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Setting Reasonable and Attainable Goals in Dissertation Writing

16th April 2019

Specific: clearly outlined, detailed, with no confusion
Measurable: able to be measured or quantified
Attainable: can be done with the resources you have in the time you have
Realistic: not too idealistic, but doable
Time-bound: with a specific deadline in place for the goal
Incorporate some down time into your work plan/timeline. Life happens and we all need breaks sometimes. Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to work 24/7. You’re only human and down time can be essential for your mental and physical health.
If you fall behind, don’t give up. Just do some recalibrating. One delay or slip-up doesn’t mean the end of your progress. Just shift things a little bit, and keep moving forward.
Set a schedule/routine and stick to it. If you need to, block off time in your planner/calendar for everything, as silly as it might seem. Treat it like a job.
When writing your goals, use positive language and focus on what you want to achieve, not things you want to avoid. This helps set the overall tone of your goal-setting.
It’s okay to ask for help (within reason). We don’t mean help in the sense of having someone else write for you – that’s a big no-no. If you need extra guidance in developing a work plan, or if you need research assistance or editing/formatting help, Dissertation Editor can help! We offer a range of professional services to help you get you where you want to be! Contact us today to learn more.

Tagged under: Dissertation Writing Dissertation Writing Tips General Dissertation Graduate School academic writing dissertation writing goals

This site was exactly what I needed. The site uses only PhD editors, which is an advantage when working on a dissertation.

Dissertation Strategies

What this handout is about.

This handout suggests strategies for developing healthy writing habits during your dissertation journey. These habits can help you maintain your writing momentum, overcome anxiety and procrastination, and foster wellbeing during one of the most challenging times in graduate school.

Tackling a giant project

Because dissertations are, of course, big projects, it’s no surprise that planning, writing, and revising one can pose some challenges! It can help to think of your dissertation as an expanded version of a long essay: at the end of the day, it is simply another piece of writing. You’ve written your way this far into your degree, so you’ve got the skills! You’ll develop a great deal of expertise on your topic, but you may still be a novice with this genre and writing at this length. Remember to give yourself some grace throughout the project. As you begin, it’s helpful to consider two overarching strategies throughout the process.

First, take stock of how you learn and your own writing processes. What strategies have worked and have not worked for you? Why? What kind of learner and writer are you? Capitalize on what’s working and experiment with new strategies when something’s not working. Keep in mind that trying out new strategies can take some trial-and-error, and it’s okay if a new strategy that you try doesn’t work for you. Consider why it may not have been the best for you, and use that reflection to consider other strategies that might be helpful to you.

Second, break the project into manageable chunks. At every stage of the process, try to identify specific tasks, set small, feasible goals, and have clear, concrete strategies for achieving each goal. Small victories can help you establish and maintain the momentum you need to keep yourself going.

Below, we discuss some possible strategies to keep you moving forward in the dissertation process.

Pre-dissertation planning strategies

Get familiar with the Graduate School’s Thesis and Dissertation Resources .

Learn how to use a citation-manager and a synthesis matrix to keep track of all of your source information.

Skim other dissertations from your department, program, and advisor. Enlist the help of a librarian or ask your advisor for a list of recent graduates whose work you can look up. Seeing what other people have done to earn their PhD can make the project much less abstract and daunting. A concrete sense of expectations will help you envision and plan. When you know what you’ll be doing, try to find a dissertation from your department that is similar enough that you can use it as a reference model when you run into concerns about formatting, structure, level of detail, etc.

Think carefully about your committee . Ideally, you’ll be able to select a group of people who work well with you and with each other. Consult with your advisor about who might be good collaborators for your project and who might not be the best fit. Consider what classes you’ve taken and how you “vibe” with those professors or those you’ve met outside of class. Try to learn what you can about how they’ve worked with other students. Ask about feedback style, turnaround time, level of involvement, etc., and imagine how that would work for you.

Sketch out a sensible drafting order for your project. Be open to writing chapters in “the wrong order” if it makes sense to start somewhere other than the beginning. You could begin with the section that seems easiest for you to write to gain momentum.

Design a productivity alliance with your advisor . Talk with them about potential projects and a reasonable timeline. Discuss how you’ll work together to keep your work moving forward. You might discuss having a standing meeting to discuss ideas or drafts or issues (bi-weekly? monthly?), your advisor’s preferences for drafts (rough? polished?), your preferences for what you’d like feedback on (early or late drafts?), reasonable turnaround time for feedback (a week? two?), and anything else you can think of to enter the collaboration mindfully.

Design a productivity alliance with your colleagues . Dissertation writing can be lonely, but writing with friends, meeting for updates over your beverage of choice, and scheduling non-working social times can help you maintain healthy energy. See our tips on accountability strategies for ideas to support each other.

Productivity strategies

Write when you’re most productive. When do you have the most energy? Focus? Creativity? When are you most able to concentrate, either because of your body rhythms or because there are fewer demands on your time? Once you determine the hours that are most productive for you (you may need to experiment at first), try to schedule those hours for dissertation work. See the collection of time management tools and planning calendars on the Learning Center’s Tips & Tools page to help you think through the possibilities. If at all possible, plan your work schedule, errands and chores so that you reserve your productive hours for the dissertation.

