Guidance Counsellor
St Mary's Catholic College
Jana Aksamitova
Guidance Counsellor
The importance to set your goals
As we enter into Term 2 setting and having goals is a great way to give yourself direction, focus and motivation. Goals are crucial to school success.
When a student sets goals, it gives him or her steps to follow so tasks are completed according to importance. Having a clear plan also reduces procrastination. If your child knows exactly what her or she wants to achieve and knows the steps required to achieve it, there is less room for procrastination.
Helping your child to set effective goals also teaches your child to master organization, planning and time management skills that can be used in the classroom or at home.
The following extract from reachout.com explains the benefits and process of setting goals.
Why set goals?
Most people want to see some kind of change or improvement in their lives from time to time. Setting goals is an effective way to increase motivation and enable people to create the changes they desire. It can be used to improve health and relationships, or improve productivity at school. Goal setting can also help when:
- You feel overwhelmed by how much is going on
- You feel like you’re lacking direction
- You have a big project to tackle
The process of goal setting
When you have an idea about what it is that you do want, there are three simple steps you need to take to set a goal.
- Define your goal. There are two important parts to defining a goal:
- Make your goal more specific. Goals should be measurable and have an end point.
- Make your goals realistic. Taking on challenges can be really motivating, but do not set yourself up to fail. If you are not sure if your goal is realistic, talk to someone you trust about it.
2. Set Sub-Goals:
- Break up your goal. Breaking up your goal into sub-goals is important to staying motivated, particularly for larger goals that take a long time to achieve. Sub-goals help you recognise and celebrate when you’ve made progress.
3. Work through a plan of action. Having a tangible plan of action helps you to stay focused:
- Write down your sub-goals. Once you’ve worked out your sub-goals, make sure you write them down and keep them in a place that you can see. Having them close by will help keep you motivated.
- Include a time frame. Deadlines are important. They keep you on the go and help you stay motivated. For each written sub-goal, write down a deadline to prevent you from putting things off or forgetting your goal.
4. Get Support and feedback:
- Having support from others and making goals public can improve the chances of achieving goals by enhancing commitment to the goal. Receiving regular feedback is also important, as it allows us to know when we are moving in the right direction and change tactics if necessary. This can be done by receiving feedback from others, e.g., teacher, peer, or parent or by tracking measurable items, such hours of sleep and etc.