Associate Member
Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital

Are you kidding?

What do other people do?
Undergrads

What do other people do?
Make a list example – submit
NRSA
Over-arching long
What’s a daily things to accomplish
Daily to do list for
What’s a term goals for grad school stuff
Stacey tells me what to do
PhD students & Postdocs

What do other people do?
Colleagues

So – how do you set a short-term goal?
1. What is a short-term goal?
A goal or objective is a desired result a person or a system envisions, plans and commits to achieve—a personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. Many people endeavor to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines .
It is roughly similar to purpose or aim, the anticipated result which guides reaction, or an end , which is an object , either a physical object or an abstract object , that has intrinsic value .
What the heck?
What it’s not is a “TO DO” LIST

So – how do you set a short-term goal?
1. Be Realistic (not overly ambitious; timely)
Examples:
• Write my preliminary exam
• Apply for my NRSA
• Prepare my tenure package
• Write the introduction to my preliminary exam by Tuesday
• Discuss the aims of my NRSA with my advisor tomorrow am
• Prepare the teaching portion of my tenure package today
Give yourself a deadline

So – how do you set a short-term goal?
2. Be Specific
Examples:
• Get good grades in Dr. Ahlquist’s Molecular Virology Class
• Network at the ASV meeting
• Hire a technician
• On Tuesday from 8 – 10 pm complete the homework and study the notes in Mol Virol
• At the dance on Tuesday night, I’m going to meet 3 senior members in my field
• On Monday, submit personnel requisition to HR
Be specific for short-term goals

So – how do you set a short-term goal?
3. Prioritize
Consider looming deadlines and plan smart!
4. Use a simple method to track your goals

So – how do you set a short-term goal?
4. Mark off your goals when they are accomplished

Is it really that important?
3.0

Things to consider
1. Will help with time management
2. Related to long-term goals
3. Self-confidence
4. Interview question
5. Goals are going to change
• stage of career
S - Specific (or Significant).
M - Measurable (or Meaningful).
A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
R - Realistic
T - Time-framed (or Trackable )

Questions?