Goal Setting & Motivation

Set long-term goals for what you want out of class.

After you know what you want out of the class (in terms of learning and grades), then you need to decide what you need to put into the class. Keep in mind that grades don’t grow on trees. If you expect an A, you will need to work much harder than if you expect a C. To earn an average grade, you should study at least two hours of each hour you spend in class. So if you have 15 credit hours, you should spend 30 hours per week studying for a total of 45 hours of schoolwork.

Set short-term goals to accomplish long-term goals.

• Set realistic goals for yourself. For example: I will read the first section of the next chapter in my history book before going out for pizza with my friends.
• Set academic and fun goals. Plan to budget your time for study and enjoyment. Make it a goal to study for a period of time and then make it your goal to have some fun.
• Set daily goals. List six goals for today and rank-order them from most important to least important. Now start at the top of the list. Don’t worry if you only make it through the first three or four. Tomorrow is a new day with a new list.
• Modify your goals when necessary. Some days it is impossible to get past number one on the list. Other days you may make it through the list in a few hours. In time, you will get better at judging how much you can do in the time you have.

Goal Setting Guide