6 Simple SMART Goal Templates to Make Goal Setting Insanely Easy (and Effective!)

SMART Goal Templates will help you goals the right way, so you can actually achieve them.

There’s no doubt about it – setting SMART goals is the best way to make sure you actually achieve your goals. It’s amazing how setting SMART goals provides clarity as well as the focus needed to get the most of your efforts. This is a big help in removing the possibility of overlooking major or even minor details that could hinder your efforts towards reaching your goals. To kickstart your goal-setting process, I’ve created 6 SMART goal templates for you to use.

Remember, S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time Bound

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For more guidance on what SMART goals are and how to effectively set them, please read this post on how to set SMART goals that will help you get shit done.

To speed up the process of using the SMART goal format, here’s a collection of 6 SMART goal templates you can use to make goal setting a breeze. I personally love templates because they can be used over and over again. If you’re anything like me, you set goals frequently. I’m talking on a yearly, quarterly, and even monthly basis. This means a lot of repetition. It’s nice to have a template that prompts you with the important questions you should be asking yourself about your goal.

Also, different things work for different people. Some people are visual, and some are more writing based thinkers. That’s why I created a collection of templates, with varying visual styles and prompts/questions. I recommend you try a few of them and see which ones work best. Each has something a little different, be it simplicity, depth, style, or space to write.

I’d also recommend that you print out your completed goal setting sheet and place it somewhere you will see it daily. That way, you can always be oriented towards achieving your goals, and they are always at the top of your mind. Hopefully, you like the designs and can see yourself printing them and hanging them on your wall or placing them in the front of your binder, planner, or journal.

6 SMART Goal Templates That Will Help You Achieve Your Goals

SMART Goal Template #1

This is a great looking visual template. You are prompted by short, simple questions to think about. Also, the boxes require you to be succinct in your goal setting. If you’re trying to get your goal setting done quick, this is the template for you. Plus, it’s beautiful so you’ll want to hang it on your wall or display it in the front of your planner! Putting your goals somewhere you will see them will really help you keep them in the front of your mind, and make you more likely to achieve them.

SMART Goal Template #2

The first page asks you questions from a 2nd person, “you” perspective. This is very affective at helping you determine criteria for your goal because it is as if you are explaining it in detail to someone else. THis forces you to get your ideas out in a concise and specific manner on the page.

Additionally, this template is super useful due to the extra thought-provoking questions asked on the second page. The perspective of the questions is shifted to the 1st person, “I” perspective. This will help you be introspective and to connect emotionally with your goal.

By considering the extra benefits of achieving the goal, you will have additional motivation to achieve it. And by thinking of the potential obstacles, you can figure out strategies and people that will help you overcome them (for example, an accountability partner if you are afraid of procrastinating). Finally, you can dig down and get specific with your next action steps and deadlines for each – this will definitely get you going in the right direction.

SMART Goal Template #3

Here’s another example of a SMART Goal Template, with prompts to help you figure out exactly what your goal should look like. Answer each question and you will have a very clear picture of what your goal is, why it is important, and how and when you will know it is done. This is a highly detailed template designed to help you dive into the nitty-gritty of the goal, and check to make sure you know exactly the elements that will help you be successful in achieving it.

SMART Goal Template #4

If you have a business, this template is fantastic for setting business goals. However, even if you don’t, this template will help you think of your life more like a business. That’s actually extremely helpful for setting effective goals. Put on your CEO hat and think about the personal things in your life as the mission, values, and culture of your “business”. Place the CFO (chief financial officer) hat on your head and think about your income as revenue and your expenses as overhead.

Also, think about the human capital you have available to you – who can help you achieve these goals? You don’t need to have employees to get help. You could simply enlist your partner, family member or friend to keep you accountable to your goals. By setting goals for your life as if you were setting goals for a business, you might find that you take them more seriously, and are more likely to meet the deadlines and parameters you set out for yourself.

There’s also a lot of space on the back of this template to brainstorm additional details about your goal and what you will do to achieve it. You could even use this space to draw additional parallels between your life and “the business” of your life, to see what other C-suite hats you could put on to set strong, effective goals.

SMART Goal Template #5

This template is a great template to use if you have a LOT of goals. The format requires you to keep your details succinct, and the questions require you to think hard about the achievability of your goals. If you need more space, you could always take a few lines to write your thoughts, and draw a box around them.

Consider using this template to brainstorm all of the possible goals you could set, and then focus in on the 1 to 3 most important goals. Once you’ve chosen your highest priority goals, transfer them to one of the other templates and dive into more detail.

SMART Goal Template #6

The tone of this template is a little different than the rest, because you are framing the questions in a self-reflective way. Rather than the template asking you “What exactly is your goal?,” you read it, and ask yourself “What exactly do I want to do?” This may appeal to different personality types, especially those that have a strong self-reflective tendencies.

Try them out!

There’s no doubt – SMART Goals are great for gaining clarity on what you want to achieve. I hope these templates will help you get specific about what you want, and effectively set goals that you will achieve.

Try a few and see which work best for you. There’s a variety of layouts for the visual or writing minded goal setter. And, each template will ask different questions to help you think through the goal setting process in a new way.

Remember, a good goal is a SMART goal!