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SMART Goal Setting

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Work one goal through the six steps below. Each step adds the detail the step before it was missing, and by the end you have something you can actually start on rather than something you keep meaning to start on.

Step 1 — Name the goal

My goal is to
e.g. In as few words as possible.
______________________________________________

Step 2 — Specific

Make the goal detailed. Answer who, what, where, how, and when.

The goal, in detail
e.g. Who is involved, what exactly happens, where, how, and when.

______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Action step 1
e.g. Something specific you will do.
______________________________________________

Action step 2
e.g. Something specific you will do.
______________________________________________

Action step 3
e.g. Something specific you will do.
______________________________________________

Step 3 — Measurable

I will measure and track this goal by
e.g. The numbers or the method you will use.
______________________________________________

I will know I have reached my goal when
e.g. Describe the finish line clearly enough that you could not argue about whether you crossed it.

______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Step 4 — Attainable

Name what this goal will actually need from you before you start, not halfway through.

What success will need

Items I need to achieve this goal

  • Your answer: ____________________

How I will find the time

  • Your answer: ____________________

Things I need to learn more about

  • Your answer: ____________________

People I can talk to for support

  • Your answer: ____________________

Step 5 — Relevant

Why I want to reach this goal
e.g. List your reasons. The honest ones, not the impressive ones.

______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Step 6 — Timely

Put a deadline on the goal and set some benchmarks along the way.

I will reach my goal by (date)
e.g. MM/DD/YYYY
______________________________________________

My halfway measurement, and the date I will check it
e.g. e.g. 10 sessions logged, by 11/15/2026
______________________________________________

Additional dates and milestones I am aiming for
e.g. Anything else you want on the calendar.

______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Vague goals do not fail, they drift: A goal without a number and a date rarely gets abandoned outright — it just gets postponed one more week, forever. The dates in Step 6 are not pressure. They are the thing that lets you be honest with yourself about where you actually are.

Go deeper

Ready for more? These lessons pick up where this worksheet leaves off.

  • Systems, Habits, and Self-Compassion, from The Adult ADHD Course. How to make self-compassion the engine that keeps your habits and systems running.
  • Executive Function, from The Neurodivergent Brain. Why the ADHD brain runs on interest not importance, why autistic set-shifting is costly, plus time blindness & task initiation.
  • Motivation and the Wall of Awful, from The Adult ADHD Course. Why starting is the hardest part with ADHD — the Wall of Awful, activation energy, and the interest-based engine — plus what actually helps you begin.
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