Goals help us identify what we want and the steps we need to take to achieve the desired result. When setting goals, it's important to create goals that are SMART:
- Specific – Identify the specifics in what you want to accomplish by answering who/what/where
- Measurable – Make sure that you can track your progress by identifying how you will measure your success of the goal
- Attainable – It's important that the goal is actually realistic, otherwise why are we setting an unreachable goal?
- Relevant – You need to keep motivated towards the goal, so it is important to outline why the goal is important and what impact it will have
- Time-Bound – To keep you on target, it's important that the goal has a deadline associated with it
When evaluating goals, it can also be helpful to identify the smaller action steps that are needed to accomplish our goal. From these action steps, we can assign times that we will focus on each action and re-evaluate our progress with frequency. With this in mind, comes the acronym GPA:
- Define the Goal
- Create a Plan
- Take Action!
For tips on time management and maintaining motivation, check out: Time Management