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Goal Setting Resources
1) Why Set Goals?
2) Types of Goals
3) Goals in Different Areas of Life
4) Motivation
5) Creating Goals
6) Using Goals
Many students come up short of achieving their goals. This lack of success is not necessarily caused by
a lack of desire or motivation. Often this scenario develops because the students lack an informed,
sound strategy for setting and achieving goals. Goal setting is generally regarded as one of the most
valid and functional motivational tools available.
Part 1) Why Set Goals?
Goal setting assists you in focusing on and defining what you want to achieve.
Goal setting helps you develop or enhance motivation.
Goal setting keep you on track working towards your goals.
Goal setting helps you organize your time and resources.
Goal setting can help you develop self-confidence as you see yourself making progress.
Part 2) Types of Goals
The two most common types of goals are Short Term Goals and Long Term Goals:
Short Term Goals are goals that:
 usually do not take long to achieve, such as a goal to read the next chapter in your sociology
textbook or to complete the homework problems before Wednesday’s math class.
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
can also small be the specific, small activities or tasks accomplished as steps on the way to
completing a larger, long term goal. Taking research notes on books and magazines could be a
short term goal on the way to writing a term paper in a history class.
Long Term Goals are goals that:
 require a longer period of time to achieve.
 are more complex, usually requiring the completion of a series of smaller goals along the way.
The goals you set to complete all the homework assignments in a math class are Short Term Goals
helping you to achieve the larger Long Term Goal of successfully completing the math class. These
two types of goals work together as partners to help you know where you want to be in the future and
to help you see and achieve the steps necessary to get there.
Part 3) Goals in Different Areas of Life
While many of your goals now will be academic goals (like those listed above) intended to help you
achieve educational goals, you also will be setting goals in other areas of your life. Goal setting is a
process that is part of your whole life, not just your academic life. The following goals illustrate, at
least in part, the range of goals people set in their lives:
Academic Goal
Long Term Goal:
“I will pass my math class with a B this semester.”
Short Term Goal:
“Starting the second week of class, I will go to the Learning Center two
hours per week for assistance each week until the end of the term.”
Short Term Goal:
“Every three weeks, I will measure my progress by averaging all my
scores on daily quizzes and homework assignments.”
Career Goal
Long Term Goal:
“I will be the office manager in an accounting firm by my 30th birthday.”
Short Term Goal:
“I will pass the CPA exam within 2 years after I complete my Master of Accounting
degree at Florida State.”
Short Term Goal:
“I will complete my Master of Accounting degree and obtain my first job
within 6 months of completing it.”
Financial Goal
Long Term Goal:
“I will buy a new car in July of 2013.”
Short Term Goal:
“Before June of 2013, I will save at least $1200.00 as a down payment for a new car.”
Short Term Goal:
“Starting May of 2011, I will save at least $50.00 per month towards a down payment for
a new car.”
Personal Health Goal
Long Term Goal:
“I want to lose 20 lbs by April 15th 2008.”
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Short Term Goal:
“Starting February 6, I will perform a half hour of cardio and half hour of strength
training per day, 5 times a week.”
Short Term Goal:
“I will eat starchy carbohydrates only 3 times a week.”
Recreation Goal
Long Term Goal:
“I will earn my open water scuba certification by the end of December 2011.”
Short Term Goal:
“I will choose a place to take classes and begin classes no later than September 1, 2011.”
Short Term Goal:
“I will research the dive shops and places I can take scuba classes by the end
of June 2011.”
Part 4) Motivation
Motivation is what moves us to action. Motivation is essential in every aspect of our lives. Beginning
with the moment we open our eyes in the morning, we are motivated to get out of bed and do
something in society, or stay in bed and do nothing. Regardless of what we choose to do, motivation is
at the core of our first decision of the day, and every decision we make for the rest of the day, the
week, the month, the year, and our lives.
