One thing we’ve all said: “I am gonna focus on school and get all A’s next semester.” While some of us can hold on to that promise, most of us forget after the first few weeks. This article provides one simple tool to make focusing on school a little easier.
SMART is a strategy for efficiently creating goals by making sure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Every goal has to meet the requirements of each of the five letters to create an attainable goal. Let’s break it down!
We start off with step one: specific. The best way to complete a goal is to have a clear definition of what you want to accomplish. For example, if I want to get a good math grade instead of telling myself to “get a good math grade,” I could say, “I want to maintain a grade of 90 in math class.” This gives you a better sense of what you are trying to accomplish, but it’s still missing how you will get to that goal, which brings us to step two.
The second letter in SMART stands for measurable, meaning you can track your progress with the goal. Continuing with my math example, a good way to measure my progress is by saying, “I will study three times a week for 30 minutes.” This helps to give me a plan of how to reach my goal with consistency.
The “A” in SMART is for achievable. Your goal should challenge you, but be something that you can realistically complete. Starting with a smaller goal can help foster confidence in your skills and will eventually lead to greater achievements. On the other hand, starting with large goals can make the task seem impossible. If I want to become better at math, I could start with reviewing fundamental ideas rather than going straight into complex equations.
Step four is to make your goal relevant. This means making sure your “SMART” goal aligns with your overall goal. If my overall goal is to keep a 90, my goal of studying fundamentals for 30 minutes would be relevant because it helps me with my basic understanding of the class.
The fifth and final step is that your goal has to be time-bound. If you set a goal without a deadline, you might start procrastinating, so finding a clear timeframe can help you stay motivated and accountable. To apply this to my goal, I could say that I want to complete my study sessions each week by Friday.
Okay, quick recap of what we just went through. Make the best goals by making sure your plan is clear, trackable, realistic, and time-limited. It’s important to set goals during the school year to help you stay focused, and now you know how to build your goals for success! By using the “SMART” approach, you are sure to have a productive semester!
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