Having trouble staying motivated in or out of the pool? Setting goals could be the solution, provided you are willing to work towards them. Setting good goals can seem difficult at first, but fortunately we have a solution: the SMART principle.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Acceptable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
- Examples of SMART Goals
- Conclusion
Specific
A specific goal should be concrete. It should be observable and include a measurable value.
Measurable
The goal should also be measurable. Consider how you will measure the results and whether you need a baseline measurement. This is useful when you want to know your starting level.
Acceptable
This can be a difficult one to determine. It is important to consider what you want to achieve and whether that goal is acceptable for you. You do not have to decide this within five minutes, so feel free to sleep on it.
Realistic
Can I achieve this goal? Are the results within my reach? Is my goal achievable? These are all questions you can ask yourself to check whether your goal is realistic. The R is often seen as the most important letter in SMART because this is where things most often go wrong. A realistic goal should be motivating.
Time-bound
Every SMART goal has a clear start date and deadline.
Examples of SMART Goals
You can use a SMART goal for both short- and long-term goals. This makes them easy to include in a training plan.
Examples of longer- and shorter-term SMART goals include:
- Within six weeks, I want to be able to swim 500 metres in 15 minutes
- Next week, I want to go to the pool three times
Conclusion
If you apply the SMART principle properly, there is no reason not to achieve your personal goals. Has your goal turned out to be a little too ambitious, or the opposite? That is fine – you can always adjust it to make it more realistic. We wish you every success in achieving your new SMART goals!