Some of the most common questions asked on a regular basis is “What is the importance of goal setting?” or “Is it really necessary to set goals?”. Your school has probably spent a lot of time explaining to you the importance of goal setting, especially in your HSC year.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a goal no matter how big or small it is. Having a goal makes your hard work more worthwhile and will keep you on track for you to get into your dream course or career.
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Keeps you motivated
By setting a goal whether it would be your desired ATAR, mark in an exam etc, it would make all the study and hard work worthwhile. If you don’t know where to start, having an ATAR in mind is always a good place to start. If you don’t know what course you want to get into, I recommend choosing a number that will challenge you but is also within reach.
When I was in year 12, I didn’t figure out what I wanted to do until about term 3 so my goal was to get 80 or above. As long as your goal is achievable and reasonable for your ability, it is a good goal that will keep you motivated. (We will get into what makes a good goal later in the article).
Measures progress
Being able to track your progress when aiming towards a goal as it is extremely rewarding and will help you to maintain focus. Sometimes, when working towards a goal, it’s easy to become discouraged because you don’t know how long it will take to achieve it.
When you measure progress while working towards a set goal, you will be able to evaluate that you might not be where you are wanting to get at a given time. However, you are heading in the right direction and you are in a better position than where you created your goal.
Helps you determine what you want in life.
Setting a goal forces you to think about what you want to do in life. For example, I set a goal of getting an ATAR above 80. With this goal in mind, I looked at courses that interested me that had an ATAR cut off in the 80s. This allowed me to further put my goal into practise and also motivated me even more to work hard to achieve it.
If you don’t know what you want to do (which is perfectly fine) I highly recommend doing this as it helped me choose a degree. Once you set this end goal, you then break your desires down into attainable, measurable goals. Having an end goal in mind will keep you laser-focused on achieving your dreams and therefore making you more motivated in your HSC year.
They help you beat procrastination
Let’s be honest, who hasn’t procrastinated from time to time. I know I have even in my HSC. However having a goal in place will make it less likely that you will procrastinate. When you set goals in life, specific goals for what you want to achieve, it helps you understand that procrastination will not get you any closer to achieving your goal so you will be less inclined to do it. Whilst also having a big or end goal, make sure that you have smaller goals as it will make you feel more accomplished therefore motivating you to study rather than procrastinate.
What makes a good goal?
I have spent a good deal of time explaining why setting a goal is important in your HSC year, you are probably wondering how to set a good goal that will motivate you to achieve what you want. A good goal is a SMART goal. You have probably heard this term before if you are doing business studies. SMART stands for:
Specific: Make sure your goal is well defined and clear. To make sure your goal is specific, make sure that you consider the 5 W’s (Who, what, where, why and when).
Measurable: You must be able to track the progress of your goal. It will also help you be motivated as you feel you are getting closer to achieving this goal.
Achievable: Make sure that your goal is accurate to your ability. If the goal is unachievable, you will not be motivated and your HSC year will feel like it is going forever with no result.
Realistic: Your goal must be within reach and relevant to your life. To help with this make sure that you have time and the correct resources. Also make sure that you can commit and be motivated to achieve this goal.
Timed: Having a time frame for when your goal will create urgency so you are more inclined to work hard to achieve your goal.
So there you have it! Hopefully this article has convinced you to set a goal for your HSC year no matter how big or small. I also hope this article has taught you how to set realistic and achievable goals to keep you motivated, prevent procrastination and plenty more.
If you have any questions about goal setting feel free to email me and also ask your teachers at school.
Featured Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash