SMART Goals vs Reverse Journaling
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SMART tells you what a good goal looks like. It does not tell you what to do at 9am tomorrow. That is the part reverse journaling adds.
Use the free tool: the reverse planner
SMART goals are goals written to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. The acronym is a checklist for writing one clear goal statement. Reverse journaling starts from a goal like that and writes it as already done. Then it names what could stop you, works backward to one step for today and keeps a nightly log of what you did. SMART shapes the finish line. Reverse journaling plans the road back from it.
The short answer
Use SMART to write the goal. Use reverse journaling to work it. A SMART goal on its own ends at the statement. Reverse journaling keeps going until it reaches something you can start in the next 45 minutes, then checks each night whether you did.
Where SMART goals come from
George T. Doran, a management consultant, proposed the acronym in the November 1981 issue of Management Review, in an article titled "There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives" (source). His letters were Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-related.
Later versions swapped some letters. Today A usually means Achievable and R usually means Relevant. Doran wrote it for managers setting team objectives, and he noted that not every objective can be measured. It was practical advice, not the result of a study.
Side by side
| Question | SMART goals | Reverse journaling |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A checklist for one goal statement | A daily journal that plans back from a finished goal |
| Written as | A target: "I will..." | Done, in the past tense: "I finished..." |
| Obstacles | Not part of the checklist | Named up front, with an if-then plan |
| Steps | Up to you | Milestones back to one 45 minute step today |
| Feedback | Usually checked at the deadline | A nightly log of what you did |
| Best for | Making a goal clear and checkable | Turning a clear goal into daily action |
What the research says, carefully
The SMART acronym has not been tested as a package. The research it leans on is goal setting theory. In a 2002 review of 35 years of studies in American Psychologist, Edwin Locke and Gary Latham reported that specific, difficult goals consistently led to higher performance than urging people to "do their best" (source).
The same review adds three conditions that matter for personal goals:
- Feedback. Goals plus summary feedback worked better than goals alone. A nightly log may be one simple way to give yourself that kind of feedback.
- Commitment. The link between goals and performance was strongest when people were committed to the goal, and commitment mattered most for hard goals.
- Complex tasks. Goal effects were smaller on complex tasks. There, a specific learning goal, such as finding a number of ways to do something, sometimes helped more than a pure result target.
Most of this research comes from work and lab tasks, not personal journals, so treat it as a guide rather than a promise. Reverse journaling is a planning and reflection habit. It is not therapy or medical advice.
Where SMART goals fall short
- It stops at the sentence. A perfect SMART goal can still sit in a notebook for a month. Nothing in the acronym asks for a first step.
- No obstacle. The checklist does not ask what is most likely to stop you. Planning for that in advance is what if-then plans are for.
- "Achievable" can shrink the goal. If you read it as "safe", you may set an easy target. The research above points the other way: a hard, specific goal you are committed to, with small steps.
- Feedback comes late. If the only check is the deadline, you find out you are behind when it is too late to adjust.
How to turn a SMART goal into a reverse journal entry
- Start with your SMART goal. Check it has a clear result and a date.
- Rewrite it as done. Past tense, with the date and the proof. "On 1 March I published my portfolio site with five projects."
- Name the obstacle. Pick the one thing most likely to stop you, then write "If that happens, then I will..."
- Plan backward. What had to be true a month before? This week? Keep stepping back until you reach a step that fits in about 45 minutes. Backward planning shows the method in more detail.
- Log it tonight. One line on what you did. Those lines are your feedback, and they show how long things really take.
Example: from SMART goal to today's step
Priya wants to move into design work and needs a portfolio.
- SMART goal: "Publish a portfolio website with five case studies by 1 March."
- Written as done: "On 1 March I published my portfolio site with five case studies and sent it to three people."
- Obstacle and plan: "If I start polishing one project for days, then I will set a 2 hour cap and move to the next one."
- Backward: February, all five written up. January, three written up and a site template chosen. This week, a list of ten possible projects.
- Today, 45 minutes: "I listed ten past projects and starred the five with the clearest before and after."
- Tonight's log: "Listed 10, starred 5. Two need screenshots I do not have yet."
The log already found a problem the SMART goal could not: two projects need material that does not exist yet. That changes next week's plan, weeks before the deadline.
Where this fits in Reverse Journaling
Reverse Journaling uses a clear goal as step one, then adds the parts SMART leaves out: the obstacle, the backward plan, today's action and the nightly proof. If you already write SMART goals, you have done the first step. Reverse goal setting covers the planning part in depth, and the 369 method page shows a daily writing routine that ends in action.
Try it now
Take one SMART goal you already have. Rewrite it in the past tense with its date, name the obstacle, and step back until you reach a 45 minute action you can do today. When you want the daily part kept for you, StartFromDone turns the plan into a daily sprint and a Done list. The core loop is free. It is a planning tool and cannot promise the result.
Questions
What does SMART stand for?
In George T. Doran's 1981 article it stood for Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-related. Most versions today use Achievable for A, Relevant for R and Time-bound for T.
Are SMART goals backed by research?
Goal setting research supports parts of it: Locke and Latham found that specific, difficult goals led to higher performance than being told to do your best. The SMART acronym itself was written as practical advice for managers and has not been tested as a package.
What is the difference between SMART goals and reverse journaling?
SMART is a checklist for writing one goal statement. Reverse journaling starts from that statement written as done, names the obstacle, plans backward to a step for today and logs what you did each night.
Can I use SMART goals and reverse journaling together?
Yes. Use SMART to make the finish line clear and checkable, then use reverse journaling to plan back from it, write an if-then plan for the main obstacle and keep a daily log.
Is realistic the same as easy?
No. Research on goal setting found harder specific goals tended to produce more effort than easy ones, as long as people were committed to them. Pick a goal that stretches you, then make the first step small.