Goals that are vague or overly ambitious can crush motivation and drastically increase our propensity for procrastination, especially if these goals lack a deadline.

Effective goals require us to be specific about what we want to achieve and when we want to achieve it. Effective goals should also be broken down into small, manageable chunks so that we don’t become overwhelmed by the amount of work it will take to achieve. For example, if someone wants to lose 100 pounds, which is a significant undertaking requiring a long-term commitment, it can be extremely disheartening when the number on the scale decreases slowly. Whereas, if that same person establishes the goal of wanting to lose 10 pounds, a much more achievable undertaking, then the success of achieving this smaller goal will build confidence, motivation, and momentum to continue with another 10 pound goal, then another, and another, until the long-term goal is reached.

The SMART goal acronym simplifies effective goal-setting. I’ve seen many different versions over the years, so I’ve simplified my own version below that, I think, makes the most sense. Think about one thing you want to accomplish and write down precisely how you plan to achieve it. Make it specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound – but don’t get stuck on a single part of the acronym – just skip it, get started on the rest, and come back to it later after you’ve gained some clarity and momentum.