PACT Goals

Traditional goal-setting methods use the SMART framework which works great for small, short-term goals, but not so much for ambitious, long-term ones. If you have one or several ambitious goals may want to consider making a PACT as an alternative to SMART goals.

PACT is a goal setting technique and stands for Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, and Trackable. In comparison with other goal setting techniques, PACT goals focus on output while others focus on outcome.

• Purposeful

Your goal should be meaningful in the long term and align with your passion, and not just be relevant to you right now. When a goal is aligned with your passions and your objectives in life, you are feeling much more motivated.

• Actionable

Being "Actionable" is about taking action today to avoid overplanning for the future. This means making efforts to change the things within your reach that you can presently control instead of focusing on distant outcomes.

• Continuous

It’s important that the actions you take towards your goal are simple and repeatable. Spending too much time on research as opposed to action can be stifling. It’s easy to overthink, considering all of the things you don’t know yet or of all the possible negative outcomes. The good thing about continuous goals is their flexibility. You can always change your approach and focus on a new action.

• Trackable

Lastly, there is great value in “Trackable” actions a different take on “Measurable” from SMART goals. This approach can positively impact mental health and wellness as it pertains to a sense of accomplishment based on effort and progress. This approach is more of a “yes” or “no” approach – tracking whether or not you’ve completed the actions you needed in order to achieve your goal.