Once you create a SMART Goal, it’s helpful to create a plan that will outline how you’ll accomplish the specific and measurable parts of the goal.
Let’s say you set the following SMART goal, “I will begin following some of the balanced plate principles by filling half my plate with fruits and/or vegetables during at least two of my meals every day for the next month to help increase my vitamin and mineral intake.”
Creating a plan can help to:
- Ensure you have access to the right resources. For example, with this goal it will be good to have fruits and vegetables readily accessible in your home. To help you be successful, you might block out time one particular day of each week to go grocery shopping, for example on Tuesday evenings.
- Figure out how the SMART Goal you set will fit into your daily routine. With this goal, you might decide that mornings are really rushed so you might choose to incorporate fruits and vegetables at lunch and dinner instead.
- Anticipate any possible barriers and think through potential solutions. You might realize you need a backup plan in case you don't make it to the grocery store one week. With this potential barrier in mind, you could decide to keep a stock of canned and frozen produce in your house at all times to ensure you always have access to fruits and vegetables.