Characteristics Of Effective Goals

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It is crucial to have clear and specific goals to perform well in your studies and succeed in life. Discuss the characteristics of effective goals. We all know the consequence of effective personal goal setting as they give a clear idea as to where that person is heading in life. Goal setting is a potent way of motivating yourself. Having clear personal and academic goals and putting in the effort into achieving them has put one in the right path to success. Both the personal and academic goals must be balanced, and with the support of friends and family, they can be achieved. The best way to start is to review your life as a whole. Having this insight, one can set goals in each area, or in the most important areas that you want changed. To have an idea of the best way to set goals, we should look to Dr Edwin Locke’s pioneering research on goal setting and motivation in his 1968 article “Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives". Locke (1968) in his goal setting theory states that individuals make a calculated decisions about their desired goals and that working toward a goal provided a major source of motivation to actually reach the goal - which, in turn, improved performance. Locke went on to say that employees were motivated by clear goals and appropriate feedback. In order for goals to be effective, they should be SMART. The SMART acronym first appeared in November 1981 issue of Management Review by its creator George T. Doran. Doran (1981) said in his article, "There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management goals and objectives." S.M.A.R.T stands for: • S - Specific While making the list of goals, we should stretch our imagination and try to be as specific as possible. For example, if your list includes getting good grades for this new course (pun intended) in life, go on to say that “I want an A in all my assignments as well as the finals!”
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