Specific – What is a concrete step toward your goal? For example, “make an appointment with the school counselor to talk about my education and financial aid” instead of “figure out about school.”

Measurable – Ask yourself questions like: How much? How many? How will I know when my goal is accomplished? For instance, “Apply to 3 job postings this week.”

Attainable – Clear steps that give you enough time to reach them are more successful. Is the goal realistic? What needs to happen first? It should be a challenge, but also achievable.

Relevant – Does the goal really matter to you? Will it get you where you want to go? Is this the right time? Setting goals that you don’t really care about, or that don’t fit you, won’t work.

Timely – To keep it clear and motivate you to take action, your goal should happen in a defined time period. When do you want to begin? When do you want to complete each step?