A Guide to Goal Setting for Students

Successful sporty woman with arms up

Goal setting is indispensable to achieving success in all walks of life, but it is all the more important in one’s student life. Your time at university is a crucial period in your life, and you don’t want to miss the opportunities to gain knowledge and learn new things. Goals are essential because they keep focused, punctual, and disciplined while at university.

Benefits of Goal Setting for Students

It is crucial to learn how to set and achieve your goals, but first, let’s look at the benefits of goal setting.

It provides you with a clear direction: As a student, you need direction and focus. Setting a clear goal serves that purpose. Without clearly defined goals, you may feel less motivated, stagnant, and aimless.

It provides you with an action plan: An action plan is essentially a guideline for you to follow, much like a map. Without a plan of action, you may feel distracted and confused. To achieve your goals, you have to devise a plan of action to set things in motion.

It acts as a progress report: Much like an annual report card that summarizes your yearly progress, goal setting acts like a personal progress report. It provides you with all the necessary feedback to help you improve in different areas.

It identifies personal achievements: Everyone has a different definition of success and achievement. When you lack a target, it becomes hard to recognize what you define as an achievement. Setting goals allows you to identify your personal understanding of achievement or success, so you can move in the right direction.

It helps you reset your goals: There is no such thing as a preset list of goals. As we progress in life, our goals evolve or completely transform. Resetting goals is very important to preventing feelings of aimlessness. It’s a good idea to evaluate your goals and determine whether they need resetting on a regular basis.

Steps to Set and Achieve Your Goals

Follow the steps below to set and achieve goals like a pro:

Step 1: Set a goal

To start with, you must know what you want. It could be something as small as completing your assignments on time or something larger, like achieving a certain GPA or buying a new car.

Setting a distinct goal is the key to attaining motivation. You draw motivation from your goal, meaning that you’re determined to achieve what you want. Of course, without identifying what you want, you’d lack the drive to go after it!

Step 2: Create a plan of action

In this step, you’ll determine the small actions you have to take to achieve your goal. Think of them as the stepping stones you must pass to get to the other side of the stream.

The only way to successfully get to the other side is with the help of an action plan or a set of tasks. For each task, be sure to set a completion date and time. Doing so will help you work your way up and monitor your progress over time.

For instance, you could set a goal to improve your health. The action plan could include spending one hour every day at the fitness center of your Ontario Tech University residence. Or it could be running for 30 minutes every day for the next three months.

Step 3: Reset your goals

Follow your plan of action to achieve your goals, and when necessary, reset your goals. Think of a goal resetting as a fresh start. This will keep you motivated and make you more productive. Moreover, it prevents you from feeling aimless and lost. Be sure to make it a habit, so it feels more like a part of your routine than a once in a while task.

Final Thoughts

Goal setting comes with many benefits for everyone, especially college and university students. Follow the steps explained above to set and achieve your goals. It is good to start small and then set higher goals as you master setting and achieving goals.