Page 126 - Learning to Learn

READING EXPERIENCE 5: TIME, PLANNING , AND PRODUCTIVITY
126 L EARNING TO LEARN: BECOMING A SELF-GROWER
Setting Goals
Goal setting is an important part of time management. Once you have set clear and realistic goals, you
can determine how much time is needed to reach those goals. Then you can plan your daily and weekly
schedules accordingly. But goal setting is also important for you to live a life that you would want to live.
Once you have a future envisioned, you would figure out the steps necessary for you to achieve that future
and then set goals in order to meet each one of those steps. Goal setting is a way for you to make sure you
get what you want.
Goal Setting
You most likely have heard about goal setting and its importance at one point or another. Perhaps you are
even familiar with phrases such as “a person without goals is like a ship without a rudder,” or “not having
a goal is like trying to hit a target you can’t see or reach a destination you don’t have.” However, you may
not be familiar with the process of goal setting and the specifics that help you improve your use of the
process. The following criteria are meant to serve as guidelines as you set personal goals.
1. Goals should be written down and not simply kept as thoughts in your head. You are much more
accountable for keeping to your goals if you write them down and review them regularly.
2. Goals should be specific. The more specific the goal, the more likely you are to accomplish it. Notice
how a vague goal such as “I’ll study tonight” can be changed to the more specific goal “tonight I’ll
read a chapter in biology and do the ten math problems assigned from Chapter 4.”
3. Goals should be measurable. A goal is measurable if you can verify or confirm that you have reached
it. A goal such as “I want to do well in psychology” cannot be measured (how do you measure “doing
well”) as compared to “I will get at least a B in psychology.”
4. Goals should be action-oriented. You can daydream, speculate, and fantasize about what you want, but
unless your goals translate into specific actions for the here and now, more than likely your goals will
simply stay creations of your mind.
5. Goals should be realistic. Goals which are unrealistically large and not attainable quickly lose their
meaning and motivational impact.Ask yourself if the goal is realistically achievable from the standpoint
of time, skills, and resources.
6. Goals should have time limits or constraints. There must be some accountability in terms of meeting
goals by some deadline. Otherwise, meaning and motivation are lost, and putting things off becomes
too easy. However, it is very important to have both short-term and long-term goals. Long-term goals
let you look at the big picture, farther into the future. Short-term goals provide continued motivation
as a result of meeting and accomplishing goals/objectives on a more frequent basis.
7. Goals should be self-chosen and not imposed upon you by others. Goals must be worthwhile to you
and have the potential to give you a sense of accomplishment. They should be something you value
and not what somebody else wants for you.
8. Goals should be written in a positive manner. Avoid using phrasing such as “I won’t fail ...” or “I can’t
do... until I do ...” or “I won’t do any worse than....” Although they may seem positive, avoid using
words such as try, hope, and think in your goal statements. Starting goals with I will … is preferable
because the other types of words give you a way out and an easy justification for not accomplishing a
goal.