Elevate Your Life with MAD Goals: 27+ MAD Goal Examples
Do you find yourself constantly creating goals that feel like they lack the structure and detail you need to accomplish them? MAD goals are a framework we can use to help us understand our goals and exactly how we want to achieve them.
In this article, we are diving into one of the many ways you can sift through the chaos, and focus on the details of your goals so you can plan for success! As well as mad goal examples to help you get started on your own.
Today’s goal-creation method uses the MAD goals framework.
What are MAD goals?
First, let’s take a look at what MAD stands for. MAD means the goal is:
Now let’s break this down further using an example goal of someone wanting to lose weight.
Measurable
Just setting random goals doesn’t mean you’re going to achieve them. Trust me… I would know! Goals need to be broken down into parts you can track and hold yourself accountable for.
The details give clarity and provide an exact blueprint for achieving your goals!
So using our goal to lose weight, we don’t want to just say “My goal is to lose weight”.
We need to quantify how much we plan on losing. Here’s a better example of how to make the goal measurable:
- My goal is to lose 10 pounds
- My goal is to lose 20 pounds
- Etc.
Achievable
The second step of creating a MAD goal is to make sure it is achievable!!! You want to make your goal something you can reach. I know you may want to make $1 million dollars now, or become a homeowner now, or lose 20 pounds now, but we have to be realistic.
One thing that I do is put my biggest goals which may seem unattainable right now, on my vision board. While I plan my steps (MAD goals) they are the chucks that will help me get there. I break up the ultimate goal into sorts of benchmarks and checkpoints to achieve in the meantime that will help me eventually achieve the ultimate goal.
So instead of saying, “I want to lose 20 pounds” you can make this more achievable by starting off with you want to “lose 5 pounds”. This will ultimately get you closer to your big goal of losing 20 pounds, right? Right! But this goal of losing 5 pounds is more attainable which means you’ll have a higher chance of achieving it and making progress.
Deadline Driven
The last part is to make your goal deadline-driven. Every goal that you set needs to have a deadline. I can start my goals on New Year’s Day and say, “I am going to lose 20 pounds!” Without giving it a proper deadline, I could lose 20 pounds in a day, a month, or even a full year!
Giving the goal a deadline gives your brain and body a sense of urgency.
To wrap this all up, our losing weight goal could look like this:
MAD Goal Examples You Can Try Out
Here are mad goal examples you can use to get started on achieving more in life to help you feel happier, healthier, and more fulfilled.
Health
- Run a 5K race by [date]: Train consistently, increasing distance and speed weekly.
- Meditate for 10 minutes daily for 30 days: Use a meditation app to guide your practice.
- Cook 3 healthy meals per week: Experiment with new recipes and healthy ingredients.
- Drink 40 oz of water at least 3 times per week for 30 days: Use a water tracking app to monitor intake.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep nightly for 30 days: Establish a consistent sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine.
- Improve flexibility: Stretch for 10 minutes daily, targeting major muscle groups like hamstrings, quads, and back.
- Reduce screen time: Limit screen time to 2 hours per day, excluding work-related activities.
- Increase daily step count: Aim for 10,000 steps per day, using a fitness tracker to monitor progress.
- Incorporate a new healthy habit: Choose a new habit, such as journaling, yoga, or cold showers, and practice it daily for 30 days.
Finances
- Save an emergency fund of $5,000 by [date]: Automate monthly transfers to a savings account.
- Reduce monthly expenses by $100: Cut back on non-essential spending, such as dining out or subscriptions. Use a budget tracker to see how much you spend per month for different categories.
- Increase monthly income by $200: Explore side hustles or negotiate a raise.
- Pay off $1,000 in credit card debt by [date]: Create a debt repayment plan and stick to it.
- Start an emergency fund with $1,000 by [date]: Automate monthly transfers to a high-yield savings account.
Work-Life Balance
- Take a one-hour lunch break daily: Use this time to relax, eat a healthy meal, or exercise.
- Disconnect from work devices for one to two hours after 6 PM: Set boundaries and prioritize personal time.
- Plan a weekend getaway for [date]: Book a trip and disconnect from work stress.
- Delegate tasks at work to free up time: Identify tasks that can be assigned to others.
- Learn a new skill related to your career/get certification for skill by [date]: Take online courses or attend workshops.
Social Life
- Spend quality time with family and friends twice a week: Schedule regular social activities.
- Join a social club or group: Connect with people who share your interests.
- Volunteer for a cause you care about: Give back to your community and meet new people.
- Plan a monthly social event with friends bimonthly: Organize game nights, dinners, or other activities.
- Learn a new social skill, such as public speaking or networking: Practice regularly to improve your confidence.
MAD Goals Tips
Ways to stay focused
- Use your phone to set reminders
- Use your calendar app appropriately
- Use apps such as Forest app to practice the Pomodoro method
- Buy a time cube
- Have an accountability partner
- Make a vision board for your goal
What if you don’t reach your MAD goal?
Every goal isn’t perfect or executed exactly the way we thought it would in our mind. So what happens if we fall short of our MAD goal?
The beauty of setting goals is there’s no limit to how many you can achieve. Even if you didn’t achieve your goal, you do realize you are probably much further along than if you didn’t set that goal, right?
So if and when you don’t succeed at your goal, you need to figure out why and what you need to tweak to achieve your goal. Life is a constant process of living, succeeding, failing, and making adjustments to do better the next time.
So set your goal, create solutions to the problems you went through the first time around, and kill it this time!!!
Romanticize your goals or in simpler terms, make your goals desirable
There are many reasons why we sometimes fall short of our goals. But many times we don’t succeed at our goals because we don’t think it’s fun to do the actual work. You have to find ways to fall in love with the process of being great.
Romanticizing your goal depends on your goal. Use our example above, if you want to lose weight, wear a cute gym fit to workouts, listen to your favorite songs while working, or go to a fun workout class.
It can and will be fun as long as you put in the effort to make it that way!
Remember, to achieve your full potential, setting SMART goals is crucial. MAD goals, a subset of SMART goals, are specifically Measurable, Attainable, and Deadline-driven.
By defining clear, achievable targets and setting strict deadlines, you can increase your motivation and focus, leading to significant progress.
To create your own effective MAD goal examples, break them down into smaller, actionable steps and track your progress regularly. Remember, the key to success lies in setting realistic expectations and taking consistent action.
More articles like this one at aniahenderson.com/productivity.
