Career Research and Decision Making

Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 1.02: How S.M.A.R.T. Are Your Goals?

Pictured: Also not happiness.
(Source)

Over the years, we've learned a few tricks to setting goals and actually accomplishing them. Our favorite system is the S.M.A.R.T. system, which tells us that our goals need to be all of these things:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant 
• Time Frame-limited

So, how do S.M.A.R.T. goals sound? A little hokey? Or brilliant life advice? We're hoping for "brilliant life advice," but in case you're leaning toward "hokey," give us a chance.

Let's all find a shooting star, or just imagine one, as it's probably the middle of the day and you're in a dark hole in front of a computer. In any case, we'll all make a wish. In today's activity, we're turning those wishes into S.M.A.R.T. goals. But why set goals in the first place? Well, for starters, we can vividly remember school years that didn't go very smoothly, and we'd love to avoid a repeat.

On top of that, though, goals are just awesome. If you ask Gretchen Rubin, author of New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project, setting goals and resolving to reach them is one of the keys to happiness. Ms. Rubin also points out what William Butler Yeats said on the topic:

Happiness is neither virtue, nor pleasure, nor this thing, nor that, but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.

Preach, Yeats. Happiness is all about growth, and growth happens when we set goals for it. We could all use a little more happiness in high school, what with all those exams and school lunches (Salisbury steak, where you at?), so we'll take it where we can get it, thank you very much.

Besides, the alternative is the kind of goal below, and those just don't work at all. See?

• Scary
• Tertiary
• Uninspiring
• Pie-in-the-sky
• Indefinite
• Dreary

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.02: S.M.A.R.T. Goals: The Details

In the last lesson, we read about goal setting in schools and how it's basically trendier than anything seen recently on TMZ. Goal-setting initiatives are getting stellar academic results for students, but the thing is, goal setting isn't just about school. It works for everything. And yes, you are allowed to be a regular human in addition to being a student. 

Here's the full scoop on what S.M.A.R.T. goal setting is all about. You might want to take notes on our note-taking worksheet.

1. Make the goal specific.

Make the goal as simple and well-defined as possible. Vagueness stands in the way of achievement in this instance. If your general goal is "get better grades this year," that's fine, but it's just a starting point. Think through which classes you're taking, review last year's grades, and set a realistic target grade for every class, down to the percentage. Then use those class syllabi to calculate what scores you'll need on which assignments to make it happen.

Also ask yourself, and answer, the six W Questions: who, what, where, when, which, and why?

• Who is involved in achieving this goal?
• What do you want to accomplish here?
• Where will this happen?
• When will it be done?
• Which requirements or obstacles will be a part of this process?
• Why are you even setting this goal? Is it for money, glory, revenge? If it's for revenge, you should probably rethink it, honestly.

2. Make the goal measurable.

The six W Questions are also helpful for making the goal measureable, so some of the work is already done once you've made the goal as specific as you can. Ask questions like: 

• How many pages is this essay?
• What are the questions in the essay prompt?
• When will you know the essay is complete?

Being able to visualize how far you've come already will help motivate you to the end.

3. Make the goal attainable.

There are only 24 hours in the day, and we all need some of them to sleep. That is, we need them for sleep until we can outsource that to our bionic other-selves. But that's a year or two away. Check that you're setting realistic goals so as not to come out on the other end sleep-deprived and resembling a zombie. We cannot stress enough that we are opposed to zombies and in favor of bionics research that will make us all unsleeping cyborgs.

4. Make the goal relevant.

If the ultimate goal is to get into Dream University, what are the short-term goals that you can accomplish during this school year? What can you do now to put you in the best position when the application has been submitted to the admissions office? If you don't play an instrument, then maybe joining the orchestra is not the most relevant way to build up your extracurricular activities résumé. If you have always been excellent at Trivial Pursuit, consider joining the Academic Bowl team. Set goals that are relevant to your life, your interests, and your strengths.

5. Make goals time frame-limited.

Setting a deadline for completion sets a fire under your tuckus, as it were. Time limits reinforce the seriousness of the task at hand and motivate you to take action. Without timelines, it's easier to say "tomorrow is fine." The problem there is that, as Annie tells us, "tomorrow is only a day away." And then there's another one. And another. Don't risk letting your goal be pushed to the back burner. Even if there is no official deadline, set one for yourself. 

If you need extra reinforcement and accountability, brag about it on social media. The threat of embarrassment is always a good motivator.

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.02: A S.M.A.R.T. Goal Is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Now it's time to send those general goals from the first lesson to school to get S.M.A.R.T. In the fields below, use what you now know about S.M.A.R.T. goals to turn those general ideas into real goals, and be sure to answer in at least two complete sentences for each. We just love complete sentences around here.

Using today's reading, transform the wish list you made in the last lesson (go here for reference) into S.M.A.R.T. goals that answer all of these questions:

• Specific: What, specifically, do I want to accomplish and why? Where, when, and how will it happen?
• Measurable: How will I measure how well I'm doing? How will I know when I'm done? Will I make a schedule?
• Attainable: Is this realistic? Can I really do all of this in the time frame I'm giving myself? What problems could arise?
• Relevant: Is this a goal I actually care about? How will achieving it impact my life positively?
• Time Frame: What is the final deadline?