At the turn of the new year, many celebrate with hopes of a “fresh start.”  While 2017 may not actually feel any different yet, it’s a good time to set a goal for yourself.

When setting a goal, you should keep the acronym SMART in mind.  S for specific, M for measurable, A for achievable, R for realistic, and T for time-frame specific.

Goals set at the beginning of the year have one of the most important aspects of a “smart” goal: a time frame. This means that at some point, you must look back and consider if you followed through with your plans.

Many seniors’ goals are along the lines of graduating and getting into college, as this year will hold one of the most important turning points of their lives. Jack Bendik ’17 said, “I want to get into a school that I’m happy with and one that I will enjoy. I also want to appreciate the last few months that I have with all my friends.” This is a great example of an achievable goal, as it is positive and  relates to events in the immediate future.

Another hallmark of a good goal is specificity; having an exact goal in mind makes it easier to follow through. “I hope to begin working on 3-D animation, which I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and I hope to be able to muster the willpower to actually get the animations finished,” said Daniel Yoh ’18.  Planning on doing something that you’ve been looking forward to gives you motivation, so set a goal that you actually want to achieve.

“I want to appreciate the last few months that I have with all my friends.”

Or, set a goal that you know will improve your health to create even more motivation to succeed.  “I need to stop procrastinating so that I can get rid of my chronic sleep deprivation,’ said Sean Xi ’20. The next step would be to create a specific plan in order to make it happen.