Which Goals Shouldn't Be SMART--My "Someday" List

Today, I'm disagreeing with what I've said before.  Earlier this week I posted on goals, arguing for them to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Aggressive, Realistic, Time-Bounded). However, I'm now saying that not all goals should be SMART.

I still believe that well-defined goals provide greater motivation and ability to take action--they get done more than vague goals.

But, in some cases, I will stop trying to make them too specific. As you look into the future, it's basically a waste of time to do detailed plans. Of course, there are a few exceptions, like knowing your kids will plan to attend college in several years. But so much else is going to change that for most goals I'd be reduced to wild guessing. I'm not willing to commit myself to a goal that's a wild guess.

So, just skip writing  them down, right? Wrong. There's still value in capturing great ideas for later. In fact, I just finished a conversation where I wrote down an idea that I'd love to do someday--I just don't know when I can do it.

Specifically, one of my best friends showed me a graduation present given to him (he just finished an MBA) that was a custom made book (the title even included his name) of fun articles and information to read now that he doesn't have reading for school to do. I love the idea, but I don't have anyone else in my life with a similar enough situation that I can give them a custom book, printed just for them.

So I added it to my "someday list".

A few years back a movie made the term "bucket list" popular. My list is kind of like that, but there's an subtle difference. When I put items on my someday list, I have no commitment whatsoever to do them. They're amazingly fun, cool ideas--I love them all. But if I don't get to them before I die, I'll be fine.

So why write down something you are committing to do? Why not just make a mental note and let it go?

1.  Capturing these ideas and reviewing them a few times a year greatly increases the chances that they happen. It's normal for me to read my list and "remember" that I wanted to do one of those things. I find myself looking for those opportunities more--and sometimes even moving one off the someday list to my actual to do list.

2. It sparks creativity and excitement and helps me dream about what kind of life I want to live.

In the spirit of that, I thought I'd add a portion of my someday list (over the years, it's grown to 107 items--you see why I'm not holding myself to do them all). Oh, and you'll get a fun glimpse of my personality here. My wife does not plan on joining me for many of the most extreme ones (it probably won't be hard to guess which ones).

Someday

• Visit the best of the 58 national parks (Yosemite, Grand Canyon, etc)

• Race on a dogsled (and yell "mush" while doing it)

• Eat at Berns Steakhouse in Tampa, FL (and do tour of their kitchens & wine cellar)

• Visit MIT's Media Labs to see latest inventions (and how they come up with them)

• Kayak the top rivers in the US (including at least one 15+ foot drop)

• Go to Knobb Creek gun range in Kentucky for their Machine Gun Shoot, using 50 caliber machine gun to destroy vehicles, appliances, etc (including added dynamite for fun)

• Set up a "creative lab" in my home office (foam & glue to prototype ideas, unusual objects, inspiring quotes, microscope, big whiteboard, etc)
• Expand the rules on the strategy board game I've created and try to sell it
• Jump off a giant ski jump (and survive landing)
• Surf giant waves off of Maui using jet skis to pull you on to the fast moving waves
• Fly--well, jump from a cliff in a wingsuit and zoom through a canyon
• Visit the Parthenon (in Greece) and write an essay sitting on it's steps

• Do a leadership development workshop for Mensa

• Take sword-fighting/fencing lessons--become a black belt (or similar) with at least one sword/style
• Ride in a through-the-forest horse race--create it if necessary (note: I'm only a passable rider, so I'd probably have some training to do)

• Write a series of novels on the fantasy world I've created

• Go on a deep sea dive to view bioluminescence--in a deep sea rover?

• Do an outdoor adventure expedition to either the North or South Pole (I'm told there is a company called Quark that has 1/2 price tickets on polar adventures the week before if they have open seats)

• Take my kids to the moon (space tourism, here we come!)

What's your someday list? What ideas were sparked in your head when you read mine? Write them down somewhere. Maybe it's a document on your computer or a notebook on your desk. Start dreaming--no commitment required.

