The SMART GOALS for Software Engineering

BHAG, SMART Goals, Tasks & Time Prioritarisation

In this article, we will explore the SMART GOALS and various other techniques, which we will use to our advantage to achieve results efficiently by understanding how our brain works.

The Smart Goals for Software Engineering — Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

Let me introduce you to dopamine.

We want to talk about dopamine because that's the secret ingredient I've used to achieve the most complicated goals in my life.

Dopamine is a chemical released in the brain that makes you feel good. The dopaminergic system plays essential roles in neuromodulation, such as reward, motivation, cognitive function, motor control and so on…

Dopamine is most notably involved in helping us feel pleasure as part of the brain's reward system. Likes on social media, Shopping, Smelling cookies baking in the oven, finishing off a task in your todo-list. Once you complete an action, you probably experience a "dopamine rush".

However, dopamine is limited; therefore, be aware of how you use it; Make sure to have enough to achieve your goals! Read the previous article to understand who you're sharing your dose of dopamine with;

SMART GOALS

Goals are critical to organising your time and helping to set up a roadmap. Like any successful software, if you have set your big goals, you only need motivation and purpose to make small steps toward progress until you reach the desired outcome.

Motivation is why an individual thrives on acting or behaving in a particular way.

The purpose is your most potent motivator, the bootstrap for success and the catalyst to achieve your big audacious hairy goals.

People are not interested in what you do, they want to know why you do it!

Specific: The goal needs a clear definition; There should be no ambiguity, and it should be understandable by anyone who reads it.

Measurable: If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. As simple as that, the goal must bring you to the results in small-simple steps or at least 1% at the time.

Actionable: The main goal can be abstract. However, the SMART goal needs to be an action that you…