Goal Setting: Key to Academic Success

 

BUILDING HABITS FOR LIFELONG ACHIEVEMENT

We all have goals, but what actionable steps are students taking to follow through on them? Focusing on setting well-defined goals will help your student succeed in the classroom, prepare for college, and excel in the workforce. Goal setting can be applied to any area of life and helps drive higher levels of achievement.

THE S.M.A.R.T. GOAL-SETTING FRAMEWORK

Goals need to be well-defined and structured in order to be achievable. Using the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting framework can help.

What is S.M.A.R.T. goal setting?

S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that outlines how we should approach goal-setting for success:

  • S - Specific

  • M - Measurable

  • A - Achievable

  • R - Relevant

  • T - Time Bound

Let’s look at each of these categories in more detail:

Specific: You need to make your goal detailed but clear enough that you understand how to achieve it. Doing so will keep your actions focused and intentional.

Measurable: Placing metrics on your goals gives you benchmarks for where you currently stand relative to the finish line. Such metrics might include answers to questions such as “how many?” or “how much?”

Achievable: Make goals that are challenging but also realistic. Consider all potential barriers that could make achieving this goal difficult or unattainable.

Relevant: All goals you set should be relevant to your interests, obligations, or larger, multi-step goals. Does this goal serve as a stepping stone for your larger goals? If so, then it’s relevant.

Time Bound: Setting a deadline for your goal encourages focus and makes sure it happens. Consider setting checkpoints throughout your goal timeline to encourage consistent progress.

There are different types of goals for which you can use this framework:

  • Time Goals: Short-term goals are usually accomplished in less than a year, whereas long-term goals are set at least 12 months out.

  • Focus Goals: Focus goals are generally larger goals that drive multiple smaller goals. For example, “I want to be accepted to UC Berkeley.”

  • Topic Goals: Set goals in various areas of your life; goal topics might include school, sports, financial, personal, etc.

Use your short-term goals to work toward long-term ones. Each short-term goal should be strategic and check off boxes for larger goals.

Setting goals using these frameworks makes them descriptive and clear such that you can more easily work toward their completion. When you know exactly what your goals are, you can better coordinate your actions to achieve them. The principles discussed herein are starting points that should be customized to best fit your personal goals and motivation style.

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF GOAL SETTING

Psychologists have found that the act of setting goals has a positive impact on our levels of achievement. Goals keep us focused and increase our motivation. They also drive performance and increase our efforts. These principles apply to both students and professionals.

Here are some positive consequences of goal-setting:

  • Confidence Boosts: Setting goals and achieving them boosts self-confidence and encourages individuals to set more difficult goals in the future.

  • Improved Decision Making: Goals force you to make decisions that can serve as learning opportunities in the future.

  • Enhanced Self-Awareness: Setting goals forces you to examine your strengths and weaknesses.

  • Better Prioritization Skills: Psychologists use the term “goal competition” to describe the problem that can arise when too many goals are tackled simultaneously. When goals are competing, your full efforts cannot be devoted to each of them individually. Prioritizing the most important goals first will lead to greater success.

Establishing and maintaining goal-setting habits develops important personal skills and ensures you are meeting your predetermined performance metrics.

GOAL-SETTING TIPS

Here are some tips to help with the goal-setting process:

  1. Set Motivating Goals: If the goal doesn’t motivate you, working toward it can become tedious. If you’re feeling uninspired by school-related goals, try making them more exciting by challenging yourself and setting the bar a bit higher.

  2. Write Them Down: Writing down your goals makes them feel tangible and ‘real.’ You should also keep your goals visible so they can serve as a reminder that all your short-term accomplishments are driving you closer to meeting said goals.

  3. Set Objectives for Goals: Accomplishing goals can be much more difficult without the steps to do so. For each goal, create a plan of action with specific steps or checklists to get there.

  4. Reward Yourself: Accomplishing a goal is a big deal! Give yourself something to look forward to upon completion. Doing so can help drive motivation for “boring” goals.

  5. Share Your Goals: Accountability can be hard to maintain if you are the only one aware of your goals. Consider an “accountability buddy” to check in on your progress. You can share goals with each other to encourage each other’s successes.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

 
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