Why SMART Goals Are Trending with Women Who Want to Earn More

If you read my last post about goal setting, this is where we zoom in. Because setting a goal is great…but setting a SMART goal is the difference between "I want to earn more" and seeing your income change. Woohoo!

SMART goals give you the framework to turn those big dreams into steps you can knock out in the pockets of time you already have.

In this post, I'm getting into exactly what SMART goals are, and how you can use them to start growing the income you really want.

Stay until the end, because there's one piece of this that way too many people skip. And it's the part that makes it all work!

Quick note: income examples show what's possible, and results vary. Your niche, your effort and your audience all play a part. This post contains affiliate links, so I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

SMART is an acronym. Each letter represents one piece of a well-built goal. When you hit all five, you go from I kind of want this to I know EXACTLY what I'm doing and when I'll get there.

This is where most goals fall apart before they even start. "I want to make money from home" is a wish. It's something you say to yourself while you’re paying your bills.

A specific goal sounds more like: "I want to earn $500 a month in residual commissions by promoting products I believe in."

See the difference? One gives you direction. The other floats around in your head and never gets traction.

Ask yourself…

What exactly do I want?

What does it look like?

What am I doing every day to get there?

If you can't explain your goal in one clear sentence, it's not specific enough yet!

If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. You need a number, a date, something concrete that lets you check in and say "Am I on track or not?"

"I want to grow my business" is nice. But grow how? By how much? Compared to what?

Try this instead…

I want to go from 2 paying customers to 10 by the end of August.

Now you've got something you can really track week by week. You can look at your numbers at the end of each week and know whether you need to step it up or keep doing what's working.

Measurable goals take all that guess work out of the equation.

This one trips people up because there's a fine line between stretching yourself and setting yourself up to feel like a failure.

Going from zero to $10,000 a month in 30 days, sure that would be nice. For most people, that's not achievable. It's a fantasy. And when you don't accomplish your goal, you get defeated and quit.

But going from zero to your first $500 month within 90 days by putting in an hour a day? That's a real stretch BUT it’s still within reach. You'll have to work for it, but you won't burn out chasing something impossible.

The idea here is to set a goal that makes you a little nervous but doesn't make you laugh out loud. If you roll your eyes at your own goal, scale it back.

Want to see what a $500 month can look like with recurring commissions? My free playbook walks you through the math. Grab it right below.

This is the one too many people skip. But I think it’s the most important letter in the whole acronym.

Relevant means…does this goal line up with the life you're trying to create?

I see women all the time chasing goals that aren't even theirs! They saw someone on social media doing something and thought "hmm, I should do that too."

But when you dig in, it doesn't match their schedule, their strengths, their family situation, or what they even care about.

If your goal is more time at home, then a business that keeps you on sales calls eight hours a day doesn't fit YOUR life. It might be a perfectly fine goal for someone else. But it doesn’t fit with what you're after.

Before you commit to any goal, ask yourself…

If I achieve this, will it move me closer to the life I want?

If the answer is wishy-washy, rethink it.

And last but definitely not least, a goal without a deadline is merely a daydream.

I know that sounds blunt, but it's true. "Someday" isn’t on the calendar!

If you don't attach a date to your goal, it’ll float around in the background forever while you stay busy with everything else.

Time-bound doesn't mean you have to pressure yourself with some crazy countdown. It just means you pick a realistic date and work backward from there.

"I want to earn $1,000 a month in residual income by December 31st." Ok! Now your brain starts doing the math.

How many customers do I need?

How many people do I need to talk to each week?

What do I need to do today?

A deadline turns a goal into a project. And projects get done. Yeah!

Alright, so now you know what they are. Let's talk about what they're not to avoid any confusion.

They're not…vision boards.

I do love a good vision board! Truly. But a vision board is about dreaming. <a href="https://vibrantlifeoasis.com/vision-board-inspiration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">If you want to know more about vision boards, then check out this post over at Vibrant Life Oasis.</a>

A SMART goal is about doing. You can have both! Your Pinterest board of beach houses and laptop lifestyle photos is inspiration. The SMART goal is what gets you from here to there.

They're not…rigid rules that can't flex.

Life happens. You get sick. You have a terrible week. SMART goals give you a flexible framework. If you need to adjust your timeline or shift your numbers, that's fine! Think of your goal as a compass.

They're not…only for corporate people in conference rooms.

I think this is why a lot of women building from home skip goal-setting altogether. It sounds like something for people with MBAs and whiteboards.

But it's even MORE useful when you're working from your kitchen table with limited hours. When your time is tight, you can't afford to be vague about what you're working toward.

They're not…a one-time thing.

You come back to a SMART goal again and again! You check in each week. What’s working and what's not? Tweak and adjust.

I highly recommend this <a href="https://incomesuccessstrategies.com/letsgoaltraining" target="_blank" rel="noopener">goal tracking app</a>, feel free to check it out and see if it works for you.

They're not…a substitute for action.

You can write down the most beautiful, perfectly worded SMART goal in the world. Good on you!

But if you don't do something about it every single day (or close to it), it stays as words on paper. The framework only works if YOU work. Even fifteen minutes a day toward your goal beats a perfect plan you never touch.

Let me give you one more example to drive the point home.

Instead of "I want to start an online business." (which I think is a fabulous idea by the way…)

Try…

"I want to earn my first $500 in online commissions within 90 days by spending 45 minutes a day, five days a week, building an audience and sharing content about a product I use and love."

Specific? Check. Measurable? Yup! It's achievable. It's relevant if you want to earn income from home. And it's time-bound.

And it’s doable! The product I share is the <a href="https://incomesuccessstrategies.com/tripleresidual" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Turnkey Residual Income System</a>, so that’s where my own SMART goals point.

Setting goals like this doesn't mean the path will be smooth. You'll have weeks where nothing seems to work and weeks where things click. That's normal.

But having a SMART goal means you always know what you're aiming for. No need to wander around hoping something happens. You've got a target, a timeline, and a plan.

If you’d like help mapping out your first income goal, grab the free playbook above.