Goals that are clearly defined are specific and measurable. Measures motivate as they enable us to see progress (or a lack of it).

The best measures are:

• Meaningful
• Evidence of accomplishment
• Target key drivers of change
• Reveal results
• Include sensory descriptions
• Clear and simple language
• Specific

Meaningful measures are relevant to results. They are clearly connected to the desired outcomes or results. Learn more about objectives and key results at How to Choose VIP AIMS.

Evidence of accomplishment. Anything that is observable can be counted, and if it can be counted, it is measurable. – from “How to measure anything” by Douglas Hubbard. See 7 Simple Principles for Measuring Anything

Target key drivers of change. The most significant actions with the greatest impact.

Reveal results. Explain how to achieve the desired outcome.

Include sensory descriptions. Choose sensory words that describe evidence of the result. Use language that describes what we and others would see, hear, feel, do, taste or smell if our result was happening now. – From Stacey Barr, author of “Prove It!” See Five Steps to Find the Right Measures.

Clear and simple language. Choose simple words that are very clear. Try entering your value statement into the simple writer tool at https://xkcd.com/simplewriter/.

Specific. Define goals and measures in definite terms. Ask the right questions.

Learn more about objectives and key results at How to Choose VIP AIMS.

I struggled with making goals specific and measurable until I discovered a simple formula at this Small Business Success website. “I will (goal + performance measure) BY (specific actions).” Here is an example of how it works:

• I will (lose weight)
• By doing what? (by exercising)
• When? How often? How much? How many? (Every morning I will do aerobic exercise that will increase my heart to 155 beats per minute for 30 minutes) Note: for information on how to calculate your own target heart rate zone, visit MissouriFamilies.org
• Measured by (heart rate monitor, mark calendar)

What we measure improves (Pearson’s Law)- “That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”

If you can not measure it you can not improve it. – Lord Kelvin

MEASURES MATTER – Use MEASURES to quantify results

Metrics – provide a quantitative assessment of performance, like these examples for two of twelve life areas. Find more ideas for goal metrics at An Annual Review.

• Physical: weight, body mass index, blood pressure
• Financial: Income, savings, investments, net worth

Explain how much, how many – think of STAMP to Always Be Communicating Value

• Saved, served, sold, supervised
• Time
• Amounts
• Money made
• Percentages

Add checkmarks to a chart – an example would be a Seinfeld chart to track progress in developing a habit.

Steps to completion – a measure of productivity is how many tasks per day are completed on your to-do list.

Use numbers – like “10 % increase in sales,” “supervised 5 people,” “saved $50 a month for a year,” etc.

Rating scales – a rating scale can be used to measure abstract values. One kind of rating scale is the Likert scale.

Some goals are downright difficult measure. If you want to be a better parent, how do you measure that? It can be helpful to do some research. What actions are most likely to get you closer to your goal? What do good parents do? Or look at parents who do not excel at it and turn it around to do the opposite.

Examples of challenges met – use CARE to describe a time that you faced a

• Challenge and took…
• Action for a…
• Result to find…
• Examples

Success file – keep a success file of projects completed, and remember to celebrate before you choose a new goal in the planning process.

John Doerr talks about Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in his book “Measure What Matters” and his TED talk “Why the Secret to Success is Setting the Right Goals” (11:51).

Find charts and forms to track progress at the Goal Toolkit, This post is part of the How to Set Goals tutorial.

See also Making Goals SMART | Action Steps | Time Frames and Target Dates | Keep Goals Visual & Visible