Use SMART goals to increase productivity

Have you ever thought about incorporating SMART goals into your blog planning?

This can be an effective way to increase productivity, enhance efficiency, and keep you on track.

I spent many years in corporate management and as a result, I’ve been exposed to countless strategies and business methodologies along the way. 

Some are catchy and gimmicky, while others hold value and actually work. 

An example of this is the SMART method of goal setting.

The term was coined in 1981 and has since been used interchangeably for setting goals and objectives.

Setting SMART blog goals

SMART principles can be applied to almost anything but can be very helpful for bloggers. 

One of the biggest challenges bloggers face is keeping productive. 

The reasons for this can be varied.

Maybe you manage your blog on a part-time basis or operate it around a full-time job.

Maybe you are a procrastinator or have trouble staying on task.

SMART goals can help you to address these issues.

• Applying the SMART method to your blog will help you to identify your goals, then determine which are the ones that you can actually reach. 
• It operates like a filter to help you maintain the workable ideas. 
• Measuring your ideas against SMART goals will help you to lose those ideas that are unrealistic, or not possible.

Why does it work so well? Because at each stage of SMART blog goals you are forced to answer a specific question. 

Here is the full SMART acronym.

SMART forces you to name the goal, define a process, or create a series of smaller goals to achieve the end result.

It makes you assess that the goal is realistic and forces you to set a deadline for when it should be accomplished. 

It is a way to hold yourself accountable to your own criteria. 

As a method of measuring progress and achievement it works well. It can also be applied to any area of life. 

SMART goals can be used in business, for your blog, or for your own personal fitness goals. 

It gives you a sense of purpose and direction. 

SMART goal steps for your blogs

The first step in your SMART blog goal setting is to be SPECIFIC. 

You need to detail your goal and narrow it down to what you want exactly.

Being too broad leaves too many possibilities to explore and is counterproductive to staying on track.

This step forces you to focus on exactly what you want to achieve.

The next stage is to make your goal MEASURABLE. There is an old saying in business that ‘you can measure what you can’t monitor’ and there is a lot of truth to that.

Make your goal measurable in some fashion or break it into a series of smaller tasks that you can check off as you progress

Ensure that your goal is achievable, I mean sure, challenge yourself to progress further or be better, but make sure that the goal is attainable.

Setting the goalposts too far away will only be disheartening and will not encourage success.

The same can almost be said for the next step which is being REALISTIC or RELEVANT.

Your goal should be relevant to your life or business to make it truly within your grasp.

You may want to be the next Bill Gates, and while aiming high is sometimes a good thing, take stock of what you have and where you are.

This will help you to determine if your goal is actually realistic.

The final SMART goal stage is to be TIMELY. Projects or goals do not need to drag on forever so set a date for when the goal should be complete.

Working to a set deadline can help to keep you focussed and motivated until the goal is reached. 

How to apply SMART blog goals

Now we have covered what SMART goals achieve and where they came from, let’s take a look at how you can apply them to your blog.

Here is an example of how setting your SMART blog goals should look.

Specific

There are a lot of people accessing my website looking for specific information on blogging and digital marketing. I want to develop a series of mini-courses that users can access for these topics.

Measurable

In total, I would like to create 6 mini-courses. 3 for digital marketing 2 for blogging and 1 for SEO for beginners.

Achievable

I will use an LMS or teaching platform like Thinkific which will provide the tools I need to develop the mini-courses.

Realistic

This will improve the overall user experience on my site and provide the information that visitors are searching for. It will also help to increase my organic site traffic

Timely

I will have 3 mini-courses completed by summer and live on my website. The remainder will be created and uploaded by the year-end.

This example hits all the necessary SMART blog goal requirements for time and specificity.

Organizing your blogging goals like this can help you to see the clearer or bigger picture.

Now you know how to set your SMART blog goals, give it a try for your next blogging project.

Defining your aims like this will help to give you clarity, and to stay focused on the goal at hand.

SMART blog goals keep you on track and will avoid you falling for distractions or things that are irrelevant.

They help you to chart and steer your course from beginning to end and ensure that you remain on task.

Apply the SMART method to your blog, project, or any area of your life and see the results.  

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