Filed to:alexander fleming
articlescreativityelinor barberher donald trumphouston merrittjames h austinlindsay jean thomsonluckmeghan moravcik walbertmental processesrichard hammingrichard wisemanrobert k mertonsalvador luriasarah cooperthoughttiktok
Photo: Chutima Chaochaiya, Shutterstock
If you’ve had the fortune of coming across SMART goal setting, you’ll know the acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Assignable (changed into “Attainable”), Realistic, and Time-related. In particular, specificity makes goals easier to plan for and track. For example, “eat less takeout,” isn’t as good as, “eat takeout at most twice per week.” But while being specific can be useful, it can also be counterproductive for some more complex situations.
The cost of specificity