5 SMART Goal Setting Worksheets & Templates [2024 Update]

Setting goals is akin to plotting the course of life's grand adventure—without a map, you might get lost along the way.

But fear not, intrepid goal-setter! Our “5 SMART Goal Setting Worksheets & Templates” are here to be your trusty compass.

Dive into this creative SMART GOALS toolkit to turbocharge your aspirations and transform vague dreams into clear, actionable objectives.

Whether you're planning your personal milestones or professional triumphs, get ready to uncover the magic of SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—goal setting.

Prepare to embark on a journey where ambition meets strategy, and success awaits just around the corner!

SMART Goal Setting Worksheets: An Overview

If you want to take immediate action, here is a simple table listing the five goal-setting worksheets and a quick link to download them. Here are four that you can choose from:

Type of Goal Worksheet	Best For	Link (Right click and select “Save As”)
#1. Goal Setting Planner Printable Worksheets	Best for Productivity	Goal Setting Planner Printable Worksheets
#2. SMART Goals Worksheet	Best for an Individual	SMART Goals Worksheet
#3. Goal Execution Worksheet	Best for Multiple Goals With Multiple Steps	Goal Execution Worksheet
#4. Child’s Goal Setting Worksheet	Best Goals Sheet for Kids	Child’s Goal Setting Worksheet
#5. Simple Goal Setting Worksheet	Simplest Goal Setting Form That Is Still Effective	Simple Goal Setting Worksheet

What does the Acronym SMART mean?

SMART goal setting is good because it has five essential steps to make your goals more “realistic” and achievable. Here are the specifics of SMART goal setting:

S	Specific. Make sure that the goal is clear as written.
M	Time-bound. The goal should have a specific start and stop date, along with all the relevant steps and milestones.
A	Measurable. Any metric requirement in the goal should be clearly defined and have specific numbers attached.
R	Relevant. The goal should personally matter to you and is worth your time and effort.
T	Time-bound. There should be a specific start and stop date for the goal, including all the relevant steps and milestones along the way.

Why a SMART Goal Setting Framework is the most effective goal-setting method for actually achieving your goals

When setting practical goals, the SMART framework emerges as an unparalleled ally for individuals seeking clarity and direction.

This topic explores the SMART goals framework, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, and how it can be used to set practical goals across different contexts.

By focusing on these well-defined criteria, individuals can create a roadmap articulating clear objectives and aligning them with larger ambitions and timelines. This approach eradicates ambiguity, ensuring that goals are inspirational, practical, and grounded in reality.

The strength of the SMART framework lies in its emphasis on specificity and measurability. By defining goals in explicit terms, it becomes much easier to quantify success through a SMART goals checklist or goal-setting template. This measurable aspect enables progress tracking and simplifies tactics as necessary, ensuring continuous alignment with the ultimate aim. Specific criteria also bolster motivation, as clearly defined milestones and a robust timeline template prevent goal-setters from straying off their paths.

Moreover, the framework promotes setting achievable goals by balancing aspiration with practicality. Every objective under the SMART umbrella is designed to be challenging yet within reach, ensuring that end goals remain ambitious and attainable. The achievable component prevents setting up for failure while fostering a sense of accomplishment as each milestone is met, paving the way toward more significant success.

The relevance of goals is another crucial component of the SMART framework. This ensures that each endeavor is significant and pertinent to broader life or professional aspirations, facilitating continuity and consistency in effort. By keeping goals relevant, goal-setters can maintain the momentum necessary to advance, seamlessly integrating personal milestones with excellent life missions through a well-crafted SMART goals worksheet.

Ultimately, by employing the SMART framework in goal setting, individuals are equipped with a comprehensive methodology that ensures progress is tracked effectively and celebrated as part of a larger strategic plan.

Now, let's go over each of these four worksheets…

1. 12 Goal Setting Planner Printable Worksheets 

Check out Goal Setting Planner Printable Worksheets on Etsy

Boost your productivity with our Goal Planner Printables Package, designed to help you set and achieve your aspirations with precision.

This comprehensive package includes planners for Daily Tasks, Weekly Goals, Monthly Goals, Quarterly Goals, and Yearly Goals, a “My Goals” section, Monthly Reflection, and Goal Overview.

Simply download and print to organize your path to success with clarity and focus.

2. SMART Goal Setting Worksheet

Our first goal-setting worksheet is the SMART goal-setting worksheet. This is the best worksheet to use if you're looking to skyrocket your goal efforts. I feel this is the most crucial goal-setting plan of the bunch. It's highly versatile and covers multiple areas while limited to a single sheet of paper.

SMART goal setting ensures that your goals will work. This format should be written in a language that is clear, concise, and achievable. Here's how to do it

If you want to learn more about this concept, I recommend checking out this resource on SMART goal setting.

3. Goal Execution Plan

The goal execution plan helps you handle multiple goals that may require multiple people — such as goals at work or business, where different people may be in charge of different steps.

This goal worksheet has room for three goals with up to six different steps each. Each “action item” step can be assigned to others, have different start and end dates, and require specific metrics and budgets.

This is a complex goal worksheet for complex goals. You would not want to use it if your only concern is a simple, personal goal.

