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The SMARTer Way to Achieve Your Goals

by | Feb 6, 2017 | Last updated Feb 25, 2023

Goals. You’ve got a lot of them. Some are big, some are small. Some are short-term, some are long-term. Some you’ve accomplished, others are in progress, and some are on your mind.

But at the end of the day, how many of your big dreams simply stay on your mind because you have no idea where to start?

If only there were a SMARTer way to achieve your goals…

Actually, there is!

SMART goals are scientifically-proven to help people set and achieve their goals. At Noom, we work with you to set SMART goals each week to achieve all of your long-term health goals.

SMART is an acronym for “specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based.” SMART goals are:

  • Specific: Clearly defined and detailed.
  • Measurable: Designed in a way that allows you to determine whether the goal was accomplished.
  • Attainable: Achievable with hard work, and in consideration of your current skills and abilities.
  • Relevant: Aligned with your other goals.
  • Time-based: They are linked to a time frame.
  • SMART goals should also include how you will achieve the goal — specific information about how you will get from where you are to where you want to be.

SMART goals can be short-term or long-term. However, setting several short-term goals over time is how you eventually accomplish your long-term goals. Typically, the time frame for short-term goals is no longer than 1-4 weeks, while the time frame for long-term goals can be months or even years.

Let’s take a look at an example.

One of your goals may be to give up soda, but you currently drink 1 can of soda every day. Giving up soda would be a long-term goal, since for most people, it would not happen in a few weeks. A short-term SMART goal could be to limit yourself to 4 cans of soda per week. If you make this goal a SMART goal, it might look like this: I will limit myself to 4 cans (specific, measurable) of soda per week (attainable, realistic) in 4 weeks (time-based) by replacing my can of soda on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a glass of sparkling water (how you will do it).

Although long-term goals and visions are important to have, setting short-term goals is necessary to take steps toward reaching these goals!

Looking to set SMARTer goals? Start your 14-day Noom trial today