Goal setting is a major focus at A2 Tutors. Not only do we strive to influence our students to hit academic goals, but also lifestyle goals that make extraordinary impacts on their performance. Many students have a sound understanding of what they want to achieve, but lack the direction. Does this sounds like your child? Taking the chaos out of their heads and organising these thoughts on paper is a powerful process that can truly have a positive effect on their achievements.
Only about 3 percent of people have clear, written goals. These people accomplish five to ten times as much as people of equal or better education and ability but who, for whatever reason, have never taken the time to write out exactly what they want. Clearly, there is a strong relationship between those who have a written goal and those who succeed!
So with that in mind… here is a great rule for success: Think on paper.
How do you do that? It is quite easy actually. Brian Tracy teaches us a particular formula in his book ‘Eat that Frog’. The formula consists of 7 simple steps that will take your children from setting goals, to achieving them.
1. Decide exactly what you want
Take some time to sit down with yourself or your boss and discuss your goals and objectives, both short and long term. Everyone needs direction. As Stephen Covey says, “Before you begin scrambling up the ladder of success; make sure that it is leaning against the right building.”
2. Write it down
The difference between a goal and a wish is that goals are made tangible once they are written down. Goals give you direction and focus within your business. They enable you to plan effectively. They give direction to your subconscious mind… among your most powerful resources!
3. Set a deadline on your goal
There is no urgency for a goal without a deadline. Deadlines naturally eliminate procrastination and make you feel responsible for the task at hand. By being time specific, you will naturally get more done!
4. How will you achieve your goal? Make a list.
There is an old question which asks “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is “One bite at a time.” How do you achieve your biggest goal? In the same way; by breaking it down into smaller tasks and working your way through. The likelihood of you achieving your goal dramatically increases with a scheduled, and written, list to work with.
5. Organise the list into a plan
Prioritise and sequence your activities. Decide what needs to be completed first, and what tasks are prerequisites to other tasks. This will allow you to create a timeline of tasks that will make everything seem much easier to accomplish.
6. Take action of your plan immediately
Many say that knowledge is power. We believe that knowledge is potential power, and execution is the real power. For you to achieve any kind of success, execution is everything. A brilliant plan on which nothing is done is not successful at all. Once you have laid the knowledge down on paper, you must take action and begin to execute that plan.
7. Resolve to do something every single day that moves you towards your major goal
Once you start moving, don’t stop. Whatever the task is, whether it be related to work, health, education or family, never miss a day. It will be built into your daily schedule and before you know it, you will be speeding towards all sorts of achievement.
By following these 7 simple steps, within weeks your child's productivity will increase, they will overcome procrastination and their creativity will be stimulated. An extra tip for creating goals is to make them SMART. This acronym is one that all goals should follow. I interpret SMART goals in this way… they must be:
Specific In as much detail as possible, your goal must express exactly what you want to accomplish. Bad: Get better marks this year than last year Good: Get 90% in my final Math exam
Measurable To be able to manage a goal, as well as your progress towards it, you must be able to measure it. Make it measurable to ensure you actually hit your goal. Bad: Work on productivity Good: Plan every day in my daily planner complete all tasks by the end of the week
Achievable This one is a bit more difficult. Your goals should challenge you, but you must also have some common sense when choosing them. Bad: Rank 1st in the class next month Good: Rank 1st in the class by December this year
Result Your goals should always start with an action verb (Finish, Run, Eliminate) rather than a to-do verb (Am, Be, Have). They should be an outcome, not just a process. Bad: Be a better reader. Good: Read for 20 minutes every night before dinner.
Time-scaled A goal without a date is just a dream. Make sure each goal has a ‘by when’ date. Bad: Write an essay. Good: Write a 2000 word essay by December 2020.
By supporting your children in giving them more clarity around what they are looking to achieve and what they need to do to get there, there will be nothing holding them back from enhancing their skills and achievements. If they don't have any goals in place, I encourage you to make an appointment with them in your calendar to help them set some.
Make a booking with us today to schedule a FREE phone consultations with our Director, Alana Azzouni, to further discuss your children and their goals. Act now and you will make a considerable improvement in their quality of life in the future.
Clarity is perhaps the most important concept in personal productivity.
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