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General CBT Skills~15 min

Setting a SMART Goal

A goal is far more likely to happen when it is clear, concrete and connected to what matters to you. This worksheet helps you shape a goal you care about into a SMART one - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound - then break it into first steps, plan for the obstacles, and decide how you will track progress. Best used alongside your therapy work, as something you and your therapist shape together.

Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed

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Use this collaboratively to set or refine a between-session or therapy goal. Anchor the goal in the client's values first - goals tethered to what genuinely matters are more motivating and better sustained than imposed or purely problem-led ones. Work through the SMART elements together rather than handing it over to complete alone; the 'Achievable' element is a useful place for guided discovery about realistic scope (too ambitious sets up failure; too small lacks meaning). The confidence rating is a clinical signpost: if it is low (e.g. below 6 or 7), that is a cue to make the first step smaller or problem-solve barriers further before committing, rather than pressing ahead. Keep the stance hopeful and realistic - the aim is a goal the client can succeed at, building self-efficacy.

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Why This Matters to You

Goals stick better when they connect to something you genuinely care about. Before shaping the goal itself, take a moment to name what is underneath it.

Your Goal, In Your Own Words

First, just say what you want, however roughly. We will sharpen it in the next step.

Make It SMART

Now reshape the goal so it is clear enough to act on and to know when you have got there. Work through each part - it is fine to adjust the goal as you go.

Break It Into First Steps

Even a SMART goal is easier to start when broken down. List the first concrete steps and when you will take each one. Keep the very first step small enough that you are confident you can do it.

#StepBy whenActions
1

Plan for the Bumps

Things rarely go perfectly, and that is normal. Thinking ahead about what might get in the way - and how you will respond - makes it much more likely you will keep going.

#Possible barrier or obstacleHow I will handle it (my plan)Actions
1

Confidence and Review

Finally, check how confident you feel about starting, and decide when you will look back at how it is going. If your confidence is low, it is worth making that first step smaller, or talking it through with your therapist.

Not at all confidentCompletely confident
Choose a value

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When to use ‘Setting a SMART Goal’

‘Setting a SMART Goal’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.

It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.

How it works

Most people work through it in around 15 minutes. It moves through six short steps:

  1. Why This Matters to You — Goals stick better when they connect to something you genuinely care about. Before shaping the goal itself, take a moment to name what is…
  2. Your Goal, In Your Own Words — First, just say what you want, however roughly. We will sharpen it in the next step.
  3. Make It SMART — Now reshape the goal so it is clear enough to act on and to know when you have got there. Work through each part - it is fine to adjust the…
  4. Break It Into First Steps — Even a SMART goal is easier to start when broken down. List the first concrete steps and when you will take each one. Keep the very first…
  5. Plan for the Bumps — Things rarely go perfectly, and that is normal. Thinking ahead about what might get in the way - and how you will respond - makes it much…
  6. Confidence and Review — Finally, check how confident you feel about starting, and decide when you will look back at how it is going. If your confidence is low, it…

Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.

The CBT approach behind it

In common with other CBT methods, ‘Setting a SMART Goal’ works by re-engaging with meaningful and rewarding activity (behavioural activation). The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.

Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.

Evidence & sources

This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:

  • Doran, G.T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35-36.
  • Locke, E.A. & Latham, G.P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.

For use alongside professional support

Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.

If you need urgent help now:

  • Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
  • Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
  • SANEline: 0800 689 5555 — 4:30pm–10:30pm, every day

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