Put your writing time firmly on your calendar . Guard your writing time diligently. You’ll probably be invited to do other things during your productive writing times, but do your absolute best to say no and to offer alternatives. No one would hold it against you if you said no because you’re teaching a class at that time—and you wouldn’t feel guilty about saying no. Cultivating the same hard, guilt-free boundaries around your writing time will allow you preserve the time you need to get this thing done!

Develop habits that foster balance . You’ll have to work very hard to get this dissertation finished, but you can do that without sacrificing your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Think about how you can structure your work hours most efficiently so that you have time for a healthy non-work life. It can be something as small as limiting the time you spend chatting with fellow students to a few minutes instead of treating the office or lab as a space for extensive socializing. Also see above for protecting your time.

Write in spaces where you can be productive. Figure out where you work well and plan to be there during your dissertation work hours. Do you get more done on campus or at home? Do you prefer quiet and solitude, like in a library carrel? Do you prefer the buzz of background noise, like in a coffee shop? Are you aware of the UNC Libraries’ list of places to study ? If you get “stuck,” don’t be afraid to try a change of scenery. The variety may be just enough to get your brain going again.

Work where you feel comfortable . Wherever you work, make sure you have whatever lighting, furniture, and accessories you need to keep your posture and health in good order. The University Health and Safety office offers guidelines for healthy computer work . You’re more likely to spend time working in a space that doesn’t physically hurt you. Also consider how you could make your work space as inviting as possible. Some people find that it helps to have pictures of family and friends on their desk—sort of a silent “cheering section.” Some people work well with neutral colors around them, and others prefer bright colors that perk up the space. Some people like to put inspirational quotations in their workspace or encouraging notes from friends and family. You might try reconfiguring your work space to find a décor that helps you be productive.

Elicit helpful feedback from various people at various stages . You might be tempted to keep your writing to yourself until you think it’s brilliant, but you can lower the stakes tremendously if you make eliciting feedback a regular part of your writing process. Your friends can feel like a safer audience for ideas or drafts in their early stages. Someone outside your department may provide interesting perspectives from their discipline that spark your own thinking. See this handout on getting feedback for productive moments for feedback, the value of different kinds of feedback providers, and strategies for eliciting what’s most helpful to you. Make this a recurring part of your writing process. Schedule it to help you hit deadlines.

Change the writing task . When you don’t feel like writing, you can do something different or you can do something differently. Make a list of all the little things you need to do for a given section of the dissertation, no matter how small. Choose a task based on your energy level. Work on Grad School requirements: reformat margins, work on bibliography, and all that. Work on your acknowledgements. Remember all the people who have helped you and the great ideas they’ve helped you develop. You may feel more like working afterward. Write a part of your dissertation as a letter or email to a good friend who would care. Sometimes setting aside the academic prose and just writing it to a buddy can be liberating and help you get the ideas out there. You can make it sound smart later. Free-write about why you’re stuck, and perhaps even about how sick and tired you are of your dissertation/advisor/committee/etc. Venting can sometimes get you past the emotions of writer’s block and move you toward creative solutions. Open a separate document and write your thoughts on various things you’ve read. These may or may note be coherent, connected ideas, and they may or may not make it into your dissertation. They’re just notes that allow you to think things through and/or note what you want to revisit later, so it’s perfectly fine to have mistakes, weird organization, etc. Just let your mind wander on paper.

Develop habits that foster productivity and may help you develop a productive writing model for post-dissertation writing . Since dissertations are very long projects, cultivating habits that will help support your work is important. You might check out Helen Sword’s work on behavioral, artisanal, social, and emotional habits to help you get a sense of where you are in your current habits. You might try developing “rituals” of work that could help you get more done. Lighting incense, brewing a pot of a particular kind of tea, pulling out a favorite pen, and other ritualistic behaviors can signal your brain that “it is time to get down to business.” You can critically think about your work methods—not only about what you like to do, but also what actually helps you be productive. You may LOVE to listen to your favorite band while you write, for example, but if you wind up playing air guitar half the time instead of writing, it isn’t a habit worth keeping.

The point is, figure out what works for you and try to do it consistently. Your productive habits will reinforce themselves over time. If you find yourself in a situation, however, that doesn’t match your preferences, don’t let it stop you from working on your dissertation. Try to be flexible and open to experimenting. You might find some new favorites!

Motivational strategies

Schedule a regular activity with other people that involves your dissertation. Set up a coworking date with your accountability buddies so you can sit and write together. Organize a chapter swap. Make regular appointments with your advisor. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that you’ll feel good about showing up for–and will make you feel good about showing up for others.

Try writing in sprints . Many writers have discovered that the “Pomodoro technique” (writing for 25 minutes and taking a 5 minute break) boosts their productivity by helping them set small writing goals, focus intently for short periods, and give their brains frequent rests. See how one dissertation writer describes it in this blog post on the Pomodoro technique .

Quit while you’re ahead . Sometimes it helps to stop for the day when you’re on a roll. If you’ve got a great idea that you’re developing and you know where you want to go next, write “Next, I want to introduce x, y, and z and explain how they’re related—they all have the same characteristics of 1 and 2, and that clinches my theory of Q.” Then save the file and turn off the computer, or put down the notepad. When you come back tomorrow, you will already know what to say next–and all that will be left is to say it. Hopefully, the momentum will carry you forward.

Write your dissertation in single-space . When you need a boost, double space it and be impressed with how many pages you’ve written.

Set feasible goals–and celebrate the achievements! Setting and achieving smaller, more reasonable goals ( SMART goals ) gives you success, and that success can motivate you to focus on the next small step…and the next one.

