Everyone has goals and dreams. But it takes an enormous effort to make it come true. These efforts include months and months of hard work and dedication. The students need to have goals to achieve what they want in their lives. For that, everyone needs to set their goals smartly. Goals should be realistic and achievable. There are some basic techniques to set goals.
In this informative article, we will be discussing how to set goals smartly in 12 effective ways and how to attain good marks in examinations.
Organise your thoughts
First and foremost, the students should organise their thoughts. It will solve most of the issues and dilemmas they have regarding their career. The students should sit and analyse themselves. They should figure out their passion and understand which areas they are good at.
After doing so, they can start exploring options. There is tons of information on the web. They can utilise all that and narrow their career path down to one and maybe with one or two backup options.
The students can also seek advice from their teachers and parents. It will guide them on a good path, if not the most appropriate path, at least they would obtain an idea.
Set specific goals
After organising their thoughts, the students can set goals specific to the subjects they are studying.
For instance, if they are studying Class 8 English, their specific goals can be to score well in the upcoming English exam, improve their grammar knowledge, etc. These specific goals can help students attain good grades in their examinations.
Apart from that, the students can do the same with other activities. For example, they can go jogging or running every morning or set several outdoor activities that they need to perform every week.
Plan tactically and strategically
Smart work is better than hard work any day. The students can make a list of things that they need to do. Start by preparing a timetable. They can list the topics and concepts they need to cover for the exam. The topics can be separated based on the difficulty levels or how close it is related to other topics.
In the meantime, note down the time needed to finish each topic. It will give the students an overall idea and confidence to study more and more. It also eliminates time-wasting. They can place it on the wall to motivate themselves. It will bring up a positive momentum inside the minds of the students.
Determine when help is essential
Sometimes it is very difficult for the students to do everything independently. On such occasions, they should be able to gain help from elders or friends to accomplish their goals. To give an example, if a student wants to score good scores in JEE Main and does not understand all the concepts in detail, he can opt for private tutoring. He can ask for help or clear any doubts he has.
It is a great way of acquiring knowledge and helpful in scoring maximum marks at the same time.
Stop and reassess
Working towards goals does not always mean just working endlessly. It will only make the students tired and will not be as effective as they want it to be. Sometimes, they need some breathing time. Breaks are fundamental in-between studies. Taking breaks can have many positive effects. The students can do the activities they like during this break period.
Apart from that, they should also take necessary actions to review the work they have been doing for this entire time. They can stop working and start assessing what they are doing. They can change any methods during that time if it is not very effective. Also, they can look for productivity improvement.
Commonly, sometimes variables and circumstances change. All these changes are capable of affecting the students. Therefore, they can ask themselves questions like “Am I going on the right path?” “Is there any way I can change any part of my plan to improve my productivity?” etc.
Review action plans frequently
This point is the extension of the previous point. Every week or two weeks, the students should regularly check in with their work. They can do it by themselves or with the help of their teachers or tutors.
The students can place their action plans in their diary or a binder to always remind them what they need to do. If it seems like they are going out of their way, keeping a well-organised strategy will help them stay on track.
Determining obstacles to success
After we have created an improvement strategy, now it is time to look at what the obstacles are. It would certainly help the students realise what stands in their way of success. It is an essential piece of the puzzle that every student should solve.
For example, a student can dream of raising his grade from C to B. But he still keeps on getting Cs. At that point, he needs to re-evaluate himself and understand where he is going wrong and what are the things that are stopping him. He needs to know whether he is doing the homework with utmost dedication. If something seems wrong, he needs to find a way to change it and improve himself by doing recreational activities.
Include parents and teachers
Having strong action items and student action plans will help while dealing with stress and anxiety or other negative feelings that the students will be facing during a parent-teacher meeting. It will impact all the parties involved, either positively or negatively.
Therefore, focusing mainly on an action plan will help both parents and teachers develop a collaborative spirit that they need to foster in the students. It will play a major role in restoring power and gives high hopes to the students.
Aim for progress
It is highly recommended to aim for progress rather than concentrating too much on perfection. Because improvement takes time, and no one can gain perfect results suddenly. Frankly speaking, it is not always possible to clear off everything on your checklist. There might be some flaws or delays. The students need to understand that and should not be nervous or depressed if they cannot attain what they aim for.
Improvement happens gradually, and it is common for everyone. Therefore, focusing on improvement will help the students maintain perspective. The students should celebrate little success and achievements and continue pursuing their goals.
Be sportive
The students should take things lightly and be sportive most of the time. They should not be afraid of failure. Having a calm mind would help solve most of the issues they have. Life is about having fun with lots of good memories in it. So, the students should not take things very seriously. There is a limit of seriousness for everything.
The students should take a vacation occasionally. It would help them relax their minds and let them be free from all the commitments they have as a student. Having some time and space for yourself will help you refresh your mind and keep you calm under pressure circumstances.
Yoga and meditation
Yoga is a very efficient method for boosting the concentration level of the students. The students should allocate some time for yoga every day. It will be of major help in keeping them stay calm and collected, especially while encountering rough times during their studies.
Similarly, meditation is also a great source of calmness. Having a meditation schedule of at least 20 minutes a day will help improve concentration and focus. It also improves the students’ memory by 20 to 25 %.
It will be very hard for the students who have ADHD to concentrate consistently. Therefore, yoga and meditation play a major role in helping the students healthily improve themselves.
Maintaining a healthy meal plan
A healthy food plan acts as a foundation for keeping the students fit and healthy. Consuming healthy foods will have a significant impact on the students’ fitness. The students are highly recommended to consume more fruits and vegetables, which will provide them with a sufficient amount of nutrients and vitamins. Hence, being conscious of health is a must.
In addition to that, the intake of fast food or junk food should be avoided. Such foods are extremely unhealthy and will cause digestive problems and stomach aches. Therefore, following a healthy diet routine will help the students who are working towards their end goals.
FAQs
1. What are the differences between a dream and a goal?
Dreams are created as visual images in your mind that may have any shape or form. They do not need any action or focus. On the other hand, goals are all about actions and planning actions. If you want to achieve a goal, then you must put in enormous amounts of hard work, dedication, and concentration.
2. Why should you go after your dreams?
The secret to a healthy life is happiness. Humans or even other species in this universe attain happiness after they accomplish what they want in their lives. It is the same thing with dreams. We should always go forward in achieving what we want in our lives, which will give us the utmost joy and happiness. Chasing your dreams will help develop your courage and give you a meaning to live your life.
3. What are the goals should I set for myself?
The following is the list of goals that you should follow:
1. Be more proactive
2. Be open-minded
3. Learn to understand yourself
4. Always aim for new opportunities
5. Try to be persistent despite obstacles and failures
6. Accept limits
7. Practice gratitude
8. Learn to make effective decisions
9. Open to learning every time you are provided with the opportunity
10. Improve time management skills
11. Develop financial managing skills
12. Ignore negativity
13. Enhance communication skills
14. Inherit only good and healthy habits
4. What is the significance of a dream?
Dreams are personal and differ from individual to individual. Dreams give meaning to one’s life and play a significant part in everyone’s career. Apart from that, dreams also have psychological significance, and often they can be a reflection of our internal fears, anxieties, depressions, fantasies, hopes, and desires.
Conclusion
To conclude, the students should follow the provided goal-setting techniques, which will help them make their lives productive and achieve their goals. All these are essential for students and adults who have high ambitions and want to achieve big in their lives.
Having a plan for your future will make your life easier and help you find meaning in your life so that you can pursue it peacefully.
