Module 1 – The Role of the Support Worker Setting a SMART Goal Assignment /25 marks Your task is to create a SMART goal in any one of the following areas: academic, career, personal or financial. You may use your textbook to assist you in understanding SMART goals. Setting goals for yourself will help you manage time and stress. Your goals should give you direction and motivate you to take action. Instructions: List 10 goals in order of importance to you. For each goal, briefly breakdown that goal into the SMART sections. You may use the information below to clarify your goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely.
- Specific. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:
*Who: Who is involved?
*What: What do I want to accomplish?
*Where: Identify a location.
*When Establish a time frame.
*Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
Goals must be clear. For example, “losing weight” is not a specific goal. The goal of “My goal is to lose 5kg by the end of March by eating healthier and exercising 5 days a week at my local gym for 20 mins/day” is specific and gives direction and focus. - Measurable. Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished? Measurable goals tell you if you are making progress. The goal stated above is measurable in two ways: “5kg” and “by the end of March.”
- Achievable. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. Goals should be challenging yet achievable. When setting goals, consider how much time and effort you can put into them. A goal may need two or more parts to be achievable. For example, to lose the weight, you are going to need to investigate a diet plan or an exercise plan and determine how much time will be needed to put your plan into action.
- Realistic. To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. A realistic goal accounts for time, resources, and skills. For example, losing 5 kgs in 3 months is realistic. It would not be realistic, however, if you were planning to take a vacation during this time.
- Timely. A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. In the example above, if you want to lose 5kgs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a time frame, “by March 30th”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal. A target date for meeting goals increases commitment. Break goals into parts, and set schedules. As each part is achieved, you will gain confidence and be motivated to reach higher goals. For example, your goal can be broken down into losing 1.6kgs a month.
*Final Question: Will you set this SMART goal for yourself after completing the assignment? Why or why not?
This assignment will be marked as per your instructor’s discretion on the following criteria:
- Guidelines were met and all questions answered appropriately
- Organization of written component
- Neatness and legibility
