How I Set SMART Goals For 2020 Against Zig Ziglar’s Wheel Of Life

How I Set SMART Goals For 2020 Against Zig Ziglar’s Wheel Of Life

I read a statistic the other day from a Harvard study which stated that 83% of the US population does not have goals. I was unable to find the equivalent statistic for the UK but my guess is that we’re probably not too far off. From personal experience, there have been years that I’ve set SMART goals for the year, and years where I haven’t set any goals. I can honestly say from experience that the output from the years without goals was significantly lower.

A New Years’ resolution, without an actual plan of how it’ll be achieved, is simply wishful thinking! A good way to ensure you’re able to stick to your goals is by setting SMART goals.

Set SMART GOALS for 2020 – What are SMART Goals?

I don’t want to teach you how to suck eggs so if you are already familiar with this concept then please scroll down to the next section! SMART goals help provide a sense of direction, motivation and clear focus.

SMART is an acronym for:

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Realistic

T – Timely

Specific

Goals that are specific have a greater chance of actually being accomplished. To make a goal specific, ask yourself the 5 ‘W’ questions:

Who: Who is involved in this goal?

What: What do I want to accomplish?

Where: Where is this goal to be achieved?

When: When do I want to achieve this goal?

Why: Why do I want to achieve this goal?

For example, a generic goal could be to get in shape. A more specific goal could be “I will get in shape by signing up to the gym near my work and going swimming with my sister, this way I’ll have the energy to run around with my kids”.

Measurable

Determines how you’re able to measure progress and monitor if you’re on track to achieve your goal. Building on the above example, to make it a measurable goal you could add “I’ll go to the gym three evenings a week after work and swimming two Saturdays a month with my sister”.

Achievable

You need to ask yourself if the goal you’ve set can actually be achieved. Stretch yourself, but don’t chase after something that will wind up discouraging you. Revisiting the above example again you could write “going to the gym three evenings a week may not be achievable as I pick the children from nursery two evenings a week which will mean I have no nights off! Instead, I’ll go to the gym one evening a week and on Saturday after swimming.”

Realistic

Rome wasn’t built in a day so you need to be realistic about what you want to achieve within the allotted time. Still continuing with the same fitness example you could say “At the end of the year I’ll take part in a 5 kilometer run for charity”.

Timely

Set a time limit and give yourself a deadline so that you have a finish line. Take your goals and break them down, weekly and monthly – even daily if you can!

Set SMART GOALS for 2020 – What is the Wheel of Life?

In order to ensure balance and growth in ALL areas of my life, I set goals against Zig Ziglar’s Wheel of Life. His wheel of life is a total life approach to setting goals.

You see, sometimes when we set goals, we have a tendency to look at them in isolation without realising the impact the new goal may have on another area of life. Going back to the fitness example I mentioned earlier, it may be that by dedicating so much time to getting in shape, you haven’t left enough time to spend with your family.

The wheel covers seven areas of life. I’ve outlined them below, along with a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:

• Financial: E.g. start saving for an investment fund, pay off a credit card, create a budget.

• Spiritual: E.g. read daily devotional, daily journaling, join a ministry.

• Physical: E.g. Weekly gym classes, walk to work, five-a-day fruit and/or vegetables.

• Intellectual: E.g. read a book every month, finish a degree.

• Family: E.g. one-on-one dates with children, date night with the spouse, make it a point to call your parents on Sunday nights.

• Social: E.g. Say yes when someone invites you out to dinner or a social gathering or say no more often.

• Career: Work towards a promotion or pay rise, start a new business, research new career field.

Setting goals against all the areas outlined in the Wheel of Life and breaking them down into weekly and monthly goals should help ensure growth in all areas of life.

Don’t get discouraged if you get off track. Life happens to all of us. We all hit speed-bumps and roadblocks every now and then. That’s okay! The main thing is that you stay focused on the end goal and keep taking small steps toward achieving it.

This post may contain affiliate links so please see my full disclosure policy for details.