A Guide to Setting Realistic Goals at University

Setting goals at university is important. As well as giving you a sense of satisfaction, meeting goals keeps you on track to submit your assignments on time and adequately prepare for exams. Simply setting goals, though, is not enough: you need to make sure your goals are realistic. Otherwise, you won’t be motivated to achieve them. Here are some tips to guide you.

1. Create Smaller Targets Leading to Your Main eGoal

Setting goals that are too large will make you feel overwhelmed. To show yourself that a task is not insurmountable, you need to break it down into smaller steps. Add these steps to a to-do list, where you can check off each item to ensure you feel like you’re progressing. For instance, if you need to write a long paper, the steps along the way could be to create an outline, do research, draft each section, receive feedback from the campus writing center, and write the finished version.

2. Be Aware of Possible Setbacks

Don’t set timelines for goals that will mean you fall behind if you miss just one day of studying or if a certain step takes longer than you expected. To prepare for setbacks, make a list of possible challenges and how you’ll overcome them.

3. Use Time Management Tactics

Good time management is crucial for making sure it’s possible to achieve a goal. For instance, you may need to create a schedule where you block out time throughout the week for working toward your goals or set a timer while you study to avoid disruptions for a certain amount of time.

4. Hold Yourself Accountable

Let other people know about your goals and ask them to hold you accountable. These could be your roommates, closest friends, or students in your study group. Not only will this increase the chance you reach your goals, but the people you involve will be able to give you support to keep you motivated, too.

5. Experiment with SMART and WOOP Goals

Most people have heard of SMART goals — these are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. You may like to create goals that fit this framework or you may prefer to use the WOOP framework instead, which stands for wish, outcome, obstacles, and plan. Pick whichever works best for you, perhaps experimenting with both to figure this out.

6. Give Yourself a Reward

When you’ve achieved a goal, reward yourself. Come up with the reward in advance to incentivize yourself to keep pushing through when you’re finding things tough. It may help to have small rewards for meeting each of your targets and then a big reward when you achieve a major goal.
Goals at university should be about more than just academics. One goal to set should be to improve your housing situation. You’ll find spacious rooms to rent in Kingston, Ontario, at Foundry Mack. When you live here, you’ll have all the modern conveniences you need to make your time at university even better. Plus, you’ll be just a 10-minute walk from campus. Contact us to secure the floor plan you want.