Make your goals good by making them "SMART";
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Accepted and meaningful
R - Realistic
T - Timed
E - Evaluated
Specific goals
A specific goal is very precisely and concretely defined. Here are a few examples:
When the study day is over, I have;
- Both skimmed and thorough read chapter 4
- Retold to my wall about the five most important keywords from class yesterday
- Reviewed 10 flashcards with my fellow student
- Been to counseling and got answers to my questions
Measurable goals
When planning your goals, make sure it is clear to you when they are finished. Here are a few ideas;
- Formulate your goals in the past tense
- Write your study activities on a post-it note
- Make paragraph headings in the syllabus into questions, and make the notes in response to your "own" questions
- Decide when something is good enough
- Let your working hours be controlled by a timer (use the pomodoro technique)
Accepted and meaningful goals
The goals you are planning should be some that you want to accomplish. Therein lies the accepted. Sometimes you have to do something that you do not want to do, and then it is important that the goal is meaningful. Here are a few ideas to make goals accepted and meaningful;
- Sit in a good place that is nice for you to be on the day
- Talk to the teacher about why you should do and learn exactly these things
- Read the curriculum and subject descriptions to see the larger purpose
- Perform the study activities with others - or alone, if it is better for you
- Schedule breaks and leisure activities so you can look forward to them
Realistic goals
Your goals must be realistic for you to achieve, within the resources and time you have available. Here are a few ideas for this;
- Schedule buffer time e.g. at the end of the day where you can push tasks to if you do not reach them in the scheduled time
- Make both a semester plan, a weekly plan and a plan fort the day
- Accept that you can not do it perfectly, and let e.g. a timer determine if you have completed the task instead of the content
- Make a list of people who can help you and do not hesitate at asking for help
Time-bound goals
Decide when your study day will start and when it will end. Decide how long you work at a time and when and for how long you take a break;
- Use a timer to time your work time and your break time
- Stay away from work when you have planned to do so. Work when you have planned to work
- Put away anything other than what you need for the studies when you work
- Put your study work away when you have free time
Evaluate your goals
Continuously adjust your milestones, goals and activities to suit your daily life and the new knowledge on the subject you are getting;
- Examine whether milestones goals and activities are in line with the requirements of the curriculum, subject descriptions and the curriculum
- Talk to the study group and evaluate with them
- Decide how often and when the semester plan and weekly plan should be updated