This blog post was supposed to come out on January 4th. The first Monday of the new year, and for many of our students, the first day of the new semester. The perfect time for a blog post all about setting new goals!
But to be perfectly honest, I just didn’t feel up to writing it. It’s been a long year in many ways, and there’s a lot going on in the world right now that’s piling on the existential stress. I’ve seen a rising trend among thought leaders I follow not setting any goals for 2021, so I know I’m not the only one lacking that “new year, new me” energy.
I acknowledge my own slow start to 2021 to give you permission not to read this blog post yet if you aren’t in a goal-setting state of mind. There’s no rule that says you can only set new goals at the beginning of the year, semester, or week. This blog post will still be here if and when you decide you’re ready. But for those of you ready for some new goals, let’s jump in.
Today, I’m going to give you 5 goal-setting tips that I use with my students when we sit down to set new goals. To provide some framework, I’m a big fan of SMART goals.
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Realistic, and Time-Bound.
SMART goals help make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. Have you ever set goals that were either too vague to give you any real direction (“I want to be a better person!”) or probably not likely to happen (“There are 3 weeks left in the semester, and I want to turn this D into an A+!”)? I know I have.
Setting SMART goals will get you started, but here are my 5 tips to help you succeed in meeting your goals.
CATEGORIZE YOUR GOAL
I ask my students to set goals in different areas of their life. I think balance is really important, and I don’t want them to overemphasize or underemphasize a part of their life that matters to them.
Of course, we start with academic goals. School comes first, but we also acknowledge that school isn’t everything. Students can miss out on a lot of enriching experiences if we only focus on school!
One of my students has also identified “inner” goals that are things she personally wants to work on that just involve her (like finishing an art project that she started during quarantine) and “outer” goals that require other people (like reaching a certain number of engaged members in a school club she leads). Another student has a goal category for extracurricular activities. A third has one that is focused on relationships - with his friends, family, and teachers.
We also have a “college planning” category where my students set small goals that, over time, will ultimately lead to a much larger goal.
IDENTIFY YOUR OBSTACLES
In The Art of War, General Sun Tzu states, “Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.” He probably wasn’t talking about goal setting, but I still think it’s important to know your internal and external “enemies” to success.
I ask students to identify what things are standing in the way of their success. These might be things completely outside of their control (ie: global pandemic), but there are often many ways that we stand in our own way (ie: our own bad habits). By naming these things early on and acknowledging how to deal with these hurdles, we keep obstacles from becoming excuses when we don’t meet our goal months later.
DECIDE ON YOUR ACTION STEPS
Setting a goal is one thing, but following through with it is a whole other ballgame. Once you’ve named your goal, you also need to have a plan in place to help you get there. What is your first step going to be? And once you’ve taken that first step, what then?
Fill in the blanks: “Because I want to ________, I need to ________.”
Because I want to exercise three days per week:
I need to pick which exercises I’m going to do each day so I don’t waste time or get overwhelmed.
I also need to lay out my exercise clothes where I can see them so I have a visual reminder that I want to exercise instead of watch Netflix.
Because I want to eat vegetables every day:
I need to try them a bunch of different ways so I know how I like them best.
(The answer here is almost always “roasted with Everything but the Bagel seasoning”)
Because I want to earn an A in Chemistry:
I need to study all of my quizzes one week before a test to see what I don’t understand. That way, I have plenty of time to ask my teacher for help before test day.
SCHEDULE CHECK-INS
The final step in setting a SMART goal is that it is time-bound. You give yourself a deadline. But that’s like learning your final grade at the end of the class without seeing any graded assignments, progress reports, or quarter grades before final report cards come out. That’s a lot of pressure!
When you first set your goal, decide when you want to check-in on yourself. For some goals, you might want to have a monthly check-in. For others, once a semester might be enough. You might ask someone to hold you accountable to that check-in (my students have me to remind them that it’s time to look at their progress and reassess). Or set a reminder on your phone or computer that will prompt you to take some time to see how you’re doing with your goals.
CHOOSE A REWARD
This is the fun part! We are much more likely to follow through with a goal, a task, etc… if there is something pleasant waiting for us on the other side. And who else remembers the excitement of getting to go to the “treasure box” in third grade when you memorized your multiplication tables?
Know what motivates you and pick something that you think will inspire you to keep going when you’re feeling tired.
Maybe it’s getting something you really, really want when you finally meet your goal (If I exercise three days per week for a year, I can get an Apple watch).
Maybe you treat yourself to a mini-reward at each check-in (If I eat my vegetables every day, then once a month, we can get takeout from my favorite restaurant).
Or maybe if it’s a sense of satisfaction (If I get an A in Chemistry, I never have to take Chemistry ever again!).
Rewards can be big or small, material or not. It’s less about the reward itself and more about staying motivated. Rewards are just the carrot on the end of a stick.
BONUS TIP
Before you sit down and start setting your own goals, I also want to encourage you to listen to our latest podcast episode where my teammate, Lindsey, speaks with Advantage College Planning’s founder and goal-setting extraordinaire, Brooke Daly. They walk through the goal-setting process using one of Lindsey’s own goals for the year!