The first day of school is a great time to start thinking about your goals. You have an opportunity to set yourself up for success, and it’s never too early to think about what you want out of life after graduation.
When you’re in school, it’s important to make sure that your goals are realistic.
For instance, if you want to be an astronaut but don’t know how math works, then that goal isn’t going to happen anytime soon! So let’s talk about some different types of goals that students can set for themselves:
How to set short-term and long-term goals as student?
Write a list of your goals and break them down into manageable steps.
In order to achieve your goals, you must make a plan. A good way to do this is by writing down your goal and then breaking it down into manageable steps.
Here are some tips on how to make sure that your goals are realistic:
- Make sure the goal is something you want and can accomplish.
- Make sure the steps involved in reaching the goal aren’t too hard or time consuming. If they are, move them further down on the list so that they’re easier for you to work on first!
- Make sure that the steps you think of are things that you can actually do. If they’re too hard or out of your control, don’t put them on your list!
- Make sure to include some small tasks so you will feel like you’ve accomplished something when you complete them.
Create a personal life plan.
As you move forward, you may find that there are some things you want to change about your life.
For example, you might want to start a new hobby, learn how to play the piano or learn Spanish.
A personal life plan is an organized list of goals and tasks that will help bring about these changes. A personal life plan can be used by anyone as a way of getting organized and setting goals for themselves.
By creating a personal life plan, it’s easier for students to stay motivated because they will have tangible evidence of their progress towards their short-term and long-term goals.
Attainable goals.
Your goals should be realistic.
For example, if you are going to graduate high school with an A average and skip right into college as a junior, that goal is probably not achievable.
Your goals should be specific.
If your goal is “Get a job,” it’s too vague to work toward. What kind of job? Where? When? You need to make sure that your goals are specific enough that they can actually be accomplished within the time frame you have set for them (see below).
Your goals should be measurable:
“Get a job” isn’t measurable because there are so many ways this could happen (e.g., through an internship or co-op program) and so many possible jobs out there (e.g., working at McDonalds vs working as a consultant for IBM). If something in life doesn’t have some sort of metric attached to it—like money or weight—then it’s hard to know whether or not we’ve reached our goal!
Relevant life experience.
The best way to learn something is by doing it. No matter what you’re studying and how long you plan to study it, the experience gained from that study can be put to good use in a variety of careers and professions.
There are many ways for students to gain relevant experience, including:
- Volunteering
- Internships
- Work experience (volunteering at your local library or museum)
- Travel
Use your goals as motivation to work harder in class.
Setting goals and achieving them is an important part of the college experience. Whether it’s meeting a deadline or getting an A on your final exam, setting goals and working hard to reach them will help you succeed in school.
The more motivated you are, the easier it will be for you to follow through on your goals. If you don’t have any motivation for something, then it may be difficult for you to stick with your strategy for reaching that goal.
Motivation comes from within; there are no shortcuts or magic pills that can make anyone motivated overnight – but there are ways that can help increase one’s sense of drive and commitment over time (e.g., meditation).
Discipline is another key ingredient in achieving long-term goals like graduating from college or passing all of your classes in four years instead of five!
Without discipline, everything else falls apart: planning becomes impossible; time management breaks down; persistence wears out fast as well!
Use free time at school to find new interests and passions.
One of the best ways to keep yourself motivated and on track with your long-term goals is by finding time to explore new interests, pursue new passions, take on challenging new challenges, learn new skills, try out new things, meet new people—and also just have fun!
Here’s how:
Make use of free time. If you don’t have any extracurricular activities or clubs at school that interest you (or if you already participate in one), make an effort to find some other way to fill this gap in your schedule.
For example, if there’s a group project coming up that sounds interesting but is not attached to any particular class or club activity (and if it doesn’t require extra credit), join in!
Or maybe there’s a class project that seems too big for just one person—start recruiting friends who are interested as well! The more people involved in these kinds of projects—whether they’re academic or social—the more likely it will be successful and fun for everyone involved.
Be realistic about the commitments you can make and stick with while in school.
It’s important to be realistic about the commitments you can make and stick with while in school. You’ll likely have a full schedule, with courses and extracurricular activities on top of a job or internship, so it’s key that your goals are achievable.
Don’t expect yourself to do everything at once—pick a few things to focus on and make sure they’re truly important to you before adding them into your plate.
Goals are achievable if you plan and manage your time wisely.
Goals are achievable if you plan and manage your time wisely.
If you want to get into a good college, it’s important to plan ahead so that you can stay focused on your short-term and long-term goals throughout high school.
The best way to do this is by setting up a schedule for yourself. Make sure that the hours of each day are accounted for with activities related to academics, extracurricular activities and socializing (if appropriate).
You might also find it helpful to create a calendar in order to keep track of assignments and important deadlines. Remember: It’s important not only for success but also for stress management not to overcommit or be too busy or stressed out.
If something unexpected happens at work or home during the week, don’t panic! Just use the backup plan that you created earlier as well as other resources available online (or ask friends/family) until things get back on track again – which they inevitably will!
Examples of short-term goals for students
Short-term goals are the stepping stones to long-term goals. They are action oriented and help you to take concrete steps towards your long-term goal.
It is important to have a clear vision of what you want, but it is equally as important to break that down into smaller pieces. As with any goal, it is best to set realistic and achievable targets rather than setting yourself up for failure by setting yourself an unrealistic target.
Examples of short-term goals for students include:
- reading a book
- Getting a part time job
- taking an online course (at your local community college)
If other student isn’t sure what their short-term goals should be, you can help them by asking questions like: What are some things that you would like to achieve in the next year? How will these things make your life better? What skills do I need to learn for this job or project?
Examples of long-term goals for students
Long-term goals can be as simple or complex as they need to be. They could also vary widely from person to person depending on their interests and experience.
If you’re looking for a few good long-term goals, here are some to get you started:
- Learn how to play the guitar
- Take an art class
- Get better at cooking
- Learning how to cook healthy meals
- Learning how to do math without using a calculator
- Becoming proficient at Spanish
Final Words
I hope my post has helped you to clarify your goals and reach them. Remember that they should be realistic, achievable and measurable so that you can track your progress over time.
If you want to learn more about goal setting or how to set the right goals for yourself then check out our blog post on goal setting.
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Mo Fayez is an engineer by trade with more than 15 years of experience in management, passionate about Management coaching, self-help, and productivity. He has a passion for teaching and helping others become the best that they can be. He also enjoys training people to become more productive at work.Learn more about this blog that Mo has created in 2021, and why he decided to start this blog. If you want to send Mo a quick message, then visit his contact page here.