Give yourself rewards along the way . When you meet a writing goal, reward yourself with something you normally wouldn’t have or do–this can be anything that will make you feel good about your accomplishment.

Make the act of writing be its own reward . For example, if you love a particular coffee drink from your favorite shop, save it as a special drink to enjoy during your writing time.

Try giving yourself “pre-wards” —positive experiences that help you feel refreshed and recharged for the next time you write. You don’t have to “earn” these with prior work, but you do have to commit to doing the work afterward.

Commit to doing something you don’t want to do if you don’t achieve your goal. Some people find themselves motivated to work harder when there’s a negative incentive. What would you most like to avoid? Watching a movie you hate? Donating to a cause you don’t support? Whatever it is, how can you ensure enforcement? Who can help you stay accountable?

Affective strategies

Build your confidence . It is not uncommon to feel “imposter phenomenon” during the course of writing your dissertation. If you start to feel this way, it can help to take a few minutes to remember every success you’ve had along the way. You’ve earned your place, and people have confidence in you for good reasons. It’s also helpful to remember that every one of the brilliant people around you is experiencing the same lack of confidence because you’re all in a new context with new tasks and new expectations. You’re not supposed to have it all figured out. You’re supposed to have uncertainties and questions and things to learn. Remember that they wouldn’t have accepted you to the program if they weren’t confident that you’d succeed. See our self-scripting handout for strategies to turn these affirmations into a self-script that you repeat whenever you’re experiencing doubts or other negative thoughts. You can do it!

Appreciate your successes . Not meeting a goal isn’t a failure–and it certainly doesn’t make you a failure. It’s an opportunity to figure out why you didn’t meet the goal. It might simply be that the goal wasn’t achievable in the first place. See the SMART goal handout and think through what you can adjust. Even if you meant to write 1500 words, focus on the success of writing 250 or 500 words that you didn’t have before.

Remember your “why.” There are a whole host of reasons why someone might decide to pursue a PhD, both personally and professionally. Reflecting on what is motivating to you can rekindle your sense of purpose and direction.

Get outside support . Sometimes it can be really helpful to get an outside perspective on your work and anxieties as a way of grounding yourself. Participating in groups like the Dissertation Support group through CAPS and the Dissertation Boot Camp can help you see that you’re not alone in the challenges. You might also choose to form your own writing support group with colleagues inside or outside your department.

Understand and manage your procrastination . When you’re writing a long dissertation, it can be easy to procrastinate! For instance, you might put off writing because the house “isn’t clean enough” or because you’re not in the right “space” (mentally or physically) to write, so you put off writing until the house is cleaned and everything is in its right place. You may have other ways of procrastinating. It can be helpful to be self-aware of when you’re procrastinating and to consider why you are procrastinating. It may be that you’re anxious about writing the perfect draft, for example, in which case you might consider: how can I focus on writing something that just makes progress as opposed to being “perfect”? There are lots of different ways of managing procrastination; one way is to make a schedule of all the things you already have to do (when you absolutely can’t write) to help you visualize those chunks of time when you can. See this handout on procrastination for more strategies and tools for managing procrastination.

Your topic, your advisor, and your committee: Making them work for you

By the time you’ve reached this stage, you have probably already defended a dissertation proposal, chosen an advisor, and begun working with a committee. Sometimes, however, those three elements can prove to be major external sources of frustration. So how can you manage them to help yourself be as productive as possible?

Managing your topic

Remember that your topic is not carved in stone . The research and writing plan suggested in your dissertation proposal was your best vision of the project at that time, but topics evolve as the research and writing progress. You might need to tweak your research question a bit to reduce or adjust the scope, you might pare down certain parts of the project or add others. You can discuss your thoughts on these adjustments with your advisor at your check ins.

Think about variables that could be cut down and how changes would affect the length, depth, breadth, and scholarly value of your study. Could you cut one or two experiments, case studies, regions, years, theorists, or chapters and still make a valuable contribution or, even more simply, just finish?

Talk to your advisor about any changes you might make . They may be quite sympathetic to your desire to shorten an unwieldy project and may offer suggestions.

Look at other dissertations from your department to get a sense of what the chapters should look like. Reverse-outline a few chapters so you can see if there’s a pattern of typical components and how information is sequenced. These can serve as models for your own dissertation. See this video on reverse outlining to see the technique.

Managing your advisor

Embrace your evolving status . At this stage in your graduate career, you should expect to assume some independence. By the time you finish your project, you will know more about your subject than your committee does. The student/teacher relationship you have with your advisor will necessarily change as you take this big step toward becoming their colleague.

Revisit the alliance . If the interaction with your advisor isn’t matching the original agreement or the original plan isn’t working as well as it could, schedule a conversation to revisit and redesign your working relationship in a way that could work for both of you.

Be specific in your feedback requests . Tell your advisor what kind of feedback would be most helpful to you. Sometimes an advisor can be giving unhelpful or discouraging feedback without realizing it. They might make extensive sentence-level edits when you really need conceptual feedback, or vice-versa, if you only ask generally for feedback. Letting your advisor know, very specifically, what kinds of responses will be helpful to you at different stages of the writing process can help your advisor know how to help you.

