If you apply SMART goals to your hobby, you can paint more Warhammer minis, achieve more … and therefore be happy 😛
My goal as a hobbyist usually goes like this: “I want to paint more Warhammer”.
The problem is that it’s generic and a big task which can feel overwhelming and unachievable – killing my motivation.
What does ‘paint more miniatures’ mean? …that I want to paint more.
Ok, but when will I have achieved this?…. I don’t know!
Exactly.
What are SMART goals?
SMART goals are generally used in a professional environment to set up tasks and achieve targets. The word “SMART” is an acronym, let’s break it down with an example.
S: Specific
A goal needs to be specific. What exactly do you want to achieve? No vague answers! If you want to paint more miniatures, try to specify what you would like to paint. Is it Warhammer? Maybe an indie wargame you wanted to try for a while? An example for me would be:
Example: I want to paint my Gloomspite Gitz army.
M: Measurable
The goal needs to be measured. This way you’ll know when it is achieved. So how are you going to measure your progress? The number of miniatures you want to paint? How many games you want to play a month? Or even how much time you will spend painting a week.
Example: I am going to paint two units of Stabbas to add to my Gloomspite Gitz army.
A: Achievable
Set a realistic goal that can be achieved. Painting a whole army from scratch is counter productive as its such a large task. The goal should be challenging but attainable.
In our example 2 units of Stabbas might be too much, so let’s update it.
Example: I am going to paint one unit of Stabbas to add to my Gloomspite Gitz army.
R: Relevant
Start by asking yourself why you are doing it. Why are you setting the goal?
Maybe you need that unit painted for the next tournament. Or you have a game planned and you want to show off with a fully painted army. Maybe you want to practice a specific army list, or you simply want to have fun!
Example: I am going to paint one unit of Stabbas to add to my Gloomspite Gitz army, because I have a specific list that I want to try out and I don’t want to play with any gray plastic.
T: Time-bound
The goal needs to be achieved by a certain time. Setting a deadline helps with keeping an eye on progress to make sure you finish on time. Having no deadlines, especially for a hobby, means that its easy to let it drift.
When I signed up to a Warhammer tournament I had a hard deadline to get my army painted. I can tell you, that really put me into gear!
Example: I am going to paint one unit of Stabbas in two weeks to add to my Gloomspite Gitz army, because I have a specific list that I want to try out and I don’t want to play with any gray plastic.
SMART goals and the hobby
With the definition of SMART goals out of the way, how can we apply them to Warhammer and miniature painting?
Quantity-based goals
I like to break down the goal by quantity. How many miniatures I will paint, how many games I’ll play. Basically anything that I can count! See above for an example quantity-based SMART goal.
Time-based goals
The first time I used SMART goal in the hobby, I actually used time. I didn’t have a tournament or game to prepare for, I simply wanted to spend more time painting.
“I want to paint my Gloomspite Gitz army for at least 30 minutes two times a week.”
This goal is specific, because the goal is to paint Gitz. It’s measurable, as it’s 30 minutes. It’s achievable, because half an hour is not a long time. It’s also relevant because it’s part of my army collection. And it’s time-bound because the goals has to be completed within the week.
Conclusion – SMART goals and Warhammer hobby
SMART goals are a really powerful tool at your disposal and you should definitely give it a go. By applying them to your miniature painting hobby, you’ll have no problem smashing through your pile of plastic.
Here’s a quick definition reference for SMART goals:
- S – Specific
- M – Measurable
- A – Achievable
- R – Relevant
- T – Time-bound
And there you have it. SMART goals in the hobby, go forth and paint all your Warhammer! Let me know how it goes!
Leave a Reply