Goals

Students who do well in online classes are often people who have clear goals that they are trying to achieve. Those goals keep them motivated when the going gets tough. When your motivation is running low, consider some of these tips for achieving your goals from OpenStax.org.

• Increase personal responsibility. Adopt the mindset that you are the only person responsible for your goals. Hinderances and roadblocks may appear along the way, but you are responsible for navigating around them and overcoming them. Take control of the journey! Issues are not other people’s problems. They are for you to solve.
• Reward yourself for completing the task. We are all motivated by rewards – use this to your advantage. Especially when you complete a very difficult or unpleasant task related to your goals, give yourself a reward for a job well done.
• Make certain they are your goals. Your motivation level is not as high if the end result is not something you want to achieve.
• Visualize the results. Keeping in mind the benefits and visualizing the end results of each goal is extremely effective in keeping motivated.
• Break the goal down into manageable tasks. As with any task, accomplishing the whole is easier when each part is tackled individually.
• Tap into other people’s energy. Surround yourself with other people that are motivated. As humans, we are social creatures, which means our moods and emotions can be influenced by others. If you are around other positive people that all work toward achieving their own goals, their energy can become infectious.
• Remind yourself why you set the goal. This last item is of the utmost importance, especially for long term goals. Sometimes it is too easy to become mired in the drudgery of a difficult task and forget why you are doing something in the first place. Reminding yourself of the end goal helps reinforce everything you do that works toward your goal.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

S.M.A.R.T. goals refers to a system for setting goals that makes it more likely you’ll achieve them. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. By writing out how your goals meet these criteria, you’ll be setting goals that are clearly defined and have a due date. If you’ve never set S.M.A.R.T. goals before, download this SMART Goals worksheet to try it out.