Don’t hide . Advisors can be most helpful if they know what you are working on, what problems you are experiencing, and what progress you have made. If you haven’t made the progress you were hoping for, it only makes it worse if you avoid talking to them. You rob yourself of their expertise and support, and you might start a spiral of guilt, shame, and avoidance. Even if it’s difficult, it may be better to be candid about your struggles.

Talk to other students who have the same advisor . You may find that they have developed strategies for working with your advisor that could help you communicate more effectively with them.

If you have recurring problems communicating with your advisor , you can make a change. You could change advisors completely, but a less dramatic option might be to find another committee member who might be willing to serve as a “secondary advisor” and give you the kinds of feedback and support that you may need.

Managing your committee

Design the alliance . Talk with your committee members about how much they’d like to be involved in your writing process, whether they’d like to see chapter drafts or the complete draft, how frequently they’d like to meet (or not), etc. Your advisor can guide you on how committees usually work, but think carefully about how you’d like the relationship to function too.

Keep in regular contact with your committee , even if they don’t want to see your work until it has been approved by your advisor. Let them know about fellowships you receive, fruitful research excursions, the directions your thinking is taking, and the plans you have for completion. In short, keep them aware that you are working hard and making progress. Also, look for other ways to get facetime with your committee even if it’s not a one-on-one meeting. Things like speaking with them at department events, going to colloquiums or other events they organize and/or attend regularly can help you develop a relationship that could lead to other introductions and collaborations as your career progresses.

Share your struggles . Too often, we only talk to our professors when we’re making progress and hide from them the rest of the time. If you share your frustrations or setbacks with a knowledgeable committee member, they might offer some very helpful suggestions for overcoming the obstacles you face—after all, your committee members have all written major research projects before, and they have probably solved similar problems in their own work.

Stay true to yourself . Sometimes, you just don’t entirely gel with your committee, but that’s okay. It’s important not to get too hung up on how your committee does (or doesn’t) relate to you. Keep your eye on the finish line and keep moving forward.

Helpful websites:

Graduate School Diversity Initiatives : Groups and events to support the success of students identifying with an affinity group.

Graduate School Career Well : Extensive professional development resources related to writing, research, networking, job search, etc.

CAPS Therapy Groups : CAPS offers a variety of support groups, including a dissertation support group.

Advice on Research and Writing : Lots of links on writing, public speaking, dissertation management, burnout, and more.

How to be a Good Graduate Student: Marie DesJardins’ essay talks about several phases of the graduate experience, including the dissertation. She discusses some helpful hints for staying motivated and doing consistent work.

Preparing Future Faculty : This page, a joint project of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the Council of Graduate Schools, and the Pew Charitable Trusts, explains the Preparing Future Faculty Programs and includes links and suggestions that may help graduate students and their advisors think constructively about the process of graduate education as a step toward faculty responsibilities.

Dissertation Tips : Kjell Erik Rudestam, Ph.D. and Rae Newton, Ph.D., authors of Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process.

The ABD Survival Guide Newsletter : Information about the ABD Survival Guide newsletter (which is free) and other services from E-Coach (many of which are not free).

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Setting Goals & Staying Motivated

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This vidcast talks about how to set goals and how to maintain motivation for long writing tasks. When setting goals for a writing project, it is important to think about goals for the entire project and also goals for specific writing times. These latter goals should be specific, measurable, and manageable within the time allotted for writing. The section on motivation shares ideas for boosting motivation over the course of a long writing project. The handouts on goal-setting and staying productive, as well as the scholarly writing inventory, complement the material in this vidcast and should be used in conjunction with it.

Note: Closed-captioning and a full transcript are available for this vidcast.

Handouts

Goal-Setting for your Personal Intensive Writing Experience (IWE) | [PDF]

This handout guides writers through the important process of goal-setting for the personal Intensive Writing Experience. Specifically, it talks about how to (1) formulate specific, measurable, and reasonable writing goals, (2) set an overall IWE goal, (3) break up the overall goal into smaller, daily goals, and (4) break up daily goals into smaller goals for individual writing sessions. Writers are prompted to clear their head of distracting thoughts before each writing session and, after each session, to debrief on their progress and recalibrate goals as needed.

Scholarly Writing Inventory (PDF)

This questionnaire helps writers identify and inventory their personal strengths and weaknesses as scholarly writers. Specifically, writers are prompted to answer questions pertaining to (1) the emotional/psychological aspects of writing, (2) writing routines, (3) research, (4) organization, (5) citation, (6) mechanics, (7) social support, and (8) access to help. By completing this questionnaire, scholarly writers will find themselves in a better position to build upon their strengths and address their weaknesses.

Stay ing Productive for Long Writing Tasks (PDF)

This resource offers some practical tips and tools to assist writers in staying productive for extended periods of time in the face of common challenges like procrastination. It discusses how the process of writing is more than putting words on a page and offers suggestions for addressing negative emotions towards writing, such as anxiety. The handout also lays out helpful methods for staying productive for long writing tasks: (1) time-based methods, (2) social-based methods, (3) output-based methods, (4) reward-based methods, and (5) mixed methods.

How it works

How to Write the Dissertation Aims and Objectives – Guide & Examples

Published by Grace Graffin at January 27th, 2023 , Revised On October 9, 2023

Aims and objectives are among the essential aspects of a dissertation. If you write aims and objectives effectively, they can act as a foundation to give your research clarity and focus.

This article will provide you with all the necessary information regarding aims and objectives, their differences, writing tips , and the common mistakes you should avoid while writing them.

