How to Stop Procrastinating: a simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks and Breaking the Procrastination Habit

STEP #3: SET QUARTERLY S.M.A.R.T.
GOALS
As we just discussed, a simple way to prevent procrastination is to focus
only on activities that directly align with a handful of goals. This works
because whenever you feel that urge to put off a task, you can remind
yourself of how your inaction negatively affects an outcome that you
desire in the immediate future.
When it comes to goal setting, my suggestion is to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for
every quarter (i.e., three months) instead of the yearlong goals that most
people create.
To begin, let’s start with a simple definition of S.M.A.R.T. goals.
George Doran first used the S.M.A.R.T. acronym in the November 1981
issue of the Management Review. It stands for:
Specific;
Measurable;
Attainable;
Relevant; and
Time-bound.
Specific
Specific goals answer your six “W” questions: “Who?”, “What?”,
“Where?”, “When?”, “Which?”, and “Why?”
When you can identify each element, you’ll know which tools (and
actions) are required to reach a goal:
Who is involved?
What do you want to accomplish?

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Where will you complete the goal?
When do you want to do it?
Which requirements and constraints might get in your way?
Why are you doing it?
Specificity is important because when you reach these milestones (date,
location, and objective), you’ll know for certain you have achieved your
goal.
Measurable
Measurable goals are defined with precise times, amounts, or other units
—essentially anything that measures progress toward a goal.
Creating measurable goals makes it easy to determine if you have
progressed from point A to point B. Measurable goals also help you figure
out when you’re headed in the right direction and when you’re not.
Generally, a measurable goal statement answers questions starting with
how, such as “How much?”, “How many?”, and “How fast?”