SMART goals for resistance
For me, as I mentioned earlier, making and tracking goals helps me fight negative thoughts that whisper "you are not doing enough". But poorly constructed goals can also contribute to feelings of defeat. So if you are going to put the time into making goals, you may as well do it right.
A key to successful goal making is to make them SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound). By using your brainstorming from part one, you are now ready to create SMART goals for each area of your plan. Below I am including a chart of how I created SMART goals for my latest resistance activity focus. You can use a similar chart (or any method that is helpful to you) to create your own SMART goals.
Smart RESIST Goals: Camille’s Next 28 Day Plan
Specific
I will start a blog that will share what I have learned about burnout, compassion fatigue, mental health in general, and self-care. I will specifically market it for other activists and provide resources to help them build resilience.
Measurable
I will post one blog post a day (and have the blog as a record).
Attainable
This will be a challenge, but it is possible. Some days I may not have time to write, but if I plan ahead I can get a few posts prepared at the same time.
Relevant
People are at high risk for burnout and compassion fatigue. I have relevant experience and can use that to help people avoid what I went through. This is also relevant because I see people around me becoming fatigued becasue of their activism. People are starting to pull back because they stretched themselves too thin. Without resistors there is no resistance, so this project can provide tools to help people remain resilient and engaged.
Time Bound
28 Days
I incorporated in here what I am passionate about (self-care and resilience for activists), something that works with my schedule, something that plays to my strengths, builds from my experience, and works in my current location. You could also make a goal along the lines of “I am going to commit X amount of time over X time span to this, rather than measuring by activity. For example, for 5 minutes each weekday for the next month I will work on contacting my legislators. So maybe it takes 3 days to write a letter. Or you call two elected officials in one day. Especially if you have limited time, this is a good way to use the time you have, but not over-commit.
I made plans for the other areas (personal self-care and helping others self-care). For me, it wasn’t helpful to go through the whole SMART process for those, because it was more about having a general plan and then listening to my mind and body, and paying attention to the needs around me. What I am saying is, use the SMART method as far as it is helpful and productive for you. Don’t cause yourself added stress as you plan how to reduce your stress.
You can use the following chart to craft your goals, using information gleaned from your brainstorming activity. I only did this for the first category, because that is what was most helpful for me. But others may like to use the SMART chart to develop goals in all areas. It is all about what works for you.
For me, having a clear plan and commitment lets me to relax and know that I am doing what I can and allows me to turn my brain off when I need to without feeling (as) guilty. (I’m a work in progress). For others this type of meticulous planning and tracking may be an added stressor. It might feel like a checklist, and that may cause more overwhelmed feelings. If so, don’t do it. You know yourself best and therefore know the best way to care for yourself.