Senior Curriculum
It's about your systems, not just your goals....
Students have just completed some goal setting activities for their school year ahead. Whilst many people go about setting goals, a large number of people never meet them; consider New Years’ resolutions, for example. The majority of these goals are never met, despite best intentions and desires to meet these goals. So, what is it that successful people do to meet their goals? How can we support our students to meet theirs?
If two people set about with the same goal, what is it that enables one person to achieve the goal and not the other? It is not just about setting the goal, but creating an identity and good systems.
There are two key ideas around goal setting that enable to person to be far more likely to achieve their goal.
Let’s look at the following goal - ‘I want to run a marathon in July’. The goal is specific, can be measured, is achievable, relevant and time bound so it meets the criteria of a ‘SMART goal’. But are these the only parameters that ensure we meet out goals? We need to connect with the identity of the person who could reach that goal – an athlete. The goal to be an athlete now helps the goal setter identify with the sort of person they need to be to reach that goal… how often would an athlete train, what would they eat, how long would they sleep, what recovery strategies would an athlete use… These sorts of questions help the goal setter become the athlete to help them reach one of their goals – to run a marathon in July.
The second idea around goal setting is looking at the habits or systems we have in our current life and what needs to shift to help us reach our goals. Goals are met by the everyday habits and systems we have in place. If we want to reach our goal, we need supportive habits and systems. How do we create good habits? James Clear – author of Atomic Habits talks about the 4 laws of creating good habits. They are:
| 4 Laws of creating good habits | Example – marathon – becoming an athlete |
| 1: Make it obvious | Create an implementation intention, I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]. I will run at 7am to the beach and back. Habits are initiated by a cue so have your running gear ready to go the night before. |
| 2: Make it attractive | When I run, I get to listen to my favourite playlist/podcast etc. Pairing a habit with something attractive is a great way to reward yourself. Once I run I will get to….
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| 3: Make it easy | Aim for a 2 minute run everyday (something achievable for the days we are not feeling it – it is about showing up everyday, not necessarily performing at your peak), schedule it in so you know when it should occur.
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| 4: Make it satisfying | Track your runs/workouts – use a habit tracker, enjoy the reward of showing up and completing your new habits. Never miss twice. If you miss a day, reset the next day. We get a great feeling of satisfaction from progress. |
Consider how you can apply these strategies in different areas of your life. If you want to do well in school, what identity do you need to take on, what habits and systems will help you become that person?
Your identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. The real reason habits matter is not because they can get you better results (although they can do that) but because they can change your beliefs about yourself.
For more information on habit forming, see the following links:
Atomic Habits – James Clear - https://jamesclear.com/
Summary points from Atomic Habits
The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide