When I began my undergraduate degree in 2012 setting goals was one of the furthest things from my mind. Sure, I had the overarching goal of “getting a degree,” but at that point I wasn’t even sure what that degree should be in. There were other vague enticing thoughts in my head like “bench more weight at the gym” but these thoughts were far from a tangible list. However, after returning to college following a church mission, I became hyper-aware of the need for specific, direct goals. With increasingly difficult classes, a growing business, a new wife, and financial responsibilities, I knew it would be challenging to make progress in every arena of my life without defined objectives. Goal setting for students can look a little different from an adult in an established career, so here are my top tips for setting goals as someone in high school or college.
Set Your Priorities
One aspect of goal setting that does not differ from student to career man or woman is the need to set priorities before establishing goals. Of all the thousand things you could do to improve your life, what are the most pressing at the current moment? Do you have looming papers due? Are you struggling to make ends meet on a tight student budget? Or do you struggle to find the time to enjoy your favorite hobby? Whichever things are most important and urgent right now should be where you focus your time and energy. Set goals around these areas and other aspects of your life will fall in line.
Goal Setting for Students – Start Low, Go Slow
In medical school, one oft-repeated phrase when it comes to dosing certain medications is “start low and go slow.” This is to ensure that patients’ symptoms aren’t over-corrected too quickly to become dangerous. In the realm of goal setting, it’s best to start low and go slow to avoid burnout. If your someone who hasn’t set or kept a list of goals before, don’t jump straight to working on 10 things at once. Pick the top 3 tasks you need to get done and lay out a plan to accomplish them. When you are confidently in the habit of working on those goals, then you can add in a few more. If you feel overwhelmed, dial things back. Delete one or two low-priority goals to focus on your most important objectives.
Break Away From The Phone
Now hear me out. I’m not some old man shouting at the clouds about how “you youngins need to get off those cellular phones!” But the fact of the matter is this – our phones are pits of distraction. We can download all the productivity apps we want, but the temptation to slip over to social media or texts will always exist. In the beginning, when you need to refer to your goal list for frequent reminders, it’s best to lay out your goals on paper. In my Next Level Goal Setting system, I teach how to create an organized goal list, but if you want to start out with a piece of lined paper then more power to you. Additionally, take a minute or two each day, preferably at the start, to set the phone out of sight, read your goals, and visualize their success.
Recognize Your Progress
Let’s be real – the fact that you’re reading this and want to set goals as a student says a lot about you. That’s something to be commended. By choosing to look forward to your future and set goals, you place yourself miles ahead of the average college student. It’s easy to get discouraged when we get caught up in a club, research project, or difficult course and forget about our goals. Don’t lose hope! Simply setting goals is a step in the right direction. Attempting them is another step. Recognizing when you fail and resolving to try again is yet another. The most important goal, above all, is the try and be better today than you were yesterday. If you can do this, you’ve succeeded.
