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Are SMART goals always smart?
Published about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Hey Reader,
Yesterday, I shared a quick video on TikTok reminding people to ensure their goals are SMART. Crazy enough, this morning in my inbox was an email with the subject line "SMART goals are not so smart." So I definitely opened that one, lol.
Before I share why this person suggests a different way of making goals more impactful, I want to make sure we're all on the same page with SMART goals.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable (or Achievable), Relevant, and Time-Bound (or Timely).
This is a good framework for analyzing your goals to make it more likely that you will hit them AND that they actually make an impact for your business (or life).
Instead of a goal like "Get more clients" you should get specific with something like "Secure 5 new clients of at least $250 each by November 1st."
The first goal is very broad. It does not tell us how many clients we need to get in order to consider the goal met. It also does not say when we need to achieve the goal by. Nor does it tell us how much revenue we want from those clients.
So, in theory, we could get one client that pays us $10 and close that deal 2 years from now, and technically we will have achieved that goal. But it's not likely to impact our business the way in which we were thinking when we set the goal.
In the second goal we set a deadline and got very specific about the type of client and deal that needed to close in order to consider it one of these new clients. We determined that revenue based on our overall revenue goals, so it is relevant to our business. We've determined it is realistic (attainable).
So we can now look back on November 1st and know for sure whether we hit our goal or not.
This is a powerful exercise to put all your goals through.
Now, back to why I got an email saying SMART goals aren't so smart.
Essentially, what it comes down to is that some long-term goals don't fit well into the SMART framework.
For example: Let's say you had a goal to learn how to code. It's pretty tough to know how long that will take you, so it's tough to make it time-bound. Also, maybe this is a goal that, since it is long-term, is not really relevant to your current business. It's also not as easy to measure. If you don't know how to code, you might not be able to set benchmarks in your learning in order to measure your growth.
So she presents another way to look at these types of goals: PACT.
Yes...another acronym...
For those long-term endeavors, she suggests we replace SMART goals with making a PACT with ourselves. These are about continuous growth rather than the pursuit of a specific benchmark.
PACT stands for Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, and Trackable:
Purposeful.
Your goal should be meaningful to your long-term business goals or purpose in life, not just relevant to you right now.
She argues (and I agree) that it is much easier to stick with a goal when you actually care about it. When a goal is aligned with your long-term objections and passions, you are more likely to stay motivated to achieve it.
The truth is, there are a lot tasks and things we need to do that don't feel purposeful. We just know they need to get done in order to hit certain goals.
Actionable.
A strong goal is one that focuses on what you can control. It should be actionable and within your power to influence.
The key is to shift your thinking from far-off results to the steps you can take right now. By focusing on what you can do today, you can make progress, rather than getting stuck in over-planning for the future.
Continuous.
The actions you take toward your goal should be simple and easy to repeat. Many goals go unrealized because of choice paralysis—when too many options leave you stuck in research mode instead of making real progress.
The beauty of ongoing goals is their flexibility. The key is to start, and as you learn, adjust your approach along the way. It’s all about continuous improvement, not just hitting a final target.
Trackable.
Forget complicated metrics. Stats can be overrated and don’t always fit every type of goal. Sometimes we need to simplify it to a simple “yes” or “no” approach to tracking progress.
Did you do the thing or not? Did you code today? Call three potential customers? Publish your weekly blog post? Yes or no? It makes tracking your progress straightforward and easy to manage.
Let's look at an example of a SMART goal versus a PACT goal.
Let’s say your goal is to grow your newsletter. Here are two versions of the same goal:
SMART version of a goal: “Get 5,000 subscribers in 25 weeks.”
PACT version of a goal: “Publish 25 newsletters over the next 25 weeks.”
As you can see, the first version measures success based on metrics that are largely out of your direct control, whereas the second version puts the emphasis on purposeful, actionable, continuous, and trackable progress.
That’s it. PACT might work for goals such as editing that newsletter by the end of the week, but it could work for long-term, ambitious goals.
Is PACT right for you?
So what do you think? Does PACT sound like a good fit for you and your long-term goals? Hit 'reply' and let me know. Or, tag me on social (@jeffgargas on X and @_jeffgargas on IG)
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