SMART

• SMART is the acronym for what makes a workable goal. The goals you set should be specific; measurable; action-oriented; realistic; and with a timeline for achieving them. "I want a better job" is vague; "I want to be working at a green energy company within two years" is measurable, specific and has a deadline. A good goal is one you really care about achieving, and that fits with your personal values and ideals.
  
  

Size

• A goal can be as big as President Kennedy's 1961 proclamation America would put a man on the moon within a decade, or as small as finishing your tax return by next Friday. Setting an audacious, hard to reach goal may work for you, or you might prefer a target you're confident you can reach. Randy Horn of Zobmondo! Entertainment told "Entrepreneur" magazine that his goal was to make a good living working for himself. That goal helped Horn build his game company into a $6 million business.
  
  

Actions

• Whether your goal is epic or humble in scope, it's not realistic if you can't draw up a path to get there. Santa Cruz's Regional Occupation Program for job training, for example, had a goal of every student finishing the training with the skills needed to enter the workforce. A program report lists the actions to take to achieve the goal: discussing the certification process; checking with teachers on how students are progressing; and tracking how many students actually complete training. The report also set a deadline for attaining the goal.
  
  

Sub Goals

• If you have a goal that will take several years to accomplish, consider setting several sub goals within that period. If your goal is a master's degree in art history, for example, your sub goals for the first year might include finding out what financial aid you qualify for, which undergraduates colleges you want to attend and from those which ones you can afford. Then would come applying to colleges, completing your courses and eventually moving on to graduate school.