Parents, teachers, coaches, and managers struggle every day to come up with ways to motivate those
they mentor. Anyone who has ever felt tired or overwhelmed can relate to the feeling of wondering
where the energy will come from to exert effort and persist at the tasks that require our attention and
responsibility. <Instructor offers personal examples or other types of examples of motivators.>
Handout 1 has a chart for them to use.
Watch: Motivation Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tjYoKCBYag
Write: Motivation List Team Activity. Work on this list in your small groups.
What motivates you?
1.___________________________________________________________________
2.___________________________________________________________________
3.___________________________________________________________________
4.___________________________________________________________________
5.___________________________________________________________________
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EXTRINSIC MOTIVATORS:
Discuss: What was the last time you were tired but you really had to do something? What motivated
you to overcome feeling tired and persisting to complete that task?
There are two types of motivators. External factors, or extrinsic motivation, include reward systems
such as grades, evaluations, paychecks, or the opinions we feel people have of us. There are many
examples of extrinsic motivation. A writer who writes poems just to see her name published in
literary journals is extrinsically motivated. A student who hates science but majors in pre-med
because doctors make lucrative incomes is extrinsically motivated. A person who dislikes sales but
accepts a sales position to earn a high salary is extrinsically motivated. Handout 1 has a chart for them
to use.
Watch: Stay Motivated! Keep your goals to yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHopJHSlVo4
Write: Does keeping quiet about our goals really motivate us to achieve them?
Goal
Reason to keep it quiet
Reason to tell people
1.
2.
3.
Discuss: What was the last time you felt extrinsically motivated to do something? How did it affect
how you accomplished that task?
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INTRINSIC MOTIVATORS
A second type of motivator, intrinsic motivation, is the type of motivation that comes from within.
Intrinsically motivated people are driven by their passion, interest, curiosity, or value system. If we are
intrinsically motivated to complete a task, the enjoyment of that task is sufficient motivation. We do not seek
rewards or praise. We do something simply because we enjoy doing it. There are many examples of
intrinsic motivation. Reading a book because the story speaks to you is intrinsic motivation. Working out
because it makes you feel better, not because you want to lose weight or gain muscle is another example of
intrinsic motivation. Playing a video game because it is fun, not because you want to beat your partner, is
intrinsic motivation. Handout 1 has a chart for them to use.
Watch: Do you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NQREuc7JX8
Write: Refer to the list you made in groups at the beginning of this class. Add to the list the
last column and label each as extrinsic or intrinsic motivators?
What motivates you?
Extrinsic or Intrinsic?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Discuss: Why is it important to understand the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation?
Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R. M. (2008) Self Determination: An Approach to Human Motivation and Personality. Rochester, New York:
University of Rochester, 2008. Web. 4 Aug., 2010.
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Part 5) Creating Goals (ON HANDOUT1)
First, you need to examine the areas of your life which you intend to or need to set goals for. Do a
personal inventory to identify what you wish to achieve. Then, you can begin to formulate the goals,
both short term and long term, which you’ll need to complete. To create sound goals, you need to
understand the characteristics of effective goals:
Characteristics of Effective Goals
A common scheme for describing effective goals is the SMART mnemonic. While the terms attached to
the letters sometimes vary, the terms we are using are as follows:
 S – Specific: Goals must be clear and precise. They cannot be vague or ambiguous.
 M – Measurable: Goals must be quantifiable, so you can measure and assess your progress.
 A – Attainable: Goals must be within your reach; they need to be realistically something you
can achieve, yet they should require you to stretch yourself and grow to attain them. They
should not be too easy.
 R – Relevant: Goals need to be connected to something important to you/your life; they should
consistent with your values, your beliefs.
 T – Time-sensitive: Goals need to have deadlines; they need starting dates and target dates.
As you create these goals, you can work forward thinking through each next step you’ll need to
complete as you work toward your goals.
Some people have a difficult time seeing each necessary step. In this case, you could choose to work
backwards doing what has been called backward planning. You start with your long term goal and
think “What is the step I’d need to achieve immediately before reaching that goal?” Some people have
an easier time seeing the steps they need to achieve this way.
