The concept of S.M.A.R.T. goals has been around for quite some time. According to it, a goal must be – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely, or defined in time. But are smart goals smart enough now, as they were in the past? Are they suitable for freelancers that are part of a world market that is fast-paced and requires constant adaptation and learning?
Success is in the journey and not the destination
When you create a detailed strategic plan to reaching this big freelancing goal of yours, this mentally establishes you into a fixed paradigm.
But the reality is, nothing is really fixed or even predictable. We cannot be sure where we will be a year from now. Uncertainty is a certainty, especially in the world we live in now.
So to expect predictable results, or stick to the same goals for years to come is not in line with the reality of quickly changing circumstances. Especially in the world of freelancing. To be effective there, you need a goal-setting mindset that will allow you to welcome change when it comes and be able to adjust quickly to the changing circumstances.
Freelancers need to learn to flow with life and be flexible while navigating towards their goal in the meandering river of life. Like expert sailors, they know how to harness the power of the changing winds and the mutable waves of the ocean, in order to pursue their vision and reach their goals.
How to have an unbreakable system for reaching your freelancing goals
Hard materials, like ice, can break when they had a hard clash with another hard surface. But fluids, like water, find their way around the hard rock and manage to go through. Many businesses and freelancers that had fixed plans and methods, and did not want to change, had a hard clash when the rock of Covid-19 hit, others found their way around towards their goals through adaptation.
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Here is how to establish a goal pattern in your freelancing life and business that allows change and is flexible but also unbreakable – like a great river heading to the sea of success and possibilities.
1. Analyze your starting point
This is the situation you are found in right now. Sit quietly and think of the core values and principles that rule your life. Contemplate what matters to you the most in life. What defines you as a person and as a freelancer? What are your strong points and your weak sides? What skills do you have?
2. Outline the general vision of your freelancing goals
Now take some time to visualize what is coming ahead of you. Start with some short-term tasks at hand – as a meeting with a freelance client, your next meal, or a walk with a friend. Then focus on what lies ahead in the next month or year, and your general plan for your life.
How you envision your future. Perhaps you would like to start your freelancing agency or develop a new skill. You would like to move to another country, or you would like to put more time into your hobby and develop it into your dream freelance business.
Do have an idea of what you would like to achieve, but leave out the minutest details. This way your system remains flexible and open. The change will not break it, it will reinforce it.
3. Adjust your system to your new circumstances
Regularly revisit your goals and make the necessary adjustments in the methods and strategies to fulfilling them. Life is a constant flow. A new partner or a baby may come into your life. New education may give you new tools to implement and enhance your freelancing career. Remember to revisit and adapt your plans and goals so that they reflect the newest version of the person that you are becoming.
4. Have a backup system
Freelancers in general are part of the more optimistic, free-spirited part of mankind nowadays. They appreciate the value of freedom to choose where to go and what to do, and they often envision the future as bright and positive, which is great! However, when times of scarcity or disaster hit, or they lose a major client, they can experience a sudden fall. They are left stranded on the shore of disillusioned freelance ideals. Working from the beach of the freelancing dream island turns to a survivor island where they have to work hard to find few resources to feed on.
So the old adage is valid here too: who fails to plan, plans to fail. So plan for a change of the market and the number of clients you currently have as a freelancer. If you have plenty of clients and a consistent workload, this may not be the case next year or even next month! So put a percentage of your earnings in a savings account. While you are working with one major client, be on the lookout for a second big one. Be open to the needs of the market and see how you can improve your skills to serve better your clients in new ways. Stay in good shape and constantly invest in your health and personal growth and development. This way you won’t be shocked or even surprised when change comes in! You have been planning for it.
How to be unbreakable as a freelancer:
- Have a clear view of your current situation
- Have a clear vision of your future
- Be open to adjustments along the way
- Have a backup system in case of unforeseen events
Making S.M.A.R.T. goals freelance-smart
So let’s go through the core principles of the S.M.A.R.T. goals and see how they can be transformed and adapted to the changing freelancing world of today
1. From Specific to clear and open
Too “Specific” goals might be causing your goal to be too fixed and become outdated with the changing situations of life. So you can transform “Specific” to Clear and Open.
Let’s pick, for example, one goal – maybe you would like to grow into a freelancing agency. You have this clear goal and a possible strategy, but you are open to changes in the ways to obtain it and you do not go to the minutest detail of its final outcome.
2. From Measurable to High-Quality
Numbers are not all, and often the process of achieving something is a transformational journey that redefines how we value success or failure. Aiming for always improving yourself and becoming better and more effective will guarantee you are heading upwards.
If you are stuck to a number, what you can achieve is just that. If you aim higher and higher, the sky is the limit. So it is good to have some reasonable expectations but allow flexibility and aim always towards improvement in quality of your performance and results.
3. Replacing “Achievable” with Greatness
It is good to have achievable goals if we want to gain confidence in what is possible.
Still, if you need to pursue a really big goal, the person you are now may not believe is achievable.
However, if this is your goal, you will transform into a person that is able to achieve it. You will find your way through new freelancing education, mentors, training, and life experience on how to get into the position of being this person with this star-bound goal. The universe conspires to help the dreamer or… the bold freelancer! So aim big and you will get results that will surprise you!
4. Relevant is not a fixed value
When you choose a goal, you choose it so it is relevant to you as a person in this moment of time. But as you already know, all persons and the world itself are in constant becoming and change.
What matters to you now will be different from what will matter to you in 20 years or next year. Priorities and values change. So be ready to adapt your goals to the new “you” that you are becoming and do not get too stressed out that you may need to leave some goals behind.
5. Forget about deadlines, embrace a good schedule
Often when people set a S.M.A.R.T. goal with a time frame, when they revisit the goal is usually on the deadline or beyond it, and they realize they have either forgotten about the goal or it is no longer relevant to where they are now.
Instead, when you have chosen a goal that is developing and growing who you are, you would like to revisit and adjust it often. Plan your time with a good schedule, so that it includes these important goals. Every week, every day, set small progression steps that you can fulfill and that will get you in the direction of your goal. When they revisit them, make sure you adapt and adjust their relevance to who you are and your situation.
This way you will be progressing in a consistent manner, and your goals will be growing with you!
Smart goals for freelancers
- Make goals that are clear and flexible, avoiding too many specific details
- Aim for the stars beyond what you consider as achievable
- Make sure your goals stay relevant to you and adapt them to your changing situation
- Have a good schedule or plan of working on your goals day by day, week by week, revisit and adjust!
Pursue your goals, but don’t let them add frustration or obsession to your life. With constant adaptation and improvement, let them flow with your life, and let them grow you into a better and smarter person.
