Here are two facts about adult life that are both obvious and convenient to ignore: 1) things won’t happen just because you want them to, and 2) being busy isn’t tantamount to accomplishing something. I managed to not-quite-believe either for most of my early twenties—and snapping out of my aimlessness was such a profound game-changer that I’ve subsequently become something of a goal-setting evangelist.
So let’s talk about why good goals matters!
When you’re a student, progress feels reasonably clear. For the most part, there’s an explicit path, a timeline, and a built-in structure for steady incremental advancement. Stick to that path, and you’re rewarded at regular intervals with good grades, new tasks to complete, diplomas. Graduating can feel like stepping off an escalator onto flat ground for the first time. You can move in any direction! There’s so much freedom! But how do you get to the next floor?
Without a set of external benchmarks, it’s easy to stagnate. Yes, even for the smart, energetic, and ambitious. And yes, even if you’re employed and working hard. Being busy often feels virtuous and exciting in its own way — but filling your minutes with tasks and activities won’t protect you from harboring areas of personal or professional complacency, nor guarantee that you’re moving in a direction that you actually care about. Busyness can be an excuse, even a trap.
This is doubly true at startup jobs, which tend to be relatively unstructured. You will be swamped and pulled in competing directions. There will be more opportunities to learn than you could ever hope to take advantage of. Your manager might not have much time to invest in your growth and development; you might not even have a manager. The sheer wide-open possibility of every day can feel ripe with opportunity — or it can feel totally paralyzing.
This is one of adult life’s greatest gifts, and one of its greatest sources of late-night panic: it’s all up to you! What you achieve—and who you become—depend on the small choices you make every day.
So, how do you carve out the kind of life you want? The answer is pretty simple: set thoughtful, deliberate, achievable goals. And stick to ‘em!
How do you set SMART goals?
Not every goal is a good goal. The SMART goal framework is popular for a reason—it forces you to be strategic and realistic about the things you hope to achieve. SMART means:
Specific.
Do you want to be a better employee, a better friend, a better member of your community? All wonderful impulses—and all vague enough to be useless on their own. Instead of thinking broadly about improvement, break your goal down into specific components. To be better at your job, what professional skills would you need to develop? To be a more reliable friend, what actions could you take? When your goal is well-defined, it becomes more than just a daydream.
Measurable.
For every Soylent-drinking personal-data-tracking self-improvement devotee, there’s someone who isn’t quite ready to know any quantifiable truths about her behavior. But if you can’t measure your growth, or your effort, it’s a lot harder to chart progress—and almost impossible to course correct if things aren’t going well. Want to be a better public speaker? You won’t get there without practice—so set a quantifiable goal around speaking in public a few times a month. Writing a novel? You‘ll need to hit a certain page count—so make a goal to write a specific number of words, and break it down week by week. Setting a measurable goal is the best way to keep yourself accountable and on-track.
Attainable.
Growth happens when you do work that is uncomfortable but not impossible. If a goal feels too easy, that’s okay—knock it out of the park and set a harder one next time. But if a goal is too hard—not just challenging, but really unattainable—you might get frustrated, and you’re more likely to give up. Set a goal you can reach, and as you grow, adjust your target accordingly.
Relevant.
Does this goal matter? Will it move you towards reaching bigger, broader goals, or is it just a way to stay busy? These questions are especially critical to consider in a startup setting. Make sure the goals you’re setting at work will actually move your company forward. Time is valuable and finite. Make it count!
Time-bound.
When do you want to reach your goal? “Eventually” tends to mean “never,” and work will stretch to fill the time you give it. Create a realistic timeline and break your goal into manageable, satisfying short-term chunks.
SMART goals aren’t a silver bullet—but they’re a good place to start.
Life is not a parade of endless linear progress. Your priorities will shift. You will not reach every milestone. Some goals will forever elude you! But this is the fabric of your life we’re talking about—the stakes are too high to leave things up to chance.
So make a few big promises to yourself—then create the architecture that will allow you to keep them. Future you is SO grateful.