A Fresh Perspective

Introduction

At the beginning of this new year, many of us are making plans and setting goals for the year ahead. Whether it’s career ambitions, fitness targets, or personal development objectives, we aim to map our paths to success. To make it easier, you may have been advised to set “SMART” goals. But before you start crafting perfectly specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives, let’s pause for a moment. This popular framework might not always be the smartest choice.

Ever found yourself hitting every target but still feeling like you’re missing the mark? You’re not alone. While SMART goals have become the darling of corporate boardrooms and self-help gurus, this widely embraced framework might actually be holding us back in ways we hadn’t considered.

I have been setting SMART goals for more than a decade, sometimes successfully, other times not so much. Sometimes they’ve helped me achieve exactly what I set out to do – like completing the Amsterdam marathon or creating my nail-your-life-purpose course. Other times, they’ve felt like handcuffs, constraining my creativity and limiting my ability to adapt to changing circumstances. I have discovered that while SMART goals can be powerful tools, they’re not always the answer to every challenge.

These seemingly foolproof objectives might sometimes be outsmarting themselves. In fact, their limitations might surprise you.

The Hidden Limitations of SMART Goals

The Measurement Trap

SMART goals can inadvertently prioritise easily measurable outcomes over meaningful ones. Imagine a teacher who sets a SMART goal of “increasing test scores by 10% this semester.” While this fits the SMART criteria perfectly, it might lead to teaching to reach test scores rather than teaching creative, engaging lessons that spark lifelong learning. The question becomes: are we measuring what matters, or just what’s easy to measure? – Aghera A, Emery M, Bounds R, Bush C, Stansfield RB, Gillett B, Santen SA. A Randomized Trial of SMART Goal Enhanced Debriefing after Simulation to Promote Educational Actions. West J Emerg Med. 2018 Jan;19(1):112-120.

Tunnel Vision and Missed Opportunities

The framework can also create tunnel vision. When we’re hyper-focused on specific, measurable targets, we might miss unexpected opportunities or creative solutions that fall outside our predetermined path. A startup founder rigidly pursuing a SMART goal of “acquiring 1000 new users per month” might overlook valuable feedback suggesting their product needs fundamental changes. SMART goals can act like blinders, for example:

In Business

• A retail manager focuses solely on hitting quarterly sales targets, missing crucial customer experience issues that later drive away loyal customers
• An investment firm sticks rigidly to its “10% annual return” goal, passing up innovative but unconventional investment opportunities that could yield better long-term results
• A software company maintains strict sprint velocity goals, forcing developers to choose quick fixes over necessary architectural improvements

In Personal Development

• A writer determined to write 2000 words daily ignores feedback suggesting their story needs structural revision
• An athlete so focused on specific strength metrics overlooks mobility issues that later lead to injury
• A student fixated on achieving a perfect GPA takes only “easy” classes, missing out on challenging courses that could better prepare them for their career

In Professional Growth

• A designer pursuing specific certification goals misses emerging design tools and methodologies that could give them a competitive edge
• A middle manager focused on efficiency metrics fails to notice growing team burnout and cultural issues
• A freelancer strictly pursuing income targets turns down lower-paying projects that could lead to valuable portfolio pieces and industry connections

In Innovation and Research

• A research team so focused on meeting grant-specific milestones overlooks unexpected findings that could lead to breakthrough discoveries
• A product development team adhering to rigid feature delivery schedules misses crucial user feedback suggesting a pivot in direction
• An environmental organisation focused on specific conservation targets overlooks innovative community-based solutions that could have a broader impact

The “Achievable” Paradox

By emphasising realistic, achievable goals, we might set our sights too low and miss breakthrough innovations. We might even be programming ourselves for mediocrity. History’s greatest innovations – from the Wright brothers to breakthrough medical treatments – often emerged from pursuing what seemed “unrealistic” at the time.

The Environmental Mismatch

Rigid Goals in a Fluid World

Today’s rapidly evolving landscape demands adaptability, yet SMART goals assume a relatively stable environment. A goal that was relevant when set might become obsolete before it’s achieved. A company might set a SMART goal to optimise its retail strategy, only to find consumer behaviour dramatically shifting due to unexpected events . A five-year business plan in certain industries might be disrupted by new technologies. Career goals in professions might not exist in another decade.

The Creativity Conundrum

Time-bound deadlines can sometimes be counterproductive, especially for complex creative or innovative work – it fundamentally misunderstands the creative process. Imagine telling Mozart to “compose three symphonies in the next quarter” – the pressure of arbitrary deadlines might have stifled his creativity rather than enhanced it.

The Human Factor

Perhaps most importantly, SMART goals can overlook the human element. They don’t necessarily account for personal growth, learning processes, or the intrinsic motivation that often drives meaningful achievement. A person might successfully hit their SMART goal of “reading 52 books this year” but miss out on the deep engagement and joy that comes from truly savouring and reflecting on what they read.

SMART goals often overlook the psychological elements that drive true achievement:

• Intrinsic motivation versus external metrics
• Personal growth and learning processes
• The role of passion and purpose
• The importance of flexibility and adaptation

Meeting quantitative targets doesn’t always translate to qualitative success. Ter illustration, allow me to introduce you to Trevor Scribblesworth.

The Tale of Trevor Scribblesworth, the Word Count Warrior

Once upon a time in the bustling city of Procrastinopolis, there lived a writer named Trevor Scribblesworth. Trevor was a seasoned wordsmith with a sharp wit and an even sharper deadline. His editor, Ms Punctuality Prose, had set him a daunting task: write exactly 1,500 words per day, every day, for the lifestyle blog “Living Your Best Life (But Better).” It was specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Perfect! His productivity app gleamed with green checkmarks. His word-count spreadsheet was a thing of beauty. His writing… well, that was another story.

