Why is goal setting important?
Setting a goal will help to clarify your ideas, focus your efforts, use your time and resources productively. Goals increase your chances of achieving what you want in life.
Research shows setting a clear goal and action plan can help to bring about change. Being as clear and specific as possible makes your goal more concrete. It’s also helpful to think about what support you might need and what could make it harder to reach your goal.
What are SMART goals?
SMART goals help you to think about the actions you need to take in smaller more manageable chunks.
They are clear, specific goals that are easy to plan for and achieve because they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
How to set your SMART goals
To create your SMART goals, try asking yourself these simple questions for each part:
- Specific: What exactly do I want to achieve?
- Measurable: How will I know when I’ve achieved it?
- Achievable: Is this goal realistic for me right now?
- Relevant: Why is this goal important to me?
- Time-bound: When do I want to achieve this by?
Examples of how to change unSMART goals to SMART goals:
‘I will lose weight.’
- I will aim to lose 6kg in 3 months by walking 30 minutes five days a week, taking my weight loss medication as prescribed, and following a balanced meal plan.
‘I will get more sleep.’
- I will get 7–8 hours of sleep each night by going to bed before 10:30 p.m. on weekdays for the next month to help improve my energy levels.
‘I will get fitter.’
- I will build my fitness by attending two beginner gym classes and going for a 20-minute walk three times a week for the next 6 weeks.
Ready to get down some goals?
Download or copy our goal setting template!
Goal setting template
Need further support or more templates?
If you found this goal setting guide useful, check out our food diary and activity diary. Just print them off at home or use them as inspiration!
We’re here to support you every step of the way. If you have a question about your weight loss journey with us, please get in touch with us on:
wm.programme@empower-health.co.uk or 0116 216 0125.
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