HOW TO SET & ACCOMPLISH

GOALS

We have to think S.M.A.R.T. and have a G.P.A.

The SMART SystemS—SpecificM—MeasurableA—AttainableR—RealisticT—Time bound

S—SPECIFICClearly defined, identified—the more specific

and clear a goal is, the easier it is to make a plan to achieve a goal.

If you say you want a good job, well what do you mean by “a good job?”

What kind of job? What makes this a good occupation?

M—MEASURABLEGoals should have reasonable limits and amounts,

have a way to see your progress, how much you will do.

“I want to save a bunch of money for a trip” is NOT measurable. Well, how much do you need exactly?

“I will need $150 for my camping trip for a week” is MEASURABLE. Yes. Better

“I need to sell $30 of chocolate each day of the week to make $150 ” is MEASURABLE. Yes. Even better

ATTAINABLEGoals should be CHALLENGING, but

ATTAINABLE. You MUST be CAPABLE of ACHIEVING your goal

Which of the following is ATTAINABLE?

1.“I will enroll in all challenging classes, volunteer every day afterschool and 30 hours on weekends, and be president of a club.”

1.“I will take 2 challenging classes and volunteer one hour of my time twice a week.”

REALISTICSet REALISTIC Goals. What you can actually do, real,

practical, sensible. Trying to accomplish to much too soon, or setting goals that are almost impossible may set you up for failure.

“I’ll make money by winning the lottery”Not Realistic compared to…

“I’m going to save $10 a week to buy my new Video game.”

TIME-BOUNDThe approximate TIME for Achieving the

goal.

If the goal is not accomplished by the time you originally wanted, then create more time to accomplish the goal.

If you didn’t reach your goal in time, then revise your Plan and Action. DO NOT GIVE UP.

The GPA System

G—GoalP—PlanA—Action

G—GOALGOAL—What you want to

accomplish, a desired result.

Something significant/important Ambitious/strong desire to succeed

“I will write an essay with little or no errors.”

P—PLANPLAN—The way, the path, or proposal

to reach your goalMust Include Specific Details

“I will spend an extra two hours each week working on my writing assignments and correcting my mistakes on punctuation and grammar”

A—ACTIONACTION—The OUTLINE of ACTUAL STEPS to make your

Plan a Reality

1. Keep all writing assignments in my folder & monitor my progress with my teacher.

2. In peer edit groups I need to make notes of the corrections my peers suggest.

3. Schedule one writing conference per quarter with my English and support teachers.

4. Ask for additional exercises so I can work on my challenge areas.