Monday’s post: “10 Ways to Drink Water More Effectively”
“Water is very wet,” Trevor typed furiously. “It’s also quite liquid. Some people drink water every day, which is interesting because days happen all the time. Speaking of time, did you know that fish swim in it. But not all fish. Some fish are actually in the sea, which is like water but bigger and saltier, kind of like potato chips, which make you thirsty, which brings us back to water…”

Tuesday’s post: “How to Breathe Like a Pro”
“Breathing is essential for living your best life,” Trevor began, eyes fixed on his word counter. “In fact, most successful people breathe multiple times per day. Here are some places where you can practice breathing: inside, outside, upstairs, downstairs, in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse…”

By Wednesday, he was really struggling. “5 Signs You’re Actually Alive”
“Being alive is trending right now,” he wrote desperately. “You know you’re alive when you can read blog posts about being alive, just like this one, which you’re reading right now, which proves you’re alive, unless you’re not, in which case this is awkward and you should probably seek medical attention immediately or possibly yesterday…”

Thursday’s masterpiece: “Why Chairs Are the New Standing”
“Chairs have been around for literally several years,” Trevor typed, watching the word count tick up with relief. “Some chairs have four legs, while others brazenly display three or even five legs, which really makes you think about life and its many mysteries, speaking of which, did you know that chairs often support sitting? This is a fascinating development in the chair community…”

Friday’s piece de resistance: “The Ultimate Guide to Looking at Things”
“Looking is a crucial skill,” Trevor declared, madly hammering at his keyboard. “Without looking, how would you know where your coffee is? Or your cat? Or your coffee-drinking cat? Some experts suggest opening your eyes while looking, though this is still debated in certain circles, particularly among professional nappers and people who walk into walls…”

His posts hit the required word count every single day. His metrics were perfect. His engagement stats, however, told a different story. Comments ranged from “Did an AI write this?” to “Are you okay?” to “I’ve read fortune cookies with more depth.”

By Saturday, Trevor’s editor finally intervened. “Trevor,” she said gently, “I notice you’ve met every single word count goal this week.”

“Thank you!” Trevor beamed. “I’m crushing it!”

“You wrote three paragraphs about how shoes are ‘foot clothes.'”

“But it was exactly 1,500 words!”

“And yesterday’s post was just the word ‘nevertheless’ repeated 375 times.”

“It was about persistence!”

Ms Punctuality Prose sighed. “Maybe we need to rethink these goals.”

Trevor gasped. But before he could respond, he had to go write his next post: “The Revolutionary Art of Existing in Space While Time Continues to Move Forward (A Comprehensive Guide).”

Some say he’s still out there somewhere, hitting his word counts with the precision of a Swiss watch and the depth of a puddle. But at least his spreadsheet looks amazing.

Rethinking Goal Setting

SMART goals can help you meet deadlines, but they won’t guarantee depth, quality, or relevance. Instead of abandoning the structure entirely though, consider these alternatives:

1. Combine SMART objectives with flexible, adaptive frameworks
2. Include qualitative measures alongside quantitative ones
3. Build in regular review and adjustment periods
4. Allow for serendipity and unexpected opportunities
5. Focus on process goals alongside outcome goals

Research

Looking at the research done on the effectiveness of setting SMART goals, I found that it has yielded mixed results. Some studies have demonstrated positive outcomes, while others have found limitations or no significant benefits:

1. Creative Performance: SMART goals were found to be no more effective for creative performance than do-your-best goals or non-specific, exploratory ‘open goals’ -Pietsch, Simon & Riddell, Hugh & Semmler, Carolyn & Ntoumanis, Nikos & Gucciardi, F.. (2024). SMART goals are no more effective for creative performance than do-your-best goals or non-specific, exploratory ‘open goals’. Educational Psychology. 44. 1-17.
2. Quality of Goals: A study examining SMART goals set by Australian community pharmacists found that the majority of goals were classified as poor quality, with 81% scoring two or fewer points on a quality assessment scale – Stewart V, McMillan SS, Hu J, Collins JC, El-Den S, O’Reilly CL, Wheeler AJ. Are SMART goals fit-for-purpose? Goal planning with mental health service-users in Australian community pharmacies. Int J Qual Health Care. 2024 Feb 21;36(1):mzae009.
3. Job Satisfaction: Research by Leadership IQ suggests that people who set SMART goals are less likely to love their jobs and may be less likely to achieve great things or maximize their full potential.

While SMART goals have demonstrated effectiveness in certain contexts, their universal applicability and superiority over other goal-setting methods remain subjects of ongoing research and debate.

Moving Beyond SMART Goalsetting: A Balanced Approach

The solution isn’t to abandon SMART goals entirely but to use them as one tool in a more comprehensive approach to achievement. Consider setting “direction goals” that define a clear heading while allowing for course corrections and unexpected discoveries along the way.

What really matters is creating a goal-setting framework that acknowledges both the measurable and immeasurable aspects of success – one that leaves room for growth, adaptation, and the fundamental unpredictability of meaningful achievement. After all, the most important outcomes in our lives rarely fit neatly into a five-letter acronym.

What’s your experience with SMART goals? Have they helped you succeed, or have you found yourself checking all the boxes but missing the bigger picture? Perhaps it’s time to get smarter about how we set SMART goals.

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