SMART goals

SMART is a mnemonic for goals that are more likely to be achieved in everyday life: specific, measurable, attractive, realistic and time-bound. The formula comes from management (George Doran, 1981), has since been used in many variations and has proven its worth in health coaching, because vague wishes like “living more healthily” give you nothing to hold on to day to day.

Specific: “I'll go for a 20-minute walk after dinner” instead of “move more”. Measurable: at the end of the week, you can count how often it worked. Attractive: the goal has to matter to you, not to your partner or your doctor. Realistic: better three walks you're sure to manage than seven you give up on. Time-bound: “For four weeks, then I'll see how it went.”

The most important trick: set behaviour goals rather than outcome goals. “Five kilos by Easter” is an outcome that's only partly in your hands – water, hormones and your cycle all have a say. “Vegetables with lunch on five days a week” is a behaviour that's largely within your control. Outcome goals are good as a direction; for everyday life you need behaviour goals that give you a small sense of achievement every day.

And: only one or two goals at a time. Changing your diet, exercise, sleep and screen time all at once overloads your willpower. When a goal feels easy and natural after a few weeks, add the next one. For families, this works well as a shared weekly goal – “This week we'll try two new vegetables” – visible on the fridge, with boxes to tick off.