The aim is often a single sentence or a short paragraph that describes your dissertation’s main goal and intent. It tells what you hope to achieve at the end. You should write the aim so that it becomes identifiable when it is achieved with the completion of your dissertation .

The aim is written in a subsection of the introduction to clarify the overall purpose of the dissertation .

Example: It is often observed that employees in culturally diverse workplaces struggle to work effectively in a team. A probable cause of this issue is bullying at the workplace. This research investigates the impact of bullying on employee job satisfaction at culturally diverse workplaces and the resulting loss of employee productivity. This research will use surveys and case study analysis to analyze the impact of bullying on employees.

The objectives in a dissertation describe the ways through which you intend to achieve the research aim. They are specific statements that break down the aim into several smaller key sections of the overall research. Suitable objectives can help you stay focused and conduct research in the direction of your aim.

The number of objectives should be realistic; usually, between three to six, and each one should be possible to achieve. The following example shows the objectives for the previously-mentioned dissertation aim.

1. identification of the behaviors that are considered as bullying 2. exploring the factors that cause bullying at a culturally diverse workplace 3. analyzing the relationship between bullying and job satisfaction of employees 4. providing suitable recommendations on minimizing the bullying at the workplace

The objectives of a dissertation should be SMART.

Specific: should be precise, focused, and well-defined
Measurable: the progress should be measurable, and you should be able to determine when you have achieved an objective.
Achievable: you should be able to carry out the required action within your available resources
Relevant: should be related to the dissertation aim
Time-bound: should be possible within the available time

Differences between aims and objectives

Aims and objectives are often mixed, but there are clear differences between them.

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How to write aims and objectives?

There is no particular way or standard to write the aims and objectives. Different researchers have different writing styles, and often it can be influenced by your research supervisor. However, you should follow certain basic principles while writing aims and objectives in a dissertation.

Writing the aim statement

The aim statement should cover the following essential elements.

Why is the research necessary? (covers the underlying problem on which the study is to be conducted)
What is the research about? (description of the research title)
How are you going to conduct it? (a brief statement of intended research methods)

An appropriate aim clearly defines the research purpose without confusing the reader. If you struggle to explain your research and its importance in simpler terms, you should consider refining your research to clarify it further.

Writing objectives

The objectives describe how you would achieve your research aim. You can do this through the following steps,

The first one to two objectives can be applied to the literature review . (Verbs to be used: investigate, examine, study)
One objective can be applied to the methodology portion. (Verbs to be used: collect, select, demonstrate, estimate)
Two to three objectives can cover the critical evaluation or discussion chapters (Verbs to be used: analyze, compare, evaluate)
The final objective will cover the conclusion or recommendation portion. (Verbs to be used: conclude, recommend)

Instead of writing like a paragraph, the objectives should be written as a numbered list to give them more clarity.

How many aims and objectives should be there?

It depends upon the topic of your research and mainly upon your supervisor’s requirements. Generally, a dissertation has a single broad statement as the research aim. However, it is acceptable to include a main aim along with two to three subsidiary aims.

Similarly, the number of objectives should be realistic and sufficient to measure the progress regarding the achievement of the research aim. Their number can generally vary from three to six depending upon the aim.

Common mistakes to avoid while writing research aims and objectives

Writing a broad research aim

Writing a broad research aim is a common mistake, and it often becomes difficult to achieve. It may create a problem when you are asked to prove how you have achieved your aims during your viva defense . It would be best to narrow your study to a specific area in the early stages of the dissertation.

Formulating overlapping research objectives

The objectives should be written such that they are measurable and distinct from each other. If they overlap, it makes it difficult to structure your dissertation properly in specific chapters.

Setting unrealistic aims

Students often get over-ambitious while describing the research aim and face problems afterward in achieving those aims. You should avoid this mistake and be realistic about what you can achieve in the available time and resources.

Aims and objectives are the sections that require significant time and attention to avoid future hassles while conducting research and writing your dissertation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to set dissertation aims and objectives.

To set dissertation aims and objectives, define your research goals clearly. Aims state what you want to achieve, while objectives outline specific, measurable steps to reach those goals. Ensure they align with your research question and contribute to your study’s significance.

Mastering the SMART Goal: A Guide to Achieving Your Objectives

by Michael Rucker | Apr 1, 2007 | Entrepreneurship | 0 comments

Developing a SMART goal is essential for ensuring your objectives are focused and measurable. This strategy not only clarifies your goals but also incorporates a quantitative element to track progress effectively. Understanding and applying the SMART goal framework can significantly enhance your ability to achieve desired outcomes.

What is a SMART Goal?

Definition: The SMART acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Each component plays a crucial role in crafting effective goals:

Specific: A goal must be clear, detailed, and well-defined, leaving no ambiguity about what is to be achieved.
Measurable: It should have quantifiable metrics to track progress and success.
Attainable: The goal must be realistic and achievable with the resources and skills available.
Relevant: Ensure the goal is pertinent to your desires and current situation, avoiding unrealistic expectations.
Time-bound: Establishing a deadline motivates progress, sets milestones for early wins, and facilitates progress evaluation.

Examples of a SMART Goal

“I aim to lose 16lbs, reducing my body mass index from 27 to 24 by November 30, 2025.”
“I commit to completing 200 pages of my dissertation by August 15, 2025.”

Creating a SMART Goal

Steps for formation:.

