ForumsQuestionsSMART Goals and this great tool
SMART Goals and this great tool
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Lew Proudfoot |
I really love working with this tool, and am getting a great deal out of it. I especially like that realization that I've just spent two hours working hard at something that's NOT on the list! why am I doing it, if it's not important enough to put on the list? I learn a lot from that internal discussion.
Anyway, I am adding some more insight into goal setting (which works out to project decisions, of course). A technique I've used many times before is the SMART goal technique, especially the 'tangible' part, where I set a specific vision of the outcome I'm looking for. Has anybody developed a method for SMART goals in Toodeldo? All I can think of is using the notes option, or setting up a folder for SMART goal generation. Any thoughts? |
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Qrystal |
I think SMART criteria is meant to be used when writing the task description (or goal description) in the first place. Also, the letters mean a bunch of different things, depending on the implementation. Here's the ones from Wikipedia (and it's grown since I last looked!):
S Specific, Significant, Stretching, Simple M Measurable, Meaningful, Motivational, Manageable A Attainable, Appropriate, Achievable, Agreed, Assignable, Actionable, Action-oriented, Ambitious R Relevant, Realistic, Results/Results-focused/Results-oriented, Resourced, Rewarding T Time-bound, Time-oriented, Time framed, Timed, Time-based, Timeboxed, Timely, Time-Specific, Timetabled, Time limited, Trackable, Tangible I think keeping these concepts in mind is always helpful, but sometimes when jotting down tasks it is better to just let them come out however they fall, and then adjust them later when we find out that they aren't Specific enough or aren't quite Attainable the way they are worded. I think the notes field really does help a lot with any brainstorming around what a task entails. Then again, I use the Multi-Line view, and so any time I expand the details of a task, I get to see the note too. In my opinion, the Grid view shows too much most of the time, but hides what might be the most important part: my "extra" thoughts. |
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Lew Proudfoot |
I agree, SMART is best used when thinking about projects in the first place - and for deciding whether to pursue a goal/project in the first place, that's the realistic and timely part.
In the beginning, you use it to set the plan - but during execution, it's also used to make sure you can see the forest, the top goal, the vision, and not get lost in the tangle of day to day activity. So my thought is to be able to have that vision and the decision making process behind it readily available for both weekly review (are the tasks i'm adding really getting me to the goal?) and also for those moments of doubt: "Why am I doing this again????" |
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Qrystal |
I used to use the Goal field to remind me "Why am I doing this again?" But then I realized that these reminders were not helping me DO the tasks, but instead just making me feel more guilty when I didn't do them. It's like I was not only failing at tasks but at the goals that they were meant to further. I ended up deciding to just quit using the Goal field, instead of taking the time to revise them.
I would like to someday return to using Goals, this time with SMART criteria in mind of course. My original goals were not SMART at all: they tended to be vague things like personality traits I wanted to improve (To Be Responsible! To Be Punctual! To Care For Me And Mine!) and so it's probably no surprise that they made me feel guilty when I put off tasks. :) Now, what I do to inspire myself to move forward is to select three Most Important Tasks to do each day, and I write them down by hand (I like writing by hand, it helps me feel connected) with reasons why the task is important on that day. Selecting only three is Attainable and definitely Measurable, as long as I keep the tasks Specific, Reasonable, and Timely. :P A weekly review would probably be an awesome help in many ways, I've just never gotten around to doing one because I'm worried about the tasks I feel guilty about not doing. I am fully aware that I have issues in this respect though, and so I'm just dealing with them as best I can... ;) This message was edited Mar 12, 2010. |
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Lew Proudfoot |
Sounds like you're doing a great job - you noticed you were not getting the results you wanted and changed how you're doing things, that's great!
I'll just keep trying stuff! Lew |
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creatid |
I like the goals.
They remind me why I put something on my list in the first place. However, The implementation in Toodledo could be a little better: I rarely have tasks that relate directly to lifelong or long term goals. Usually they related to short term goals that contribute to long term goals that contribute to lifelong goals. Wouldn't it be cool that when you select a lifelong goal in the "Goal" view you also see the tasks that are assigned to 'lower-level' goals? That should be fairly simple to implement (since the hierarchy is already in place) and would tremendously improve the experience of working towards the goals. What do you think? |
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creatid |
As an added thought:
Stating your goals is a good thing. And it would be even better if you could describe the reasons why you want to achieve the goals in the first place. Motivition for most people isn't in the goals themselves but in the reasons why. I'd love to see that implemented in Toodledo! |
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saskia.x |
I don't use the SMART criteria rigidly, but I do try to keep it in mind as a framework when writing/reviewing my tasks & goals.
Personally I find it more helpful in writing tasks than goals; I find my goals more motivating if I phrase them in a way that feels unique to me rather than worrying whether they are "SMART"! I generally try to write goals as though I'm describing the state I am aiming for in the timeframe specified by the type of goal (short/long term, lifelong), and I try to keep them short & sweet. The main thing I think about when writing goals is what exactly it is that I want & why. On the other hand, tasks work much better when they are actionable, have a time frame, are specific etc, so that I don't need to do much further thinking when it comes to acting on them. I would like to see a few improvements to goals in Toodledo, though. No matter how carefully I set my goals, I still find that many of my tasks contribute to more than one goal, so it would be nice if we could select multiple goals (either in the tasks themselves or in "contributes to" in the lower level goals). I also find the goal chains pretty much useless as you can't just view all of the goal chains in one go; I really don't see why I should have to go through clicking individually on each one to view them all at once. And goals can get unwieldy when you have lots of them, so it would be good to be able to view my tasks by goal in a more orderly way, say for instance with a separate tab for each type of goal (short term/long term/lifelong) or at least ordering the goals in the way I have sorted them on the goals page rather than alphabetically. |
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