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Now that we're all organized, we can forge bravely ahead with dominating the school year. That starts with some solid goal setting, and I don't mean the kind in soccer (or football, to the rest of the entire world).
Imagine this: you are sitting down to fill out an application for your dream school. You have wanted to go to Dream University for as long as you can remember. Your whole room is filled with posters, and your entire wardrobe is compiled of hoodies from DU.
You open the application section and realize that they require four years of math, four years of science, and two years of a foreign language in high school to even look at an application.
You have the math and foreign language requirements met, but your high school only requires two years of science for graduation, and you thought you were going above-and-beyond by taking a third year. You're crushed because getting in is now a way bigger task than you planned for.
We're going for something like this. (Source)
Well, young travelers, we can avoid this fate by setting goals early and figuring out exactly what needs to be done to achieve them. Think of the inner peace you will experience with a plan in place.
I'm not saying everyone needs extensive guided meditation to align their chakras or anything, but now is a great time to consider what you'd like to accomplish this year. It may be an improved math grade, finding time for an extra-curricular, or just avoiding stress come midterms. Whatever it is, goal setting is the way to get there.
Yes, there may be a visualization exercise involved. But still no chakras.
READING: HOW TO SET S.M.A.R.T. GOALS
Setting goals is sort of like making New Year's Resolutions. We always start out with these grand ideas of how we're going to get plenty of exercise and find time to spend with friends while staying on top of school work, and then about 20 minutes later it all goes out the window when someone walks by with brownies and we remember that test we forgot to study for. It's rough.
Over the years, I've learned a few tricks to setting goals and actually accomplishing them. My favorite system is the S.M.A.R.T. system, which tells us that our goals need to be all of these things:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
RelevantÂ
Time Frame Limited
Sound interesting? Or maybe more like a silly acronym? I promise it's interesting. Today's reading has got the details, so get cracking.
1. Make the goal specific.
1. Make the goal specific.
Make the goal as simple and well defined as possible. Vagueness stands in the way of achievement in this instance. A general goal, such as "get better grades this year," is just a starting point. Think through which classes you're taking, review last year's grades, and set a realistic target grade for every class, down to the percentage. Then use those class syllabi to calculate what scores you'll need on which assignments to make it happen.
Also ask yourself and answer the six W Questions: who, what, where, when, which, and why? Who is involved in achieving this goal? What do you want to accomplish here? Where will this happen? When will it be done? Which requirements or obstacles will be a part of this process? Why are you even setting this goal?
2. Make the goal measurable.
2. Make the goal measurable.
The six W Questions are also helpful for making the goal measureable, so some of the work is already done once you have made the goal as specific as you can.
Ask questions like: how many pages is this essay? What are the questions in the essay prompt? When will you know the essay is complete? Once you have answered these questions, set reminders, mark down your progress in the planner or the tracking app, and/or put up a whiteboard in the workspace with a "To Be Completed" list. Being able to visualize how far you have come already will help motivate you to the end.
3. Make the goal attainable.
3. Make the goal attainable.
There are only 24 hours in the day, and we all need some of them to sleep. That is, we need them for sleep until we can outsource that to our bionic other-selves. But that's a year or two away.
Check that you're setting realistic goals so as not to come out on the other end sleep-deprived and resembling a zombie.
4. Make the goal relevant.
4. Make the goal relevant.
If the ultimate goal is to get into Dream University, what are the short-term goals that you can accomplish during this school year? What can you do now to put you in the best position when the application has been submitted to the admissions office?
If you don't play an instrument, then maybe joining the orchestra is not the most relevant way to build up your extra-curricular activities resume. If you have always been excellent at Trivial Pursuit, then consider joining the Academic Bowl team. Be sure to set goals that are relevant to your life, your interests, and your strengths.
5. Make goals time-frame limited.
5. Make goals time-frame limited.
Setting a deadline for completing something sets a fire under your tuckus, as it were. Time limits reinforce the seriousness of the task at hand and motivate you to take action. Without timelines, it's easier to say "tomorrow is fine." The problem there is that, as Annie tells us, tomorrow is only a day away. And then there's another one. And another.
Don't risk letting your goal be pushed to the back burner. Even if there is no official deadline, set one for yourself. If you need extra reinforcement and accountability, brag about what you're about to get done on social media. The threat of embarrassment is always a good motivator.
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