Identify Your Objective: Clearly define what you wish to accomplish, considering your strengths and limitations.
Set a Realistic Deadline: Choose a timeframe that is challenging yet achievable.
Specify Your Goal: Write it down in a concise sentence, avoiding vagueness. Utilize action verbs to ensure clarity and measurability.
Evaluate Realism and Challenge: Ensure your goal is ambitious enough to motivate you but not so high as to set you up for failure.

Action Verbs to Clarify Goals:

Demonstrate

SMART Goal Hints and Tips

Refinement is Key: Be as specific as possible with every aspect of your goal.
Simplicity and Planning: Determine the investments of time, money, and effort required.
Commit to Timelines: Specify the completion date with exact days, months, and years.

To refine your goals, ask yourself:

What challenges might arise, and how can you overcome them?
What knowledge or skills are needed to achieve the goal?
What benefits will achieving this goal bring?

Patience and deliberate planning, coupled with resolve, are your allies in goal achievement.

Extending to SMARTER Goals

Ethical (E): Align your goals with your moral values.
Recorded (R): Document your goal and track your progress meticulously.

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Setting Reasonable and Attainable Goals for Writing your Thesis

11th August 2020

The thesis writing process is a long one – the process itself is more like a triathlon than a quick sprint. It’s long, arduous, and a test of perseverance. It is an endurance event, and in order to reach the finish line, setting smaller goals along the way is crucial. Short-term goals can help keep you on track, maintain motivation, and improve your focus. It’s important, however, to make sure these goals are SMART goals. Not intellectually astute, but rather:

Specific: clearly outlined, detailed, with no ambiguity
Measurable: able to be measured or quantified
Attainable: can be achieved with the resources and the time you have
Realistic: not too idealistic; realistically achievable
Time-bound: with a specific deadline in place for the goal to be met

Creating SMART goals for yourself will build your confidence and improve your time management. You’ll be able to see the clearly outlined SMART goals and develop a schedule/timeline from there. For instance, instead of simply stating “I want to complete my thesis in a year,” a SMART goal would be “I want to finish a rough draft of my Literature Review and send it for editing by September 20th.” In the latter, you’ve broken a large, potentially unattainable goal down to a specific and realistic goal with an established deadline. You can then make another goal for the next chunk of work – and plan your schedule and timeline accordingly. In addition to setting SMART goals, here are a few other things to keep in mind:

Incorporate down time into your schedule. Life happens and we all need breaks sometimes. Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to work 24/7. It isn't realistic or healthy.
If you fall behind, don’t give up. Just do some recalibrating. One delay or slip-up doesn’t mean the end of your progress. Just shift things a little bit, and keep moving forward.
Set a schedule/routine and stick to it. If you need to, block off time in your planner/calendar for everything (writing time, transportation time to and from work, dinner break, exercise), as silly as it might seem it's important to be realistic about how many hours in a day you are actually working with.
When writing your goals, use positive language and focus on what you want to achieve, not things you want to avoid.
It’s okay to ask for help. We don’t mean help in the sense of having someone else write for you – that’s a big no-no. If you need extra guidance in developing a work plan, or if you need research assistance or editing/formatting help, Thesis Editor can help! We offer a range of professional services to help you get you where you want to be! Contact us today to learn more.

Tagged under: Thesis Writing Tips

Initially I had trouble writing my Project scope for my DBA as I have an undergraduate in English and an MBA which meant I could write essays at a business report level but not a doctorate level. I reached out to Dr Leach at a Thesis Editor and she spoke with me over the phone several times trying to understand what I needed. She also put together a quick turnaround package as my deadline was very close by. Ultimately, she scheduled an appointment with an editor with many years of experience who guided me back onto the right path. My supervisors at university had only helped me a little but the Thesis Editor team have supported me entirely. I am not only grateful but will be working with Thesis Editor for the entirety of my DBA - the next 4 years. Thank you Dr Leach and thank you to the Thesis Editor team for a wonderful experience.

How to make an action plan for your studies and achieve your goals

Everyone has goals, be that for lifestyle, health, work or study. These goals give you focus, generate new habits and keep you moving forward in life. However, life is tough, particularly at the moment, so the thought of setting goals can sometimes feel overwhelming. This post will take you through how creating an action plan will help you clarify your goal journey; exploring what your goal is and why you’re setting it, what it will take to achieve, and how you will motivate yourself to reach your destination.

The examples we will focus on will be for study goals, however you can apply this method of goal setting to any aspect of your life.

1. Start with reflection

Before embarking on your shiny new goals, take some time to reflect on your previous goals. Which goals have you successfully achieved? Why were they a success? Is there anything you would do differently this time? Is there a common theme in the goals that you didn’t achieve, such as a lack of purpose?

Ask yourself ‘why’ you are setting this new goal, doing so will help you stay focused and give you meaning and purpose for this potentially challenging journey that you are embarking on.

2. Make them SMART

Your goals need to be SMART:

S pecific – a specific and focused goal to allow for effective planning
M easurable – how will you measure the success of your goal?
A chievable – a goal that you will realistically accomplish within a time frame
R elevant – a goal that is important and benefits you
T ime bound – a goal that has a realistic deadline

What is your goal and how can you make it SMART?

EXAMPLE : Your goal is to hand in your dissertation early this summer. This goal, as it is, may feel daunting and unachievable, so how can we make it SMART?

