SMART goals examples

Get fit

Run 5 km without stopping by 30 June by following a 9-week beginner plan, three runs a week.

Eat healthier

Eat vegetables with at least two meals a day, five days a week, for the next eight weeks, tracked on my habit tracker.

Sleep more

Be in bed with lights out by 10:45 pm on at least five weeknights a week for the next month.

Get stronger

Do 10 full push-ups in a row by 1 May by practising three sessions a week.

Drink less

Keep Monday to Thursday alcohol-free for the next 12 weeks and note each week I manage it.

Be more productive

Block 9–11 am for focused work, four days a week, and finish my top task in that block at least three times a week this quarter.

Get promoted

Lead one cross-team project to launch by November and ask my manager for promotion criteria in our next 1:1.

Learn new skills

Complete an introductory SQL course and build two reports my team uses by the end of Q2.

Network more

Have one coffee chat with someone outside my team every two weeks until December.

Find a new job

Apply to 3 well-matched roles a week with a tailored CV, aiming for 5 interviews by 31 March.

Save money

Save $3,000 for an emergency fund by 31 December with an automatic $250 transfer every payday.

Pay off debt

Clear my $2,400 credit-card balance in 8 months by paying $300 a month and freezing the card.

Spend less

Keep eating-out spending under $150 a month for the next three months, checked every Sunday.

Start investing

Open a retirement account and set up a monthly contribution of 5% of my salary before the end of next month.

Get better grades

Raise my maths grade from C to B by the end of term by doing 30 minutes of practice problems four evenings a week.

Study more

Study for 45 minutes every weekday at 5 pm in the library until exams start on 10 June.

Read more

Read 12 books this year, one a month, logging each on a list pinned to my wall.

Stop procrastinating

Start every assignment within two days of receiving it this semester and write a one-line plan the day it is set.

Spend more time with family

Have a screen-free family dinner at least four nights a week for the next two months.

Learn a language

Complete 60 fifteen-minute Spanish lessons and have a 20-minute conversation with a tutor by 1 August.

Be less stressed

Take a 10-minute walk without my phone every workday at lunch for six weeks, and rate my stress weekly.

Make friends

Join one weekly club or class by the end of this month and attend at least 8 of the next 10 sessions.

Improve patient education

Use teach-back with every patient I discharge for the next 30 days and log how many could explain their medication plan.

Get certified

Pass my specialty certification exam by October by studying 5 hours a week and taking two practice exams.

Better work-life balance

Leave within 20 minutes of shift end on at least 4 of 5 shifts a week this month by starting handover notes 30 minutes early.