For example, if your goal was “I will pass MAT 0024 with an A this semester,” you could back up
through the series of steps that you have to achieve before that long term goal could come true—



“I must earn a 90 or better on all exams and quizzes.”
In order to perform that well on all the exams and quizzes, you’d have to set the earlier goal—
“I must complete all homework problems and make myself understand how to work each type
of problem.”
o In order to achieve that, you’d need to have already achieved the goal—
 “I must complete all reading assignments with understanding.”
By doing this backwards planning, you could eventually devise a complete series of steps necessary to
achieve the original long term goal for that one class. The same process can be used to layout goals for
achievement in any area of your life, not just academic goals.
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A List of Short Term Goals for Math Class: (ON HANDOUT 1)
Work three review problems each day to boost confidence
Summarize what you learned in class today
Write five questions on what you don’t understand in this chapter
Recognize how much more math you know now than you did two weeks ago
Review your class notes for last week’s material
Quiz yourself on last week’s work using two problems from each section of the textbook
Write down two problems each day that could be on the next math exam
In class, mark in your notes what the teacher considers important
Complete 90% of the homework with understanding
Make an appointment to get help from a tutor, teacher, or counselor
Mark where you don’t understand your textbook and ask questions in class
Bring problems to class with questions
Begin math study and homework problems within three hours after class
(Derived from Managing the Mean Math Blues, Cheryl Ooten and Kathy Moore, p.17)
Resources
Whether you work forwards or backwards as you plan, you need to be careful as you analyze your
goals in order to clearly see the specific actions and behaviors you need to identify. As you’re thinking
your way through your goals like this, you need to have resources available to assist you in
determining the specifics in different situations. If you’re planning for improved academic success in a
specific course, you may need to be aware of all the academic resources such as tutoring or help
writing essays available on your campus. If you’re setting goals for your academic career, you’ll need
to know what course requirements your specific program holds.
Goal Creating Activity
An in-class, group activity creating sample goals based on hypothetical situations.
Part 6) Using Goals
Creating a list of goals is taking a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. Having a process for
implementing goals is important. Often, people write out goals but don’t understand how to put them
to work. An effective process for using them involves establishing a cycle of
 Action
 Feedback
 Modification
Action: First, you have to identify the action steps. These are the actual behaviors/actions you’ll carry
out to achieve your goals. If you’ve written clear goals according to the SMART characteristics, these
action steps could already be stated in the goals—especially in the series of short term goals leading
up to a long term goal.
For example, if at the beginning of a semester you were having a problem completing all problems on
weekly timed quizzes in math class, you could set the long term goal:
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By midterm, I will be able to complete all items on the timed quizzes within the time limit.
In order to achieve this goal, you would need to identify specific actions to be taken as you work to
increase your speed on the quizzes:
 Doing timed practice quizzes.
 Practicing basic math skills (multiplication, addition, division, subtraction).
 Doing sample problems that might be on the quizzes.
Using these activities you could set up a series of actions/statements to describe what you can do to
increase your speed:



For the next two weeks, I will do a daily practice quiz on basic math skills, tracking my speed
and accuracy.
For the next two weeks, I will complete at least two review questions daily.
For the next two weeks, I will complete at least two practice timed quizzes patterned after the
class quizzes each week.
Feedback: With these activities set, you would stop at the deadline (two weeks) and check your
progress. With feedback from your activities, you can assess your showing your achievement so far.
Modification: With this feedback in mind, you could begin again with modified goals. If, for example,
you felt your progress on the practice class quizzes was not strong enough, you could choose to
increase that activity:
 For the next two weeks, I will complete daily practice timed quizzes patterned after the class
quizzes.
With the new action statements in place, the cycle starts again. This cycle can be repeated over and
over leading up to the completion of the original long term goal. Even then, if the original goal hasn’t
been fully achieved, you can assess your progress and set out a new overall goal and new short term
goals/action statements.
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