How to Use the Free Goal Execution Plan

This worksheet includes action items that need to be tracked. You want to use this goal for part or all of these goal worksheet action items that need to be completed by other people.

If you have big, hairy goals with multiple moving parts, this simple one-page document is for you.

This goal-setting worksheet has space for 3 goals, which is the most you should be actively working on at any given time. It also has room under each goal to track up to 6 different action items needed to complete each goal.

I would still recommend using the SMART goals-setting worksheet to create your goals. However, there is only room on this chart to create your goals, so there is no way to measure whether the goal has inherent errors that may make it impossible to complete.

What does FREE Goal Execution Plan Include?

Section	Description
Goals and Action steps	This is where you list your specific goals and up to 6 action steps to complete them. Goals should be constantly measured, with progress shown at each level.
Start Date	The specific dates when each goal or action step is started.
Responsible	Who is responsible for the goal completion, and who is responsible for completing each action step?
Starting metrics	Key performance indicators, numbers, money, weight. Whatever your goal is measured in, all related metrics should be recorded here and at each action step to chart progress.
Budget	If a budget is attached, what is the budget for each action step?
Notes	Any specific notes attached to the goal and action steps
Final metrics	Specific metrics when the end date is reached.
End date	The proposed final date for every goal and action step.

4. Child’s Goal Setting Worksheet

This simple worksheet is for a student or child at home to encourage their goal-setting efforts. These goals should be simple and include whatever the child thinks they need to work on, not tasks assigned by adults.

The Student or Child’s Goal Planning Worksheet is a simple form for students at school or at home to help them start planning and implementing their own goals.

The first two sections of the form require the child to analyze their strengths and weaknesses and decide on an area they need to improve.

The following section has them commit to a specific improvement.

The fourth section of this goal worksheet has the child lay out a specific plan for improvement in their own words.

Finally, the child is taught “if-then” thinking by deciding what to do if their plan is unsuccessful.

5. A Simple Goal Setting Worksheet

The power of this goal-setting form is in the title. It is simple and basic, yet it still covers some areas that could cause a goal to fail.

There are a few essential parts to help accomplish your goals.

The first part is a specific start and completion date. When you do not tie goals to particular dates, you are doomed for your goals to fail.

The following helpful part is the steps to reaching your goal. These steps make you think logically about the goal and help you break it down into smaller and more manageable parts.

Finally, the two things that help you reach your goal will make you think about things that may help you succeed. For instance, many personal goals are helped by accountability, where you tell others about your goal for encouragement and support.

The Importance of Goal Setting

Setting short-term and long-term goals is important for improving focus. One of the many benefits of setting goals is that they help propel you forward because they give you written, step-by-step instructions on how to achieve them while also allowing you to set a date for accomplishment.

Goal planning provides the reminder to continue doing what you have to do and allows you to stay in that growth mindset as you work on achieving your goals.

The SMART goals template we provided above is an excellent place to start because it allows you to set realistic and achievable goals. These worksheets also allow you to identify your priorities while setting milestones as you work toward your goals and objectives.

Setting a goal also helps us believe in ourselves and what we can achieve. Goal setting isn't just about the plan we implement; it is about finding the inspiration we need while aiming for what we didn't think was possible.

Common Goal Setting Mistakes these SMARt Goal Worksheets Help Avoid

Setting goals can be transformative, but common mistakes often hinder progress and effectiveness.

One frequent error is neglecting specificity, where goals are too vague to guide actionable steps. Instead, defining clear and measurable objectives is crucial.

Another pitfall is overloading with goals, leading to burnout and fragmented focus. Setting unrealistic expectations can also derail efforts, as such goals may feel unattainable and demotivating. It's essential to remain grounded and set achievable targets.

Below are the common goal-setting mistakes addressed when you turn your standard goals into SMART goals using the smart goal worksheets on this page.

Common Mistakes in Goal Setting:

1. Neglecting Specificity
2. Overloading with Goals
3. Setting Unrealistic Expectations
4. Ignoring Regular Updates
5. Neglecting Input
6. Failure to Incorporate Feedback
7. Failure to Track Progress

What's Your Favorite Goal Setting Worksheet?

Are you a fan of the SMART goal-setting worksheet? Or do you prefer a more straightforward goals sheet? Maybe the SMART Goal sheet doesn't cover enough for your needs, and you want something more robust and functional.

Whatever your feelings are, please let me know in the comments below.

Mainly: How do you like these goals? What could we do to improve these goals printable? If you want more goal printables, what would they be?

The only way we can improve the content of this page and give you more free downloadable stuff is to provide you with a better idea of what you want.

If you'd like to discover additional information on this SMART Goals then I suggest you check out the following articles:

• 87 Action Verbs for SMART Goals
• 27 Examples of Short-Term Goals
• 25 Examples of Long-Term Goals
• 30 Affirmations for Achieving Goals
• 7 Proven Alternatives to SMART Goals
• 10 SMART Goals Examples for Students of All Ages
• The Difference Between Process and Outcome Goals
• A TED Talk by Tim Ferriss on Why “Fear Setting” is More Important Than Goal Setting

Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals.