How To Address Goal Setting

Here are some goal setting tips from your Houghton neighborhood physical therapist to provide stability for 2021 

As physical therapists, we set goals for all of our patients to ensure we are working towards activities and daily living tasks that are important to you! We use a common strategy of SMART goals.

What are SMART goals?

S: Specific: What, why, where, when and how of a goal. What do you want to achieve? 

M: Measurable: Having a goal that is quantifiable makes it a lot easier to track progress.

A: Attainable: Is the goal actually achievable?

R: Realistic: Is this goal relevant to your life or does it come from external pressure? 

T: Time Sensitive: Set a deadline. How many weeks/months do you think it will realistically take?

These goals can be workout, personal, or work related. Meeting your goals can improve self-confidence, motivation, and feelings of stability. They can keep you on track and give you direction, especially during uncertain times. Keep in mind that meeting targets requires planning, motivation, and flexibility. If you don’t meet your goal, that is okay! Just re-set your time constraints and continue. If you feel like your idea is no longer attainable or realistic, move on to a new one.

Here are some examples:

Personal: I will write a daily journal entry every day for the next month.

Exercise: I will walk 30 minutes for stress relief, 4x weekly for the next month.

Professional: I will read three articles this month to improve my knowledge of _____.

What are your goals for next month?

If you have questions or would like to share, feel free to reach out to me at: kellymcgivern@lakewashingtonpt.com