The more specific your target, the better the chances that you'll be able to achieve it as you know what you want to achieve. Questions you could ask yourself when setting your specific target is:

• What exactly do you want to achieve or need to improve?
• How are you going to do it?
• When are you going to do it?
• What are the things that could stop you achieving this goal?
• Why exactly do you want to reach this goal?
• Are there possible alternative ways of achieving the same?

Measurable goals means that you identify in your target exactly what it is you will see, hear and feel when you reach your goal. It means breaking your goal down into measurable elements. You'll need concrete evidence. Being happier is not evidence!

Measurable goals can go a long way in refining what exactly it is that you want, too. Defining the physical manifestations of your goal or objective makes it clearer and easier to reach. For example ...

• working habits grades go up at the next assessment point;
• there are revision notes written for each test over Years 10 & 11.

Is your goal attainable? That means investigating whether the goal really is possible (remember the growth mindset and grit!). You have to weigh the effort, time and other costs your goal will take against the other obligations and priorities you have in life. Remember though that your focus should be your academic progress and attainment.

Not being realistic about the time frame you are working in is often a reason why SMART targets fail. Make sure you chunk down what you wish to achieve - this helps you begin to manage the time you have available more effectively.

Don't write anything down which as soon as you write it you think, 'that won't happen'! If you are thinking this you, need to be revisiting and dealing with what is stopping you achieving these goals before you proceed.

The main questions you should consider are: Why you want to reach this goal? What is the objective behind the goal? And, will this goal really achieve that?

If you are going to work for something, it helps your motivation if you see the benefits. So, start working out what those benefits are.

Everybody knows that deadlines are what makes most people switch to action.

So, install deadlines for yourself and stick to them. Learning to break down what you have to do into chunks and building your own deadlines is key to you managing your workload.

Keep the timeline realistic and flexible when you can, that way you can keep your morale high. Being too stringent on the time can put unnecessary pressure on yourself, but this does mean you begin to plan backwards.