SMART Goal Setting For Women Looking To Level Up This Year

If you’re ready to level up your career or personal life in 2025 but seem to just keep failing at all your goals, there could be a simple solution. A direct, simple method for planning your endeavors can make the difference between success and failure, and this method can be applied to any goal in any person’s life.

This method? It’s known as SMART goal setting and it gives you a clear, direct pathway to successfully meet your goals.

SMART goals use a clearly defined set of parameters to help you map out and achieve your goals. Each letter represents a helpful guardrail for understanding what a goal is and isn’t and whether you can succeed in meeting that goal.

SMART stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Timely

For your work life, set SMART career goals that provide you with directional impact. Instead of aiming for a generic raise or starting your own business, think of specific, targeted goals that you can realistically achieve. Add in the defining parameters to help you measure your success, like the number of employees you’ll hire or the investment capital you’ll start out with, and give yourself specific deadlines by which each milestone must be met.

An example might look like this: “I will start my copy-writing agency by Oct.1, with three employees and $100,000 in capital funding.”

If starting a business isn’t your dream, an impactful career goal can be much less ambitious but still as important for your success: “I will ask for a 10% raise by June 17.”

Most of us struggle to set realistic or definable health goals, though, because we so often have this “resolution” mentality instead of achievable plans laid out. 2025 could be your year to pick up running, sure, but you need a firm goal for that in mind.

Consider a 5K in three months’ time: “I will run the Move for MDS Chicago 5k on August 25.” This is a small, achievable goal that most folks could accomplish in the timeline given.

If eating healthily is your higher priority, tackle a personal health goal related to your diet instead. “I will complete an online nutrition course from Udemy by Sept. 1.”

We have the least control over outcomes in our personal lives. We’re dependent on others for their decisions and input into our relationships. We can, however, still set personal goals to prioritize well-being and personal growth.

One of my favorite annual personal goals is to set a solo vacation for myself. I also try out new hobbies every year to see if I can find something I love doing without the expectation of monetizing it in this world of constant hustling.

A great personal goal to set might look like “I will take a three-day weekend to the Wisconsin Dells, with or without friends, June 20-22.” Or you may opt for something more long-term: “I will sign up for and attend the 8-week stained-glass art class at the community college.”

While financial goals may be somewhat dependent on your career status, generally, they are some of the easiest to turn into SMART goals. You can opt for set savings goals or work toward better budgeting or transition to healthier spending habits.

If you’re looking toward an expensive vacation or large purchase, you might set the goal: “I will save $500 per month for 12 months.” This means you’d be saving $6,000 in a single year toward that specific purchase or trip. This means no more dipping into critical funds for vacation.

SMART goal setting automatically provides certain aspects of accountability. However, people often set these goals and then never touch them again after a few days or weeks. Using tools can help keep you accountable and actively in pursuit of those goals. I also encourage folks to share their goals with others and ask for accountability through online chats and groups.

I’d highly recommend any of the following tools for keeping yourself on track.

• Trello
• Todoist
• Way of Life
• Coach.me
• GoalsOnTrack

Stick to one or two apps only for the best results and to prevent burnout on your tracking.