Goal Setting 101

Goal-Setting Frameworks

Setting goals at any scale has a range of benefits. You can set short-term, immediate goals for your study session, or long-term, ambitious goals for what you want to accomplish over time. Goals help you identify direction and purpose for your efforts, enhance focus and motivation while you’re working, and research has shown they help improve performance and accountability (Locke & Latham, 2002). 

Consider these two goal-setting frameworks as a place to get started.  

  • The WOOP framework helps you visualize the outcome, identify obstacles, and plan to overcome them which can be useful for goals that seem challenging.  

  • The SMART framework helps you state your goal with specific criteria (measurable, attainable, etc.) and define the goal clearly, which can aid in accomplishing it.  

Regardless of the goal-setting format you use, a few strategies can help support your follow-through:  

Student thinking with a notebook and pen in hand

6 Tips for Setting Goals

  1. Create a system. Goals don’t happen just because we set them. Figure out how you will accomplish the goal – the timeline, the steps, your resources, etc. – and use time management tools to organize your work.  

  1. Break your goal into smaller tasks or action steps. Smaller tasks can seem easier to accomplish, making the work less intimidating, and completing tasks, even small ones, can give you a motivating sense of accomplishment.  

  1. Imagine your achievement. What will completing your goal look and feel like? Imagining your accomplishments can motivate your work and progress. And remember to track your progress in a way that helps you recognize the work you’ve already completed. 

  1. Tell people. Let other people know about your goal – that act alone can be motivating. If you want more accountability, find someone working towards a similar goal or ask someone to check in on your progress.  

  1. Anticipate possible challenges. Obstacles and setbacks are a part of life. For each of your goals, try to anticipate some challenges you might encounter. Generate a list of resources that can help you overcome these challenges and get ahead of obstacles by overestimating the time it may take to finish your goal. 

  1. Reward yourself. Incentives can be a fun way to encourage yourself. Structure your work with little rewards along the way. They give you something to look forward to, which can help you get started in the first place.