Setting Study Goals

A goal is target you want to achieve. Goal setting is important in academic life as it gives some targets to achieve. Goal setting also helps you in achieving new heights in our lives. Goals setting can be of two types. Short-term and long-term.  A short-­term goal is a target you want to achieve in one or two month. Examples of short-term goals are finishing your homework and doing well in coming tests. A long-term goal is a target you want to achieve within one year. Examples of long-term goals are passing the class with highest marks.

To set right goals, you must know what is exactly you want to accomplish. Then you must write down specific and clearly stated goals with a specific date. If you don’t have clear and specific goals your efforts will lack direction and focus.

Features of Appropriate Goals

Your goals should be:

1. Set goals which are within your skills and abilities. Before setting goals know your strengths and weaknesses and set goals accordingly. It will help you to set right goals.
2. Realistic. Your goals should be realistic. This means they should be achievable. Setting goals of learning five new words is a right goal. Trying to learn 100 new words each day is unrealistic goal.
3. Flexible. Sometimes things do not go as thought and you may need to change your goals according to changed circumstances. So keep your goals flexible so that you can change them as situation arises.
4. Measurable. You must measure your progress toward a goal. It is important to recognize when you have accomplished your goal and when you need to set new goals to accomplish further. Failure to measure your progress will result in effort that is misdirected and wasted.
5. Time bound. Your goal should have a specific time to achieve it. Without time bound, it is difficult to achieve a goal.  
6. Within your control. Your goals should be under your control. No other person should have control on your goals. This means if you are involving some of your friends in your goals but at last moment they did not help you in achieving your goals. Then you should take responsibility of situation and achieve goals yourself. Nobody else should have control on your goals.

Sometimes your parents and faculty members set goals for you. Accept these goals and achieve them. These people always want good for you, and goals set by these people will only help you to achieve success in your academic years.

Set goals in your academic years to get right direction which will lead you to success.