There are 100 days with leaves on the trees at Michigan Tech. At first glance that sounds like a lot because it is about 27% of the year, but when you think of what that entails you can clearly see how little that is. For the most part spring, summer and fall are crammed into these days and they go by so quickly. Then we are back to winter and snow. This is why we need to be smart about how we utilize our time this summer to get the most out of it that we can.
In order to get the most out of these days I am going to use one of the best tools in my belt, lean. The way to do this is through the use of a SMART goal. A SMART goal is a tool to use to ensure your hard work is paying off. It does this through being specific, measurable,attainable, relevant and timely.
http://www.newfoundbalance.com/new-year-new-goals/
My SMART goal for this summer is to get at least an 85% in my finance class by working on my independent studies for at least 6 hours every week starting in July until it finishes in August. I will do this by visiting the professor’s office hours every other week and doing all the practice problems i can make. I will be able to do better in the class because I will be keeping my studies on track and creating a study group with other students in my class. A study group will help me be able to work out problems and bounce ideas off others. This is my SMART goal because it is specific about what I want, has check points that I can measure my progress with, is a reasonable goal that pertains to my degree and has a timeline that I can follow.
A smart goal can be a useful tool to anyone trying to make the most of their time this summer and can help you spend less time on unimportant activities. When you make your smart goal remember to ask yourself is it as specific as possible? Will you be able to track its progress? Can you reasonably reach this goal? Why do you want to reach this goal? When should it be finished? If you want to learn more about smart goals you can read about theme here or come visit us in the Office of Continuous Improvement in 135 W Wads, or email us at improvment@mtu.edu.
Sarah, I am often reminded of how un-smart my goals are. I usually fall down in the “specific” area by setting goals to broadly. Have you tried to partner your SMART goal setting with any form of visual management? That’s a very natural partnership that can really keep you on track to goal attainment.