Setting goals

Goal setting is the crucial first step for every student hoping to do well in their exams. To put it simply, goals produce action. They inspire you to push forward with purpose; to get out of bed and into school; to turn off the TV and write that assignment; to get up off the couch and exercise. You can think of a goal as the engine which drives you towards your desired outcome.

Taking action without proper planning is one of the biggest causes of failure for all students. You should take time to set a number of goals before you begin your studies for the year.

One of the greatest challenges you can face when studying is not knowing what to do and wondering where do you begin. Should you focus on this particular topic or ignore it altogether? I have found that even the most confident of students faces problems like these all of the time. Your teachers can help you answer these kinds of questions. They guide you in the right direction, identify the key concepts/goals and tell you how to prepare for the exams. Knowing what to do, however, is only the first step. What many students struggle with is taking this newly acquired knowledge and applying it in a structured and effective way. This is where goals play a very important role. They help bridge the gap between knowing what you need to do and being able to do something.

• What will you study?
• When will you study it?
• What will be the effect of that study?

Before you begin, though, remember that any big goal is attained through the achievement of many smaller ones set along the way.

How to set your goals:

• Getting started is always the most difficult step in goal setting. So, before you read any further, pick up a piece of paper and a pen and complete this exercise as you read.
• Ensure that your goals are both realistic and specific. If you specify when and what you will do, you increase your chances of getting it done. Instead of saying that you will study more, for example, you could purposefully write that you will study one extra hour on weekdays, and two extra hours on Saturday and Sunday. This leaves no room for you to avoid completing these goals.
• Break each goal into simple, digestible parts. Break big long-term goals into many short-term goals. The easier you make it to complete each step of the goal, the more likely it is that you will eventually achieve it.
• Each goal must have a target timeframe. A goal with a due date and time is very difficult to put off. For short-term goals, make a note of them on your daily planner, for all other goals keep them on the monthly planner.
• Always make sure to write down your goals on a piece of paper and keep them close by. It's important that you make a record of them; it will keep you focused and remind you of what still has to be done. Read the list every day to keep you aware of them and reinforce them in your mind.
• Don't bite off more than you can chew. Start off with a relatively small number of goals and gradually increase their number and size as you become more effective at completing them.
• That said, always aim higher than you think you can achieve. You will amaze yourself at how well you can do.

SMART:

A useful guide to follow when creating your goals is to make them SMART. Goals need to be specific, otherwise you will be not sure how to achieve them. They need to be measurable, or else you will not know whether or not you have made progress. Exam results and essay marks are good ways to measure your achievements. Goals should be both achievable andrealistic. In this way, you will not hit large obstacles or impossible challenges along the way. Finally, your goals should have a very strict timeframe. If you spend too much time on any one goal, it will impact on the rest of your studies as well as spill over into your personal time.

How to stick to your goals:

• Remember to:
• Review your goals regularly.
• Measure and assess your progress.
• Make changes if they are needed. Be honest with yourself.
• Keep your goals visible in your study area. We don't want them to be out of sight and therefore out of mind.

Make sure to reward or treat yourself when you achieve an important medium or long-term goal. You don’t have to go crazy, but allow yourself some time off, a treat or even just a smug sense of satisfaction. You deserve it.

You should keep a list of your achieved goals. Legendary US soccer player Mia Hamm, two time women’s FIFA World Player of the Year and one of the highest goal scorers in international football history, once remarked that “success breeds success”. The message behind this quote is that success is a psychological phenomenon. Achieving your goals helps fill you with a strong sense of self-belief, and it is this self-belief that carries you towards the next success.

Goals give us direction and a clear focus. They enable us to monitor our progress and, if necessary, aim higher. They help us get started and reach our final destination. When it comes to your own goals there are some very simple rules that need to be followed. Understand the task ahead and appreciate the benefits of achieving the goal, but most importantly, don’t forget to commit to it 100 per cent.