Goals and Time Management

SMART Goals

Approximate reading time: 6 minutes

Goal Setting

There is no doubt that doing well in college is a sizable challenge, especially for first-year students, who run the greatest risk of dropping out. You are faced with new physical surroundings, new social environments, new daily tasks and responsibilities, and most likely new financial obligations. Overall, you are swamped with new challenges! Do you feel confident that you can attend to all of them in a balanced, committed way? What will be your secret to success?

Success Begins with Goals

Goals! A goal is a desired result that you envision and then plan and commit to achieving. Goals can relate to family, education, career, wellness, spirituality, and many other areas of your life. Generally, goals are associated with finite time expectations, even deadlines.

As a college student, many of your goals are defined for you. For example, you must take certain courses, you must comply with certain terms and schedules, and you must turn in assignments at specified times. These goals are mostly set for you by someone else.

But there are plenty of goals for you to define yourself. For example, you decide what you’d like to major in. You decide how long you will be in college or what terms you want to enroll in. You largely plan how you’d like your studies to relate to employment and your career.

To the right is a set of questions you can ask yourself at any time to help you focus on your personal goals. As you move through your college career, make a point to regularly ask these regularly:

What are my top-priority goals?
Which of my skills and interests make my goals realistic for me?
What makes my goals believable and possible?
Are my goals measurable? How long will it take me to reach them? How will I know if I have achieved them?
Are my goals flexible? What will I do if I experience a setback?
Are my goals controllable? Can I achieve them on my own?
Are my goals in sync with my values?

SMART Goals

Of course, your goals should be "smart," but are they SMART? SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Actionable), Relevant, and Timely. Following this acronym helps you through the process of setting and achieving your goals.

For example, let's say you want to achieve something like making the Dean's List in your first semester. That's a great goal to strive for. But what's holding you accountable to that goal? What have you put in place to help you stay on track and reach that goal? This is where the SMART Goal strategy comes into play. It forces you to detail your steps and objectives and creates a clear focus.

Watch this video from TED to learn why it's important to set the right goals.

Let's unpack each letter of the SMART acronym to see how it applies to our goal:

S: Specific

First, the goal needs to be as specific as possible. This will set the tone for the remaining elements and help you keep focus.

Not as Specific: Do well in college.
Specific: Make the Dean's List.

The "Not as Specific" example is a great goal to have, but it's too broad for the purposes of SMART Goals. The "Specific" sets a clear target.

M: Measurable

Next, you need something by which to measure your goal—commonly numerically-based. At Westmoreland, the minimum QPA (Quality Point Average) to make the Dean's List is 3.5.

Not as Measurable: Make the Dean's List.
Measurable: Make the Dean's List by earning at least a 3.5 QPA.

The "Not as Measurable" example is measurable, but adding the specific QPA number makes the target clearer.

A: Achievable

This is the point where you will have to have an honest conversation with yourself. Your goal should be something that is realistically achievable (or attainable, actionable) for you. If your goal is to dunk a basketball, but you're only five feet tall, that goal is likely—pun intended—out of reach. On the other hand, if you're a 4.0 QPA student, and you set a goal of a 2.0 QPA, then you're potentially underselling yourself. In this scenario, let's assume you're already a 3.5 QPA student, and you're confident you can make the President's List (4.0 QPA).

Not as Achievable: Make the Dean's List by earning at least a 3.5 QPA.
Achievable: Make the President's List by earning at least a 4.0 QPA.

The "Not as Achievable" example is achievable, but for this scenario, we felt confident setting a higher mark.

R: Relevant

Why does this goal matter to you? If you're setting a goal that doesn't have particular meaning to you, you're less likely to work toward and reach it. As with the Achievable component, this is an opportunity to have an honest conversation with yourself. In this scenario, let's assume that a 4.0 is required to maintain a scholarship.

Not as Relevant: Make the President's List by earning at least a 4.0 QPA.
Relevant: Make the President's List by earning at least a 4.0 QPA to maintain scholarship status.

In adding the piece about your scholarship status, you've made this goal a little more relevant than it was previously written.

T: Timely

Lastly, goals need a timeline. You can certainly create ongoing goals that you're always working toward, but SMART Goals need a deadline.

Not as Timely: Make the President's List by earning at least a 4.0 QPA to maintain scholarship status.
Timely: Make the President's List in the first semester by earning at least a 4.0 QPA to maintain scholarship status.

With the timeline set, we have our SMART Goal establish:

SMART Goal: Make the President's List in the first semester by earning at least a 4.0 QPA to maintain scholarship status.

Successful Goal Setting

So what do you do after setting SMART Goals? The obvious answer is to get to work!

But before you do, there are some steps you can take to set yourself up for success.

Write down your goal. Writing down your goals and steps has shown to be an effective strategy for success.
Check your progress and status regularly. Goals aren't "set it and forget it." Regularly check-ins keep you current and accountable.
Celebrate (sm)all wins. Creating and reaching milestones throughout your journey, big or small, will keep your energy high.

Watch this video from MindTools to learn about their five rules of goal setting.

Dealing with Setbacks and Obstacles

At times, unexpected events and challenges can get in the way of best-laid plans. For example, you might get sick or injured or need to deal with a family issue or a financial crisis. Such upsets, whether minor or major, may trigger a need to identify additional support and resources, reduce your course load, or even take some time off from school—perhaps a term or a year. Your priorities may shift. You may need to reevaluate your goals.

Below is a simple list of four problem-solving strategies for dealing with setbacks or obstacles. They can be applied to any aspect of your life.

What is the problem? (Define it in detail.) How is it affecting other people and me?
How are other people dealing with this problem? Are they adjusting their time management skills? Can they still complete responsibilities and on time?
What is my range of possible solutions? Are solutions realistic? How might these solutions help me reach my goal(s)?
What do I need to do to implement solutions?

Be confident that you can return to your intended path in time. Acknowledge how you need to regroup. Read inspiring words from people who have faced adversity and gained. Line up your resources, be resolved, and proceed with certainty toward your goals.

Licenses and Attributions

CC licensed content, Original

Defining Goals. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution. Adapted from the original work.

CC licensed content, Shared previously

Why the Secret to Success is Setting the Right Goals. Authored by: TED. License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives

Page updated

Report abuse