SMART Goals: Complete Guide with Examples

"I want to get more clients." – That's not a goal. That's a wish. And wishes rarely come true.

The SMART method transforms vague wishes into concrete goals you can actually achieve. In this guide, you'll learn how to write SMART goals – with examples for freelancers, projects, and business.

What Are SMART Goals?

SMART is an acronym for five criteria that a good goal should meet:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

A goal that meets all five criteria is a SMART goal.

The 5 SMART Criteria Explained

S – Specific

A specific goal answers the W questions:

• What exactly do I want to achieve?
• Who is involved?
• Where will it happen?
• Why do I want this?

Bad: "I want to earn more." Better: "I want to increase my monthly revenue from IT consulting."

Bad: "We want to improve the website." Better: "We want to reduce the homepage loading time."

M – Measurable

If you can't measure whether you've achieved the goal, it's not a goal.

Questions:

• How much?
• How many?
• How will I know when I've achieved the goal?

Bad: "I want to earn more." Better: "I want to reach $8,000 revenue per month."

Bad: "The website should be faster." Better: "Loading time should be under 2 seconds."

A – Achievable (or: Attractive/Agreed)

The goal must be desirable for you (and all involved). Ask yourself:

• Do I really want this?
• Am I willing to work for it?
• Do all stakeholders agree?

A goal that's forced on you will probably not be achieved.

Also important: The goal must be achievable. An unrealistic goal demotivates.

Bad: "I want to make $100,000 next month." (unrealistic) Better: "I want to double my revenue in 12 months." (ambitious but doable)

R – Relevant (or: Realistic)

Is the goal achievable with available resources, skills, and time?

Questions:

• Do I have the necessary skills?
• Do I have the necessary resources?
• Have I done something similar before?
• Have others achieved this?

Bad: "I'll speak fluent Japanese next week." Better: "I'll learn basic business Japanese in 6 months."

Note: Realistic doesn't mean "easy." A goal can be challenging – but not impossible.

T – Time-bound

Without a deadline, a goal is just a dream. The timeframe creates urgency and enables planning.

Questions:

• By when do I want to achieve the goal?
• Are there milestones?
• When will I check progress?

Bad: "I want to get more clients." Better: "I want to acquire three new clients by March 31, 2025."

Writing SMART Goals: Step by Step

Step 1: Start with the Wish

What do you want to achieve? Just write it down, without perfection.

"I want to be successful as a freelancer."

Step 2: Make It Specific

What does "successful" mean concretely for you?

"I want to earn enough as an IT consultant to live comfortably."

Step 3: Add a Measurement

What is "enough"? What is "comfortably"?

"I want to earn $6,000 net per month as an IT consultant."

Step 4: Check If It's Attractive

Do you really want this? Are you willing to work for it?

Yes? Continue. No? Rethink the goal.

Step 5: Check If It's Realistic

Is $6,000 net achievable? With your skills, in your market?

If yes, continue. If no, adjust:

"I want to earn $4,500 net per month as an IT consultant."

Step 6: Set a Deadline

By when?

"By December 31, 2025, I want to earn $4,500 net per month as an IT consultant."

The Finished SMART Goal:

"By December 31, 2025, I earn $4,500 net per month as an IT consultant."

SMART Goals: Examples

For Freelancers

Bad: "I want more clients."

SMART: "By June 30, 2025, I acquire 5 new regular clients with an average project value of at least $5,000."

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Bad: "I want to write better proposals."

SMART: "By February 28, 2025, I increase my proposal conversion rate from 30% to 50% by using professional templates and structured follow-up."

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Bad: "I want to improve my skills."

SMART: "By March 31, 2025, I complete the AWS Solutions Architect certification and apply the knowledge in at least one client project."

For IT Projects

Bad: "The application should be more performant."

SMART: "By March 15, 2025, we reduce the average API response time from 800ms to under 200ms for the 10 most-used endpoints."

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Bad: "We want to improve quality."

SMART: "By the end of the quarter, we achieve at least 80% test coverage for all business-critical modules and reduce production bugs by 50%."

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Bad: "The migration should be completed."

SMART: "By April 30, 2025, we migrate all 50 microservices from on-premise to AWS cloud, with less than 4 hours total downtime and zero data loss."

For Business Development

Bad: "I want more visibility."

SMART: "By June 30, 2025, I publish 12 blog articles (one per week) on IT consulting topics and reach 1,000 monthly website visitors."

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Bad: "I want to expand my network."

SMART: "By March 31, 2025, I attend 4 industry events and collect at least 20 qualified contacts that I follow up within 2 weeks."

Common SMART Goal Mistakes

Mistake 1: Too Many Goals at Once

5 SMART goals simultaneously are 5 goals you probably won't achieve.

Better: 1-3 goals per quarter. Focus beats quantity.

Mistake 2: Goals Outside Your Control

"I want my client to pay on time." – You can't control that.

Better: "I send all invoices within 24 hours and set 14-day payment terms with automatic reminders."

Mistake 3: Output Instead of Outcome

"I write 10 blog articles." – That's output. "I acquire 2 clients through my blog." – That's outcome.

SMART goals should measure outcomes when possible.

Mistake 4: Too Far in the Future

"In 5 years I want to..." – That's strategy, not a SMART goal.

SMART goals work best for 1-12 months.

Mistake 5: No Review

Setting a goal and forgetting it accomplishes nothing. Plan regular check-ins:

• Weekly: Am I on track?
• Monthly: Do I need to adjust?
• Quarter end: Did I achieve the goal?

SMART Goals in Proposals

The SMART method also works excellently for project goals in proposals:

Bad:

"We will optimize your website."

SMART:

"Within 8 weeks, we optimize your website so that:

• Homepage loading time is under 2 seconds (current: 5.3 sec)
• Bounce rate decreases by at least 20%
• All Core Web Vitals are in the green zone"

Concrete, measurable goals in proposals show the client:

• You understand their problem
• You have a clear plan
• Success is measurable

Template: Writing a SMART Goal

MY SMART GOAL

What do I want to achieve? (Specific)
_______________________________________________

How do I measure success? (Measurable)
_______________________________________________

Why do I want this? (Attractive)
_______________________________________________

Is it doable? (Achievable)
_______________________________________________

By when? (Time-bound)
_______________________________________________

SMART GOAL (complete):
"By [DATE] I achieve [MEASURABLE RESULT]
through [SPECIFIC ACTION]."

Conclusion: From Wishes to Results

Vague wishes lead to vague results. SMART goals lead to concrete success.

The formula is simple:

• State exactly what you want
• Measure your progress
• Accept only goals you truly want
• Realistic assessment
• Timeframe with deadline

And then: Get started.

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Your First SMART Goal?

How about: "By [date], I create professional proposals in under 30 minutes instead of 2 hours."

With SimpleProposals, you achieve this goal. Professional templates, clear structure, fast creation.

Optimize your proposals now