SMART Goals
Clear goals play a pivotal role throughout your time at university, and this is where the SMART technique is useful. Doran (1981) first suggested the SMART technique, and it has since evolved for different goal setting requirements. When you set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART) goals, you gain a focused sense of purpose (Bjerke and Renger, 2017; Terbit, 2023). This clarity enables you to stay motivated and makes it easier to structure your study time, assignments, and activities. By understanding what you want to achieve, whether academically or personally, you create a clear roadmap that guides your choices and actions (Poe et al, 2021). For example, instead of aiming to ‘do more study’ a SMART goal would be ‘study for three hours every day, for the next week’. This focused approach gives you a clear direction for your efforts.
The SMART method has different stages:
S) Specific ensures that a goal is focused and clear. Rather than stating a vague objective like ‘I want to work on my assignment’ a specific goal would be something like ‘I want to have my assignment submitted, one-week before the deadline’. This clarity helps to direct effort towards an outcome, providing a target and a sense of purpose.
M) The measurable aspect allows you to track your progress and stay motivated. By setting tangible targets, such as reading a set number of chapters to help you complete your assignment, or aiming to achieve a particular grade, you can assess how well you are progressing and adjust where needed. This creates a sense of achievement as you reach your targets and goals.
A) Attainable/achievable ensures that your goals are realistic and manageable. By splitting larger tasks into smaller, attainable stages, you avoid feeling overwhelmed. This approach reduces procrastination and makes it easier to start and maintain momentum throughout the week, month, semester, or year.
R) The relevant part helps you to prioritise goals that align with your academic and personal objectives. Think about why you are setting these goals, and what it will mean when you achieve it. This helps to ensure that you focus on tasks that directly contribute to your long-term success, providing a sense of purpose in your work.
T) Finally, set deadlines for each goal in a timely manner. This not only helps you stay organised by creating a timescale for completion, but it also reduces procrastination, ensuring tasks are completed on time.
References
Bjerke, M. B. and Renger, R. (2017) ‘Being smart about writing SMART objectives’, Evaluation and Program Planning, 61, pp. 125-127.
Doran, G. T. (1981) ‘There’s a S.M.A.R.T way to write to write management’s goals and objectives’, Management Review, 70(11), pp. 35-36.
Poe, L. F., Brooks, N. G., Korzaan, M., Hulshult, A. R. and Woods, D. M. (2021) ‘Promoting positive student outcomes: The use of reflection and planning activities with a growth mindset focus and SMART goals’, Information Systems Education Journal, 19(4), pp. 13-22.
Terbit, T. (2023) 'The power of precision: Why your research focus should be SMART?', Journal of Education Action Research, 7(4), pp. 569-577.