Graduate school is an essential step in developing as a professional. That’s why it is important to measure your growth through goal setting.
While goal setting may not be in your routine as a student, it can be highly beneficial in helping you focus on your objectives and celebrate your achievements. Hopefully, these organization tips can teach you to naturally set goals and begin to notice how it improves your diligence and growth.
SMART Graduate School Goals
First, we need to create the goals themselves. One popular method is by creating SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound. Setting goals that follow these criteria helps narrow down broad goals into easy-to-achieve steps. Specific goals aren’t too broad or vague. Measuring these goals should keep you on a particular schedule. For example, if your goal is to study more, pick the days you plan to study and what time, and for how long. Your goals should always be achievable because they might hurt your morale if they are too unrealistic. Even small goals like acing your next presentation can be a smart goal because it is manageable. Make sure the steps you are taking are relevant to your goal, and your goal is relevant to your success. Lastly, time is essential to your SMART goals because if your goal is too far into the future, you risk losing motivation or forgetting the goal entirely.
Organize Your Goals
There are many tools that you can use as a student in graduate school that can help you mark your progress. Part of your SMART goals is to ensure they are measurable, and one way to establish this is to use a planner or calendar. Try both methods and see which one works best for you. Some people prefer online calendars because they are easy to access throughout the day. Online calendars can even send reminders through your phone. Others might find that physically writing down their schedule because it sticks in their brain better than way.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Ask someone you trust to hold yourself accountable. Telling a mentor or friend about your goals and the framework you plan to act on to achieve them. This will give you more of an incentive to stay focused. Another benefit of asking someone to check in on your progress is that you can discuss the plan you laid out and receive their feedback. You two can brainstorm any adjustments that need to be made by having a discussion to reflect on your progress.
Celebrate Your Achievements
This step may seem nonessential, but that thought would be wrong. The most significant factor needed to achieve your goals is your motivation. Celebrating essential milestones you set in your SMART goals will boost your morale. It is enjoyable when you can celebrate with the friend or advisor that is holding you accountable. This step is the important one because the feeling of being proud of oneself is what starts many graduate school students’ journeys into goal setting.
Try these goal-setting strategies this fall semester, and look forward to the results. If you are the friend or mentor of someone setting SMART goals for themselves, read this article to learn how to give better and more meaningful feedback.Graduate school is an essential step in developing as a professional.