S pecific – You want to hand in your dissertation two weeks early because you are going on holiday.
M easurable – You will set measurable targets daily/weekly, such as X amount of words written by X.
A chievable – You have 10 weeks to complete your goal, so you feel it is very attainable if you plan your time carefully (if you only had 2 weeks, you might want to reconsider your goal).
R elevant – This goal is very relevant as you need to do well in your dissertation so you can pass your degree, but you also need to complete it early so you can go on your booked holiday.
T ime bound – You have a clear ideal deadline of two weeks before hand-in.

Use our Goal Setting Template to get you started on your SMART goal:

3. Put your goal into action

An action plan is a flexible checklist or document for the steps or tasks that you need to complete in order to successfully achieve the goal(s) you have set yourself.

This could be written in a notebook, diary or using the Action Plan Template we have created that you can print off and use. It’s important that you get out your pen and actually write your goals down on paper. Research has shown that this will engage the left-hand, logical, side of the brain – basically telling your brain that you mean business!

Use our Action Plan Template to put your SMART goal(s) into action:

4. Plan for obstacles

There are always going to be challenges and events that may disrupt your goal, but instead of letting that obstacle derail you, plan for it.

Look at your study goal and identify what the obstacle(s) will be.

EXAMPLE : You want to submit your dissertation in early, but there’s a big family birthday coming up and a Uni field trip planned. So, get your action plan out and make sure these events are accounted for and plan your studies around them.

5. Check it off

There is nothing more satisfying in life (well apart from popping bubble wrap) than crossing or checking items off a to-do list – it’s that sense of accomplishment, feeling like you are finally getting there, which in turn reduces stress. So remember to break down your goal into small attainable actions and checklists, and for big projects, such as a dissertation or research project, you might have multiple checklists on the go. Just think of the satisfaction you will feel when it’s all done!

6. Reward yourself

This a very personal aspect of goal setting, but an important one.

To boost your motivation we recommend that you choose a reward for all your successful hard work, but select something that’s in relation to the size of the goal – maybe a piece of cake for getting a First Class degree is a bit out of proportion! Add this reward to your action plan and remind yourself of your incentive on a regular basis. It will keep you motivated when you feel like giving up.

EXAMPLE : If you hand-in your dissertation early you will treat yourself to a night out with your friends before you go on holiday.

7. A bit more reflection

You made this goal for a reason – it’s something that you really, REALLY want to achieve, so if your plan isn’t working, change it! Take some time to reflect on what’s working or not working in your action plan, be that daily, weekly, or monthly. Consider – How are you progressing? What changes can you make to bring you closer to your goals? It hard to keep on track when you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere, so are there any quick wins to give you a sense of accomplishment?

EXAMPLE : It’s late at night, you’re tired and struggling to write your dissertation conclusion. Your self-given deadline is in a days time and you are starting to doubt that your goal is achievable – maybe you need to postpone the holiday?

What you need to do is pivot your method – this isn’t working, so what can you change to still achieve your goal? Maybe leave the conclusion for the morning when you feel more awake, but spend the next hour focusing on your reference list so you can tick that off your action plan instead.

Final thoughts

Your SMART goals can be about anything and should be quite simple to plan. There’s lots of help online on using SMART goals, but working your way through the acronym for your particular goal is an excellent start. Don’t forget to use our Goal Setting Template and our Action Plan Template to help keep your goals manageable and reduce that feeling of overwhelm with your studies.

Explore our Academic Skills Kit website for more study skills help and tips
Goal Setting Template
Action Plan Template

P.S. I had to set myself a SMART goal for writing this blog post and my reward was a very tasty lunch ❤

Goal Setting for Doctoral Students

One key strategy for avoiding burnout as a dissertation student is to set yourself doctorate goals.

However, goal setting involves more than just making a to-do list..

Read on for a quick explanation of how goals help, how to write goals, and what to do if you don’t manage to achieve your goals as expected.

Why do you need doctorate goals in 2022?

If you’re not the type of student who is used to setting goals, you may be wondering how doctorate goals can help you..

The truth is, goal-setting is one of the most powerful strategies you can employ to avoid burnout and stay on track with your doctoral work.

Goal setting at its most basic works to keep you on track. By breaking the huge task of researching and writing a dissertation down into smaller, more manageable goals, you can better manage your time and the progress you are making.

Setting goals (and then achieving them) also gives you a sense of accomplishment and helps you celebrate the little victories that will eventually add up to a successful submission and completion. That feeling of accomplishment is invaluable when it comes to your energy and motivation to keep going.

Finally, goal setting will help you transition from degree to career. Goals help you define your path – they help you work out where you are headed, determine when you’ve arrived, and reassess whether or not you are happy there. In other words, having career-specific goals will enable you to ask “how is the school work I am doing helping me with my career goals?”

How to write goals using the SMART Goals method.

If you want the best shot at actually achieving your doctoral goals, you need to set yourself up for success when you set them..

One way to do this is to use the SMART method – a well-established technique that provides a clear blue-print for goals.

A SMART goal meets the following criteria:

Specific – A goal that is too vague will make it hard for you to know it you have succeeded
Measurable – Giving yourself a measurable outcome will help you measure progress.
Attainable – Be realistic about what you can achieve and you are more likely to follow through
Relevant – Make sure your goal actually moves you closer to your end game!
Time Based – Remember, you don’t need to achieve everything at one. Pace yourself and set goals according to what is most urgent.

