It can be difficult to sustain your motivation if you do not feel like you are making progress or if you don’t feel like the work you are doing is meaningful. Below you will find strategies to help you acknowledge your hard work and make it more meaningful for you.
Tracking Progress
Academic work can often be abstract and it can subsequently be hard to see the benefit of your hard work. Tracking your progress can help you visualize and acknowledge the benefits of your hard work. You can use the Assignment Chunking Template as a checklist and croscross-offs off tasks to see your progress. You can also use the Progress Tracker Template to track your completion of assignments and/or grades. If tracking your grades triggers anxiety, you can track your progress and delete the grade column.
SMARTR Goals
Setting goals for yourself can help you identify what you want to accomplish or a habit you would like to change. Using the SMARTR goals framework, you can create goals that are meaningful and achievable. Create goals for each assignment and each course. Step by step, accomplishing your academic goals moves you closer to graduation!
- Specific
- Meaningful
- Achievable
- Results based
- Time-bound
- Rewards
1. Specific
When your goal is specific, it is easier to focus on what steps will help you accomplish your goal. Consider the following question when making your goal:
- What do I want to accomplish?
Example
- Non-specific: I want to do better in school.
- Specific: I want to increase my chemistry grade.
2. Meaningful
A goal that feels important and impactful in your life will always be more motivating than something that doesn’t feel meaningful. When setting your goal, consider the following questions:
- Does this seem worthwhile?
- Is this the right time?
- Does this match our other efforts/needs?
- Am I the right person to reach this goal?
- Is it applicable in the current socio-economic environment?
Example
- Not meaningful: I have to complete this project to pass the course.
- Meaningful: I care about marine biology and will get to learn more about dolphins by writing this research paper.
3. Achievable
Setting goals that you can achieve can help build your confidence. It is also important to set goals that are within your control. For example, the goal “get a job” is influenced by who else applies, but ensuring you are adequately prepared for the interview is within your control. When setting your goal, consider the following questions:
- What do I need (i.e. time, money, etc.) to accomplish this goal?
- Do I have access to the things I need?
- What kind of commitment does this involve?
Example
- Not achievable: I want to increase my chemistry grade from 50% to 90%.
- Achievable: I want to increase my chemistry grade from 50% to 60%.
4. Results based
Setting a clear outcome and results can help you know when you have achieved your goal. Having measurable goals also helps you see your progress along the way and the value of your hard work. Academic work can often be abstract, which makes it hard to see your progress. The more you can visualize your progress, the more motivation you will have to finish. Consider how your goal could be measured:
- How will I know when it is accomplished?
- How much?
- How many?
- How often?
Example
- Non-measurable: I want to increase my chemistry grade.
- Measurable: I want to increase my chemistry grade from 60% to 90%.
5. Time-bound
Setting an end date for your goal can focus your commitment to that goal and help you move onto the next goal. It is also important to consider how much time you have to make sure your goal is achievable. Consider the following questions to ensure your goal is time-bound:
- When can I accomplish this by?
- What will my daily/weekly time commitment be to accomplish this?
Example
- Not time-bound: I want to finish 3 of my assignments.
- Time-bound: I want to finish 3 of my assignments by the end of this month.
6. Rewards
Rewarding your progress as you work on your goal can help you sustain motivation, particularly when your goal is long term. Think about setting proportionate rewards depending on what you complete and having a specific end point to the reward. The success of this technique is in picking a reward that you genuinely like and look forward to.
Examples
- Small rewards: calling a friend, playing games with family or friends.
- Big rewards: going out for a nice dinner, weekend trip, concert tickets, show, etc.
Resources & Templates
Assignment Chunking Template (MS Word)
Progress & Grade Tracker (MS Excel)