Setting goals and rewards.

The best way to get things done is to set some goals and rewards.

A goal is something that you want so much that you are prepared to give up your time and effort to accomplish it. It can be big or small.

A reward is something that you give yourself, or let yourself do, because you have worked hard and achieved your goals.

Setting goals helps you to monitor your progress. Work (or life) without goals, is like a game of football without goal posts. There is no way to measure your success. Goals provide you with:

• a purpose for working
• valuable feedback as you progress.

In this section, we will look at:

• Setting Goals
• Organising When You Will Achieve Your Goals
• Action Planning to help you meet them.
• The rewards.

When you achieve a goal, take time out and reward yourself. This will help you to relax and enjoy your the work you did.

Setting Goals

If you want your goals to be effective they need to be:

• Specific: Describe what you want to accomplish in as much detail as possible.

  For example: "I want to identify the main ideas of this article" rather than "I want to read more efficiently''.

• Challenging: A goal should require some energy and discipline to accomplish it.

  For example: "I want to be prepared for my classes this week by doing the set readings before the class" rather than "I want to make it to all my classes this week."

• Realistic: You have to be capable of achieving the goal. Try to start with small manageable tasks where you can succeed and gradually increase the limits.

  For example: "I want to do a minimum of one hour of independent study for each subject each week" rather than "I want to study for ten hours every night".

• Measurable: Describe your goal in terms that have clear limits.

  For example: "I want to lose five kilograms by the end of July" rather than "I want to lose weight this year."

Organising When You Will Achieve Your Goals

When setting goals, you need to think very carefully and be realistic about what you want to achieve and when you think you can achieve it. Thinking in this way will help you to allocate your time more efficiently and greatly increase you chance of success!

It is a good idea to break goals into:

• Day Goals
• Week Goals
• Month Goals
• Year Goals
• Global Goals

Day (immediate) goals

Day goals are the things that can be achieved right away - usually on the same day as you set them. For example:

• To start researching my essay this morning.
• To finish typing my assignment by 5 p.m. today.

Immediate goals often become the tasks on your daily 'to do' list . Achieving them gives a sense of satisfaction as you make your way steadily towards your short and mid-term goals.

Week (short-term) goals

Short-term goals are the things that can be achieved within the next week. For example:

• To analyse the essay question today (Monday).
• To research the topic on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Month (mid-term) goals

Mid-term goals are the things that can be achieved in the this/next month. For example:

I will get at least three high distinctions at the end of the semester.

I will improve my reading skills so that I can read more efficiently and effectively.

Year (long-term) goals

Long-term goals are achieved over a long period of time:

• I will pass this course by the end of next year.
• I will be accepted into post-graduate study in 2004.

Global goals

Global goals are the goals of your life:

• To make a successful designer career.
• To build a big house in the city.

Action Planning

The best way to achieve your study goals is to make an 'Action Plan'. This is quite an easy task. You simply:

• write down each goal in order of priority
• make a detailed list of things you need to do; these are what could be called sub goals
• decide when you are going to complete each step (this must be a definite time)
• list any resource or materials that you need to achieve the goal.

Don't Forget The Rewards!

Even for small successes, celebrate achievement of goals. Promise yourself a reward for completing each task, or finishing the total job.

See Getting rewards for details.