 S.M.A.R.T.E.R  Performance ‘vs’ Outcome  Checkpoints (staircase)

Once you have decided on some goals you need to ensure they follow these guidelines:  Specific: They need to be specific to the skill you are trying to improve and not be general statements  Measurable: Set numerical goal (s). The goals need to be easy to measure so you know if you have achieved them or not.

 Adjustable: Goals and goal schedules need to be adjusted or changed as you work through your programme. For example sickness/injury  Realistic: Aim to stretch your capabilities by challenging yourself with difficult but realistic goals.

 Time-based: Set target dates for achieving, again these should be difficult but realistic.  Exciting: The goal should keep you aroused so that you sustain motivation as you head towards it.  Recorded: The goal(s) and your progress towards it should be written down to monitor progress.

 An Outcome goal is : Eg. I want to beat every student from Cambridge High in the Mission Bay triathlon.  A Performance goal is: Eg. I want to do the running leg of the tri under my personal best of 45 mins.

 The best type of goal to set is a performance goal. As this type of goal means you have control over the success or failure in terms of your achievement. As a performance goal is based on your personal performance, target or skills to be acquired.  The main problem with outcome goals are that they are dependent on factors of your control. As for example you cannot control the performance of others, judging and injury and can be a major source of anxiety