I think it’s fair to say that, for many of us, when we hear or speak of ‘goals’ and ‘objectives’ our minds don’t necessarily make a clear differentiation.

In daily chat, the two terms seem to fall under the same umbrella, but a clear recognition of their differences can be essential in helping you reach your goals…
or objectives…
or goals….
wait…

So let’s get down to it:

𝗔 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 is what exactly you want to achieve.

𝗔𝗻 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 is what you should do to achieve this goal.

The objectives are the stepping stones to the goal. For example, if my goal is to illustrate Christmas/Birthday cards, my objectives are to buy the right material, design the cards, illustrate them, and only then will it be ready to be put for sale and sent out to the client.

Therefore set one or several objectives depending on the goal.

At Wishu, we recommend making your goals 𝗦.𝗠.𝗔.𝗥.𝗧ones. This mnemonic acronym was first pioneered by George T. Doran in his 1981 article “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives” published in the November issue of Management Review.

S.M.A.R.T goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. Here’s an example;
“I am going to post at least three Instagram Story frames every day this month on my freelance Instagram account.”

𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘: You set precise parameters on how you want to show up on Instagram Stories every day (three frames), and you were specific about the Instagram account.

𝙈𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚: You can measure this goal. You’ll know you completed it when you show up on Instagram Stories for three frames every day this month.

𝘼𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚: If you like Instagram Stories, this goal will be feasible for you. Three frames is just 45 seconds, so it’s doable.

𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩: We have to assume relevance, but if achieving a better social media presence for your freelance career is a goal, this is relevant.

𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚-𝘽𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙: The time restraint for this challenge is this month, so it is time-bound.

It’s very important to not only have work-related goals but setting a healthy balance to your particular life goals. List out what you would like to challenge yourself this upcoming year and what you would like to accomplish both in your personal and work life.