You’ve probably attended a workshop or two in grad school that emphasizes the importance of setting goals and planning. I agree that goals are a crucial part of learning in grad school, but diving a bit deeper into this topic will hopefully help you set and reach goals more effectively.
Goals is Step 2 in our self-regulated learning model for grad students. Being in Step 2 relies on spending time understanding what the task is that you have to do. By the time you get to Step 2, you should have a solid understanding of the task at hand and any explicit and implicit parts of that task. This is what will help you set better goals.
Reminder: You don’t need to set goals all of the time to be successful.
This is because being a self-regulating learning means that at times you are operating automatically, meaning that for many tasks you are going through all steps of the model and getting your work done.
The key to self-regulating your learning is knowing what to do when you are not getting your work done to the standard(s) that you set for yourself. This is why goal-setting is most effective when the goals you are setting are purposeful.
So, when should you set purposeful goals?
There are three situations where setting goals is especially effective and motivating.
1. When there is a challenging task at hand
If you think a task that you have to do is easy and you already know how to do it, then usually it’s going to be a waste of your time to set a goal. But, do you have an upcoming task that is new to you, spending time understanding that task and then setting a goal can help take the edge of the challenge.
2. When you just can’t seem to get started
When I was a grad student, getting started often seemed to the biggest hurdle to overcome, especially when it came to writing my dissertation. If you notice that the same task is hanging out on your to do list longer than you'd like it to, setting a goal can help move it to your done list.
3. When you have a specific task to do in a specific amount of time
Time is the most valuable resource in grad school and it can seem like there is never enough time to get everything done, especially in a culture that values overwork. Use time to your advantage when you have a looming deadline and use goals to break up the task into sections so you clearly know what to do and how long you have to spend reaching that goal
Being strategic in grad school will help you save time in the long run, and we believe that self-regulating your learning is one of the biggest ways you can be a more effective and efficient grad student. Stay tuned for next week's post on what good goals look like for grad students.
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