StudySkills@TheLibrary
Guidelines for Goal Setting
Embarking on a new school year provides an excellent opportunity to establish meaningful goals for personal and academic growth. Setting goals not only enhances your focus but also helps shape the kind of student you strive to become. To ensure your goals are both attainable and inspiring, consider the following SMARTIES criteria.
Plan your goals
SPECIFIC: Make goals as detailed and specific as possible. Avoid vague goals like ‘I want to do better in Maths’, instead make them very detailed and specific. Exactly what do you want to achieve?
MEASUREABLE: A crucial aspect of goal-setting is having a way to measure your progress. Define clear indicators that signal achievement, enabling you to track your success along the way. This could involve setting specific targets, such as achieving a certain grade or completing a set number of tasks.
ACTION-ORIENTED: Your short-term goals should be the action steps you need to take to achieve the medium and longer-term goals.
RELEVANT & REALISTIC: Goals change, so if your goal is no longer relevant, you need to change it too. Although your goals should stretch you beyond your comfort zone, they need to still be based in reality. Create challenging goals by all means, but not totally unrealistic ones.
TIME-BASED: Your goals need to have a ‘to complete by’ date to give you something to aim for. Assigning deadlines to your goals provides a sense of urgency and direction.
INTERESTING: Choose goals that genuinely interest you and align with your values. Pursuing objectives that are personally meaningful increases motivation and commitment. When you find your goals interesting and worthwhile, you're more likely to stay dedicated to achieving them.
EMOTIONAL: Express the emotion behind your goals using powerful language. This emotional connection enhances your commitment and helps you stay connected to the purpose of your objectives. When you can articulate the significance of your goals, they become more compelling and personally resonant.
SUCCESS ORIENTED: Frame your goals in a positive and success-focused manner. Instead of focusing on what you want to avoid or improve, emphasise the positive outcomes you aim to achieve. A positive mindset fosters resilience, optimism, and a greater likelihood of success.
By incorporating these SMARTIES guidelines into your goal-setting process, you increase the likelihood of turning your aspirations into tangible achievements throughout the school year. Remember that the journey of goal-setting is as valuable as the destination, fostering personal growth, motivation, and a sense of accomplishment.
