Establishing Goals and Managing your Time

Academic Strategies_Fall 2013 Miguel Llovera Da Corte, Instructor

Source: Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College by Kathleen McWorther

Do you Know?
How can you decide what you want out of life?

How can you organize your life for success in college?

How can you analyze your existing time commitments?

How can you decide what you want out of life?

Establishing Life Goals:

What is a goal? What is an objective? A powerful strategy; an action plan

How to discover what it is important? Motivations, needs and wants Define Life Goals S.M.A.R.T Examining life goals and making connections

Goal Setting
Be prompt Be prepared Be a polite and positive participant Be productive

Be a problem solver and use your critical thinking skills

Examples of Goals
Long Term Goal - big projects that will take a year or up to a lifetime to achieve.

I will graduate from TCC by Summer 2014.

Intermediate Goal - one piece of the long term puzzle that can be achieved in a couple of months to a year.

I will complete 12 credit hours at a 2.5 G.P.A. or better by May 2012.

Short Term Goal - daily, single tasks that are listed in your day planner each week. I will spend Thursday afternoon completing my Strategies homework for Monday.

Poor goal-setting will lead to:

Negative self-talk

Lack of self-confidence
Unhappy relationships Low achievement Bad Grades

In turn, effective goal-setting will lead to:

Positive self talk
Improved confidence Happy relationships High achievement Good Grades

How can you organize your life for success in college?

Organize space, courses, work, family, and finances. Organize a place to study Organize each course by:
Organize a notebook for each class Use a calendar to record all of your assignments as they are given Create a computer folder for each course

 Organize your job just to work for you

Keep work hours to a minimum

Choose a job with a regular work schedule

Use your weekend for study; but, make sure that you take a mental holiday every once in a while Do not overload yourself with classes

 Organize your family responsibilities:

Make your family members understand the importance of college

Reserve special times for family members most affected by your decision
Make children part of the process Redistribute household responsibilities Communicate, communicate, communicate

Organize your finances

How can you analyze your existing time commitments?

Bring notebook, textbook, planner, and appropriate writing tools to class. Know due dates, and submit all coursework on time. All assignments are posted on the syllabus and on the class Web site. Use an Academic Planner to keep up with projects.

Promote Lifelong Learning

You can develop lifelong learning traits:
By showing curiosity about Setting Goals and Time Management. By seeking Skill, Not Will. By persisting in seeking out new solutions. By using your unique talents and intelligence to promote positive change. By learning and applying technology tools to solve problems.

Keys to Success:

MOTIVATION
POSITIVE SELF-TALK SELF-EFFICIACY