What are some common challenges or pitfalls of setting SMART goals for your passion project?

You have a passion project that you want to pursue, whether it's writing a book, launching a podcast, or starting a business. You know that setting goals is important, but how do you make sure they are SMART? SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, and it's a popular framework for creating effective and realistic goals. However, setting SMART goals for your passion project is not always easy or straightforward. In this article, we'll explore some common challenges or pitfalls that you might encounter, and how to overcome them.

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1 Lack of clarity

One of the biggest challenges of setting SMART goals for your passion project is defining what you want to achieve and why. Passion projects are often driven by personal interests, values, or aspirations, but they may not have a clear purpose, outcome, or audience. This can make it hard to create specific and measurable goals that align with your vision and motivation. To overcome this challenge, you need to clarify your passion project's mission, value proposition, and target market. Ask yourself questions like: What problem are you solving? Who are you serving? How are you different from others? What are the benefits of your project for yourself and others?

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Deb Harrison

Leader in growth and change, inspiring and guiding clarity, connection, action, and kindness for individuals and organizations.
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One helpful way to think of it is to think of who you hope will be served and then ask the people in that group questions to help drive the specifics around deliverables, a certain amount of time, a specific health benefit, etc. You may know that there will be a clear outcome, but your target audience can help to hone in on the finite pieces. If your passion project is about something that will first and foremost be for your personal enjoyment, then think about what you will say about it when it is completed.

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2 Unrealistic expectations

Another common pitfall of setting SMART goals for your passion project is being too ambitious or optimistic about what you can achieve and how fast. Passion projects are often fueled by enthusiasm, creativity, and inspiration, but they also require time, resources, and skills. If you set goals that are too high or too vague, you might end up feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or disappointed. To avoid this pitfall, you need to assess your current situation and capabilities, and set goals that are achievable and realistic. Consider factors like: How much time and money can you invest in your project? What skills and knowledge do you need to acquire or improve? What are the potential risks or obstacles that you might face?

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Deb Harrison

Leader in growth and change, inspiring and guiding clarity, connection, action, and kindness for individuals and organizations.
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For this one, in an addition to a good old-fashioned excel spreadsheet to look at ACTUAL $ amounts and ACTUAL available time, amount of time to complete, etc., I encourage clients to find people they can bounce their thoughts off of. If you don't have someone whom you feel can be particularly neutral, pick people that tend to have different perspectives to give yourself balance. You can also create a hopeful goal and a "need to get it" goal when it comes to projects that are particularly impactful to your professional and/or personal life, to help chart steps and track progress against both.

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3 Lack of relevance

A third challenge of setting SMART goals for your passion project is ensuring that they are relevant and meaningful for you and your audience. Passion projects are often based on your personal passions, but they may not always match the needs, preferences, or expectations of your potential customers, clients, or followers. If you set goals that are irrelevant or disconnected from your market, you might end up wasting your time, energy, or money on activities that don't generate value or feedback. To overcome this challenge, you need to research and validate your passion project's market fit, demand, and competition. Use tools like surveys, interviews, or social media to find out: What are the pain points, desires, or goals of your audience? How can you solve them or help them? How do you compare to your competitors or alternatives?

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Deb Harrison

Leader in growth and change, inspiring and guiding clarity, connection, action, and kindness for individuals and organizations.
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Surveying people who are in your target audience also helps to connect you to the people you will be marketing to, as applicable. It will draw out the pieces of your project that can be focused on in specific campaigns. It also provides a sense of motivation when you find the connection between vision and need.

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4 Lack of time-bound

A final pitfall of setting SMART goals for your passion project is forgetting to set deadlines or milestones for your progress and results. Passion projects are often flexible, adaptable, and experimental, but they also need structure, direction, and accountability. If you set goals that are open-ended or indefinite, you might end up procrastinating, losing focus, or missing opportunities. To avoid this pitfall, you need to create a timeline and a plan for your passion project's execution and evaluation. Break down your goals into smaller and manageable tasks, and assign them specific dates and deliverables. Track and measure your performance and outcomes, and celebrate your achievements and learnings.

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Deb Harrison

Leader in growth and change, inspiring and guiding clarity, connection, action, and kindness for individuals and organizations.
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Excel spreadsheets are a passion project planner's best friend. Use them. With all of the new tools and journals, etc. sometimes people forget that at the core it is important to put things on a spreadsheet and run the numbers. How many hours do you need versus how many hours do you have? Check those numbers and then set the target dates.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Deb Harrison

Leader in growth and change, inspiring and guiding clarity, connection, action, and kindness for individuals and organizations.
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Dare I say in an article about SMART goals that sometimes the best thing to do with a Passion Project plan is to hold off on the SMART Goals. Sometimes you can get so wrapped up in trying to make it SMART that you lose the passion early on when it is just not yet time for the goal setting yet. Let yourself work on the vision first, so you have that to hold onto when the goal setting...if the goal setting becomes a bit tedious. However, also remember that goals for the things you want are different from those that may have been requested of you by a teacher or boss. Goal setting can also be NICE. New. Inspirational. Creative. Exciting.

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What are some common challenges or pitfalls of setting SMART goals for your passion project?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Lack of clarity

2 Unrealistic expectations

3 Lack of relevance

4 Lack of time-bound

5 Here’s what else to consider

Motivational Speaking

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What are some common challenges or pitfalls of setting SMART goals for your passion project?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Lack of clarity

2 Unrealistic expectations

3 Lack of relevance

4 Lack of time-bound

5 Here’s what else to consider

Motivational Speaking

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