Spring Semester 2019 series #2: The power of goal setting

Working hard is a lot easier if you know what you want to achieve.  One powerful but easy thing to do is to set goals – both long-term and short-term.   A workable goal needs to have three characteristics:

·       Be measurable

·       Have a time limit

·       Be attainable*

*Some people think you should set a goal that is extremely high, and then if you don’t quite make it you will still be successful.  I prefer to reach the goal and then immediately set another.

At the beginning of the semester it is a good idea to set a goal for the semester – for example a grade-point average you would like to achieve.  My advice was always to write it on an index card and post it somewhere in your room where you will see it every day. I recently read a great idea for this in Fail Until You Don’t by Bobby Bones.  He suggested typing the goal in your phone and then making that your screen saver so you see it multiple times a day.  Given how many times we look at our phones, that is a great idea!

Short-term goals can be for a week or a day.   Many students start the day with a to-do list.  It is a great motivator to cross off what you have done plus you feel more organized and directed throughout the day.

The next blog will look at time management and the importance of your class syllabi.   Time management in particular fits with goal setting because having specific goals helps you use your time more efficiently.  For now, think about, and then write down what you want to achieve this semester.  Make a to-do list for today and/or tomorrow to strategically plan how you will achieve your goal. 

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First Semester Success, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available as an eBook and hardcopy from amazon.com and as a hard copy from wordassociation.com.   Click on the upper right link.