Module: Study skills Level: first year L
Timing: three hours
Setting goals and prioritarzation
Objectives
By the end of session, students will be able to:
- Determine the meaning of setting-goal.
-Design their short-term, mid-term and long-term SMART goals.
- Develop some helpful techniques to organize and work for their goals effectively.
Introduction
Goal- setting is crucial component to be a good time manager, yet not every manager
knows how to do it well. Setting a goal helps learners to be well-organized. In other words,
they will not waste their time and energy in non-essential activities. In fact, university
students have different set of goals; academic, professional and personal that they need to
achieve.
Setting a specific and time-based goals can help learners to direct their efforts and time
towards what they really want to do in life. In other words, they work smarter not harder. It
can also assist them to ensure and maintain their motivation despite the hardship. Some
consider goal setting to be an abstract activity that involves wishing or dreaming. In fact, it is
an activity that requires careful organization and planning.
Definition of a goal
Goals are general guidelines that explain what you want to achieve in your
community. They are usually long-term and represent global visions. such as “protect public
health and safety.”
Scholars in the field of psychology, management and coaching attempt to offer definitions
that are more sophisticated and comprehensive. Austin and Vancouver’s (1996) define goals
as ‘internal representations of desired states or outcomes’. Cochran and Tesser (1996) explain
further that a goal is ‘a cognitive image of an ideal stored in memory for comparison to an
actual state; a representation of the future that influences the present; a desire (pleasure and
satisfaction are expected from goal success); a source of motivation, an incentive to action’.
SMART Goals
Goal-setting is like a map – the big-picture goal is the destination, Goals should be
straightforward and emphasise what you want to happen. Goal-setting will give you direction
and help with your motivation, as well as increasing your satisfaction and self-confidence in
your performance. The map will help you track your development towards reaching your full
potential
Goals need to be specific and represent an end result. They should also be SMART.
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-
bound. When constructed carefully, a SMART goal will help you achieve an end result and
support your decision making. Each of the components of a SMART goal will now be
described in more detail below.
Specific : goals help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to
do. Specific means design an outline of what you are going to do. When designing
that use action words such as direct, organise, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build
etc. It is critical to think why it is important at this time. In simple terms, it is what do
you want to ultimately accomplish. Ensure the goals you set are very specific clear and
easy. Instead of setting a goal to break a world record, set your personal goals.
In other words, for a goal to be specific, it must be carefully defined. A goal of get a good job
when I graduate is too general. It doesn’t define what a good job is. A more specific goal
would be something like identify a institutions that recruit graduate teachers and has clear
career paths.
Measurable : if the goal is accomplished, there will be success. However, it is
benecial to set measurable progress points along the way. Choose a goal with
measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. Be specific “I want to improve
my personal best by the end of next month.” When you measure your progress, you
stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement
that spurs you on to the continued effort required to reach your goals.
In other words, to show effect, and report progress, goals need to be measured. What this
means is that the goal should have clearly defined outcomes with enough detail to measure
them. For example, setting a goal of doing well at university is a bit undefined, but making a
goal of graduating with a grade point average above 14 at university is measurable and
something you can work with.
Attainable—Attainable or achievable goals means they are reasonable and within
your ability to accomplish. While a goal to complete six subjects in a semester and
work part time is something that would be nice to achieve, the odds that you could
make that happen in a semester are not very realistic for most students. However, if
you plan to complete three subjects this semester and work part time it may well be
more achievable.
Relevant—For goal setting, relevant means it applies to the situation. In relation to
university, a goal of buying a horse to ride to for pleasure on weekends is unlikely to
be relevant to your student goals, particularly if you live 100km from campus, but
getting dependable transportation to the campus is something that would contribute to
your success at university.
Time-bound—Time-bound means you set a specific time frame to achieve the goal. I
will get my paper written by Wednesday is time-bound. You know when you must
meet the goal. I will get my paper written sometime soon does not help you plan how
and when you will accomplish the goal.
In the following table you can see some examples of goals that do and do not follow the
SMART system (see Table 9.1). As you read each one, think about what elements make them
SMART or how you might change those that are not.
Table 9.1 Examples of goals that do and do not follow the SMART system
Goal Is it SMART? Comments
I am going to be rich someday There is nothing specific,
No measurable, or time-bound in
this goal.
I will graduate with an average Yes The statement calls out
of 14/20 by the end of next specific, measurable, and time-
year. bound details. The other
attributes of attainable and
relevant are implied. This goal
can also be broken down to
create smaller, semester or
even weekly goals.
All SMART attributes are
I will walk for 30 mins each
Yes covered in this goal, explicitly
day to help me relieve stress.
or implied.
While this is clearly time-
bound and meets most of the
I would like to do well in all SMART goal attributes, it is
No
my courses next semester. not specific or measurable
without defining what “do
well” means.
I will earn at least 14/20 in all
my courses next semester by All the SMART attributes are
Yes
seeking help from the present in this goal.
Learning Advisor (Maths).
While most of the SMART
I am going to start being more attributes are implied, there is
No
organised. nothing really measurable in
this goal.
