5 Tips to Help Students Maintain Their Goals

The last ever midterm season of my undergraduate degree is here, so setting academic goals is more important than ever before. 

Goal setting can help students remain motivated and committed to succeeding in university. However, keeping your head on straight in a world full of distractions can feel impossible. 

Today, I’m sharing a few tips that have helped me to set and achieve academic goals.

Studies (external link, opens in new window)  show that being able to express your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success. Writing your goals down not only forces you to visualize them, but it also can help you to narrow down what’s most important to you. 

Unsure where to begin? Consider following S.M.A.R.T. goal guidelines. Your goals should be: 

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable 
• Relevant
• Time bound

Technology can be both a blessing and a curse towards your academic success.

Project management tools like Trello (external link, opens in new window)  can be very beneficial to helping you map out your deadlines. Unfortunately, it’s easy to go down a TikTok or YouTube rabbit hole the more time you spend on a device. 

Personally, I’ve found that limiting my use of technology by taking handwritten notes has helped me to stay more focused. However, everyone is different and needs to find their own balance of technology use.

I always like to encourage Ryerson students to make the best use of Google Calendar as your class schedule is automatically synced on there. 

You should study in an environment in which you feel comfortable in, but has minimal distractions. 

My bed is a big no-go for when I need to get serious work done as I know my mind is going to wander off frequently in such an environment. Instead, I opt to study at quiet places on campus like the Centre for Urban Innovation.

Creating and sticking to plans is the best way to stay on top of your work. 

Do not wait until the last minute to start studying. If you have an exam coming up, take some time first to decide how many hours of studying you need. Then, space those studying hours out over the next few days.

Yes, your academic success is important, but no, it should not come at the expense of your physical or mental well-being. You are still human and need to take care of yourself. 

Take snack breaks and try to get in some exercise. Movement breaks are a great way to get in physical activity without having to dedicate time to going to the gym. The point is to make sure you allow time for other activities, and to reward yourself for a productive study session. 

I hope these tips will help you to set and achieve your own academic goals!

- Jeremy