Haley Barnes, LCL
Yesterday, we celebrated the magical time of New Year’s Eve 2019. If you were like me, I scheduled a self-strategy session to ring in the New Year properly. During that session, I poured over my new resolution journal with fresh gel pens. I daydreamed about my ideal self: how strong she was, how fit she was, how intelligent she was, how accomplished she was, etc… With the final resolution written down in ink, I proudly closed my resolution journal. Since it’s in writing, it will happen!
Er- right?
Er- right?
As I woke up on the magical morning of January 1, 2020, I did not feel inherently different nor near as “ideal” as my self-strategy session had made me feel. So what gives? The S.M.A.R.T. goals strategy popped into my head. I sighed, rolled out of bed, reopened my resolution journal, and got back to work.
S.M.A.R.T. goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. In other words, they are goals that are built to be possible. If you put in the work (and the realism), you can accomplish these goals. For us engineering graduate students, it is critical that we establish S.M.A.R.T. goals for ourselves. What’s the point of making complex, meaningless, impossible, non-realistic, and time-costly goals? These types of goals only lead us to frustration and disempowerment.
So what can we do to avoid setting ourselves up for failure? Check out some examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals below for the smart engineer!
S.M.A.R.T. goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. In other words, they are goals that are built to be possible. If you put in the work (and the realism), you can accomplish these goals. For us engineering graduate students, it is critical that we establish S.M.A.R.T. goals for ourselves. What’s the point of making complex, meaningless, impossible, non-realistic, and time-costly goals? These types of goals only lead us to frustration and disempowerment.
So what can we do to avoid setting ourselves up for failure? Check out some examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals below for the smart engineer!
S.M.A.R.T. goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
Goal: Earn all A’s this semester.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal: Earn A’s on the first exam and all assignments due through February 1st. [Repeat through end of semester.] Attend office hours 1x a week to address weaknesses. Reassess this goal and adjust expectations after midterm in March.
Goal: Successfully defend my thesis.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal: Review graduate school thesis defense requirements. Set up a committee meeting to communicate expectations of both sides within the first month of the semester. Form a checklist with anticipated dates. Dedicate 15 hours a week to thesis writing, etc.
Goal: Submit a manuscript.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal: Schedule a meeting with your faculty advisor within two weeks. Outline key sentences for each section of the manuscript within one week. Dedicate one week of writing to each section’s first rough draft. Set deadline with your faculty advisor to review rough draft, etc.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal: Earn A’s on the first exam and all assignments due through February 1st. [Repeat through end of semester.] Attend office hours 1x a week to address weaknesses. Reassess this goal and adjust expectations after midterm in March.
Goal: Successfully defend my thesis.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal: Review graduate school thesis defense requirements. Set up a committee meeting to communicate expectations of both sides within the first month of the semester. Form a checklist with anticipated dates. Dedicate 15 hours a week to thesis writing, etc.
Goal: Submit a manuscript.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal: Schedule a meeting with your faculty advisor within two weeks. Outline key sentences for each section of the manuscript within one week. Dedicate one week of writing to each section’s first rough draft. Set deadline with your faculty advisor to review rough draft, etc.
The magic I originally felt during my first self-strategy session was replaced with the energy-drain of hard work in my second session. Making S.M.A.R.T. goals is hard, because you are forcing yourself to break down idealistic goals and facing your limitations head-on. It will be a much more exhausting process than the original daydream exercise, but you will be much more satisfied with the results when you can track your progress towards being that engineer you imagine yourself to be!
What are your S.M.A.R.T. goals? Share with the Graduate SWE Community below!