Oh, and share with the rest of us. Dreams shared inspired more dreams.

Goals Can Accelerate Your Life--But Not All Goals Are Created Equal

Want to change an aspect of your life? Have a dream you'd like to see come to pass? Goals accelerate your life's progress toward exceptional. But not all goals are created equal.

People often talk about the power of goal setting--and there's a ton of evidence supporting that. From 8th graders at inner city schools to Harvard Business School graduates, study after study shows that people who set goals significantly out perform those who don't.

The people who set goals aren't smarter or more hard working than those who don't. But something about setting a goal stimulates us to make more productive choices.

And this is where many goal setting stories stop--leaving it a mysterious principle. But you need to know that not all goals are equally helpful. And when you see what makes one goal better than another, much of the mystery of goal setting goes away.

For starters, goals need to be written down and shared with others.

Least helpful--a private goal in your head

Moderately helpful--a goal spoken verbally (but not written)

More helpful--a goal written, but not shared

Most helpful--a goal written and shared with others

Written goals force you to think with more clarity and make the goal feel more concrete. It has it's own substance--it's a real thing existing outside of you. Also, you can (and many do) put that written goal up where you can see it on a regular basis (bathroom mirror, fridge, computer monitor, etc).

Don't underestimate the power of reminding yourself of your goal. Patrick Lencioni (bestselling author, speaker, consultant, etc--check out more on him here), says, "People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed."

If the goal stays in your head, you can't be reminded of it unless you're already thinking of it...kind of ruining the point of being reminded to think about it.

Sharing it with others also makes it more real. It's easier to walk away from something you've kept secret. It's easier to say you didn't really want to succeed. This probably isn't news to you. People who have work out partners skip sessions less, people who have weekly accountability partners control their behavior less...you get the idea. This isn't especially insightful--but it works.

However, you can do all that, using a weak goal, and it won't do much for you. But if you craft a great goal, you can get great results without the other elements (writing & sharing). Of course, a well-crafted goal that's written and shared accelerates your progress the most.

So what makes a goal well-crafted? The best goals are SMART:

Specific

Measurable

Aggressive

Realistic

Time-Bounded

Here's a common example of a weak goal: I want to get in shape this year. Great idea, but too vague. You can do a hundred different things this year and that scattered effort will produce little results. Let's make it SMART.

Specific: I want to lose weight. I want to get stronger. I want to have a smaller waistline. Pick one, but get more specific than "in shape". What exactly is driving you to make the change?

Measurable: Is losing .001 pounds enough? How much weight? How much stronger? What waistline size do you want? Putting a number on it is crucial. For some goals you may have to get creative here (i.e. measuring the number of times you lose your temper) but don't skip this. It might be the most important difference between a weak goal and a powerful goal.

Aggressive: People are motivated by grand goals. Losing one pound a month is hard to get excited about. But 10 pounds this month would be a noticeable change. Motivation is key to goal accomplishment.

Realistic: Because motivation is so important, you've got to set goals that aren't too far out of reach. Losing 25 pounds this month isn't realistic (unless you join a special program), no matter how motivating that might seem at first. It's demoralizing to fail repeatedly, so set goals you can actually reach.

Time-Bounded: When will you do? When will you start? When will you finish (and reach your goal)? What are the milestones along the way?

Using SMART goals helps you go from "I want to get in shape this year" to "I want to lose 18 pounds in the next 3 months, six pounds a month." The well-written goal inspires more and better choices than the vague, weak goal.

Are you pursuing exceptional? If so, define it. Make the various aspects of your dream life a written goal--a well-written SMART goal. Then write these goals down, share them with a few close friends, and post them where you'll see them. You can always change the goals as you learn more. But starting with something tangible to pursue will dramatically change the pace of your progress.

In fact, I'd love for you to share some of your SMART goals for your life here as comments to encourage each other as we all pursue exceptional lives.