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Being well-organized is an essential part of daily life, whether at home, on the job, or at school. However, staying well-organized is a challenge that many face. There are various organizational skills we all need to master.
Being able to plan, be physically organized, engage in teamwork, being proactive and motivated are just some of the challenges faced in developing good organizational skills. However, using SMART goals, becoming better organized is easier.
SMART goals for organizational skills allow you to set specific, measurable, and relevant goals that will be completed in a particular time frame. SMART goals are, essentially, organizational tools.
What Are SMART Goals?
SMART goals are a set of goals that have become a popular organizational tool. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. These are five factors that work toward creating real and achievable goals.
Why SMART Goals are Important for Organizational Skills
SMART goals for organizational skills are crucial for several reasons. Organizational skills can be hard to develop, and there are many aspects to consider.
One of the main challenges many people face is a lack of proper planning. If your goal is to be organized, a clear plan of action is essential. The first step to being organized is knowing how to organize.
Another organizational challenge concerns physical organization. At the very least, this means having a well-organized workplace where you can find everything at a moment’s notice.
Teamwork is the next challenge faced in organizational skills. Organization is not a solo act because having everybody on the same page is crucial for achieving goals and completing tasks when you work with others. Team members must be able to organize and coordinate together.
Workplace and organizational skills also include, but are not limited to, having the relevant skills, being focused and motivated, actively listening, taking the initiative, making decisions, being proactive, etc.
Setting SMART goals can improve your results on these fronts. If you develop goals with specific means to reach particular ends within a specified time frame and make these goals realistic and attainable, staying well-organized should evolve.
A SMART goal allows you to set a realistic and attainable goal; it provides a way to measure your progress and helps you improve your skills within a limited time.
If you want to get better at organization, setting SMART goals might be the way to go about it. Should you wish to learn more about this topic, look at this Ultimate Guide to SMART Goals.
5 SMART Goal Examples for Organizational Skills
These SMART goal examples can help improve your organizational skills. As you will see, each of the goals we talk about here will adhere to each letter in the SMART acronym.
1. Plan My Day Concisely
“Every morning, I will start the day by taking 20 minutes to plan my day concisely. I will set a specific timetable for relevant tasks that need to be completed by day’s end. Finally, I will measure my progress by seeing how many of these goals in my morning plan I was able to achieve.”
S: This goal is straightforward yet specific—to lay out what needs to be done by the end of each day.
M: The progress for this goal is easy to measure because you can see how many jobs within your daily plan you complete by the end of the day.
A: This goal is easy to achieve because creating a daily action plan is easy.
R: This goal is relevant because having a plan or checklist of daily tasks that require completion is directly related to organization.
T: This goal is time-bound because the aim is to create this daily plan within the first 20 minutes of work and complete all these jobs by the end of the day.
2. Clean Workspace and Declutter Daily
“Every day, I will take 10 minutes to clean my workspace, dispose of unneeded materials and objects, and ensure no clutter or garbage is present. My goal is to do daily rough cleaning and one thorough cleaning each week, preferably on the last day of each week.”
S: This goal is evident and specific—to keep your workspace clean with a regular cleaning routine.
M: Although somewhat subjective, this goal is easy to measure by how clean your workspace is. The cleaner the space, the closer you are to your goal. It is also measurable by the time spent organizing and cleaning daily.
A: This goal is easy to achieve, as setting aside 10 minutes per day to get rid of the garbage and clean is realistic.
R: This is a relevant goal, as having a tidy workspace relates directly to organizational capacity.
T: This goal is time-bound because the aim is to clean for at least 10 minutes per day and do one deep cleaning at least once a week.
3. Review the Day
“At the end of each day, I will take 15 minutes to reflect on the past day to see how well-organized I was, and how I can be more organized and productive in the coming day. I will note what went wrong and then take appropriate steps to avoid these mistakes the next day.”
S: This goal is specific and concise as you set aside 15 minutes to evaluate the past day and set clear goals or areas of improvement for the next day.
M: This goal is measurable because you can judge how much you improved from the previous day and how many of these past mistakes you avoided.
A: This goal is attainable and realistic because evaluating your own performance and improving on it is not overly difficult.
R: This goal is relevant because avoiding mistakes will allow you to be more productive and organized.
T: This goal is time-bound, as the aim is to improve from mistakes by the next day.
4. Communicate Well with People
“Every morning, I will communicate with all relevant employees and parties I work with. If possible, I will answer emails and physically communicate with the people I work with every day. I will create a list of jobs that everybody must work together to achieve by the end of the business day.”
S: This goal is specific—to communicate with all relevant parties at the beginning of each day and complete specific team jobs by the end of each day.
M: This goal is measurable, as you can easily count how many of the relevant parties were communicated with and how many teamwork goals were completed by the end of each day.
A: This goal is attainable and realistic, as taking some time to communicate with others is easily done.
R: This goal is relevant, as efficient communication and teamwork contribute to overall organizational capacities.
T: This goal is time-bound, as the aim is to communicate with all relevant parties at the beginning of each day.
5. Evaluate Own Skills and Proficiencies
“I will evaluate my own skills and proficiencies related to my workplace and improve those skills as required. My goal is to take a skill-building course to strengthen my proficiencies as they relate to my workplace. I will complete this course with the overall goal of scoring at least 90% on all examinations.”
S: This goal is specific—to identify areas of improvement, take a course to improve work-related proficiencies, and obtain a particular score or grade in that skill-building course.
M: This goal is measurable because you get a specific grade at the end of the skill-building course.
A: This goal is attainable and realistic, as you can easily take physical or online courses to improve various skills.
R: This goal is relevant because being proficient in skills that relate to your workplace will enable you to stay better organized and on task.
T: This goal is time-bound, as the aim is to complete the course and get a specific grade by the time the course ends.
Final Thoughts on SMART Goals for Organizational Skills
SMART goals are essential for improving your organizational skills. They help you set specific goals relevant to your overall goal (improving organizational skills), measurable, attainable, and time-bound goals.
Create a specific goal, make sure you can measure the progress, keep things realistic and relevant, and set time limits. If you adhere to this SMART goal principle, improving organizational skills should happen.
And if you want more SMART goal ideas and examples, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 7 Examples of SMART Goals for Project Management
- 6 SMART Goals Examples for Event Coordinators
- 6 SMART Goals Examples for Nonprofit Organizations
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.