What’s smart about this? These criteria help you set goals that are clear, enabling you to focus your time, effort, and resources effectively.

Here’s a quick example: Today I will read and annotate five articles for the “theory” section of my literature review that is due in 3 weeks.

Specific – The phrase “read and annotate five articles for the “theory” section of my literature review” tells you exactly what to work on.
Measurable – You can count how many articles you have annotated and know that you have met this goal.
Attainable – Five articles is not a lot for a single day – even if you get distracted, have an emergency, or struggle with one or two of them, you should still be able to get this done.
Relevant – If the lit review is what you are currently working on, this goal is relevant, because you can’t write the lit review without reading and engaging with the literature!
Time Based – Because you have a deadline, this work is a priority, and five articles a day over 3 weeks should get you done in time.

What if you don’t reach your doctoral goals?

Even dissertation students with the best-formulated goals sometimes fail to meet them. after all, life happens and circumstances change..

They first thing to remember when it happens to you is – don’t panic. Goals are a guidelines and support, but they are not set in stone. If you fail to meet one, simply rework it and try again.

First, assess – what went wrong? Was the goal too big? Did you not give yourself enough time? Do you need to reassess the rest of your goals or your timeline?

Then, use the SMART guidelines to re-set your goal (and/or goals and/or timeline) to be more achievable this time round, based on your current circumstances.

The importance of personal goals for mental health.

As a final note, it’s worth remembering that you need goals for your non-dissertation self as well – especially when you’re feeling dissertation pressure..

While you may be tempted to think self-care is not a high priority, setting goals that take care of your mental health and physical well-being will pay dissertation dividends in the long run.

When setting dissertation goals, therefore, make sure you account for your personal life and give yourself time away from your schoolwork. For example, you might want to set goals for taking enough breaks during your work day, spending enough time with family and friends, or drinking enough water.

Need More Help?

Need some help identifying and setting goals for your dissertation? Coaching might be the right path for you – find out more by signing up for a free consultation .

How to Set and Achieve Smart Goals? SMART Goals for Studying and Business

How to Set Smart Goals?

If you're reading this, it's probably because you want to improve your life. That means you understand that you should set personal goals to get anywhere in life. But how do you do that? How can you skillfully set goals to help you achieve your desired outcome?

Fortunately, the SMART framework can help anyone wishing to scale up and achieve their goals in life. Whether this is your first time hearing about the SMART criteria or not, we've made this article helpful by sharing SMART goals examples, and everything you need to know to start achieving objectives. Also, check out custom term paper writing by our experts, who can deliver original, high-quality work for you.

What Do We Need SMART Goals For?

Setting achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals can be challenging, especially if you want to undertake a significant endeavor. Selecting a specific target is one thing, but conceptualizing every step from the start to the finish line results in either vague or unrealistic goals.

SMART goals definition includes a framework that allows you to set objectives around five elements. These include specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and valuable. The SMART formula keeps you focused on your efforts, uses your time well, and meets all deadlines.

But are SMART goals important? For a starter, the SMART goal-setting process helps you avoid vagueness by helping you understand what you must do and when to do it for the ultimate goal.

What are SMART Goals? 5 Rules For Setting Goals

Let's walk through what are SMART goals. The SMART goals acronym stands for:

The framework helps define these parameters as they relate to your goals and keep them attainable within a specific time frame.

It's essential to keep each of these parameters in mind whenever you write SMART goals for yourself or your team. They are quantitative 'terms' that guarantee you achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals by eliminating generalization and guesswork.

The framework assigns a clear timeline that'll set you up for success if you strictly follow it. Below is an in-depth look into the SMART goals framework and how to leverage it for personal growth and success.

S for Specific

S in the SMART goals framework stands for specific, representing the initial step in the goal-setting process. By being specific, you're simply trying to avoid vagueness and the generalities associated with setting goals.

You need to create SMART goals in clear, quantifiable terms to determine and re-evaluate what actions to take. Otherwise, you'll find it challenging to focus your efforts where they are most needed. When drafting a measurable goal, try to answer the five common "W" questions, including:

What needs to be accomplished?
Why are SMART goals important?
Who is responsible for achieving the SMART goal?
What steps should I take to accomplish this goal?
What are the expected requirements or obstacles I'll face along the way?

Remember that a clear goal is simple, sensible, and significant. For instance, your specific smart goal example of becoming a top-rated copywriter on any platform should first begin with acquiring the necessary skills and experience to enable you to become a top-rated copywriter.

M For Measurable

The next step in setting SMART goals is to ensure they are measurable. This means you can easily track your progress and see how far you've advanced. Here, it would be best if you had a SMART goals worksheet that keeps you focused and excited about achieving them.

A lack of measurable goals means you won't be able to determine if you're making progress or not. To make your goals measurable, ask yourself the following questions:

What do I need to measure and track progress?
How will I know when the goal is accomplished?

If possible, set milestones along the way to help you track progress and make necessary amendments. A smart goal example is by estimating that you'll have finished learning the essential skills and earned experience within three years, you may assess your progress towards becoming a top-rated copywriter.

Remember that setting SMART goals should be fun if you learn to treat yourself in small significant ways as you move closer to your desired outcome. Here is a smart goals template showing each element:

S - SPECIFIC - What is your target?

M - MEASURABLE - How will you measure and track performance?

A - ACHIEVABLE - Is the goal achievable, considering various factors?

R - RELEVANT - Does the SMART goal example align with other personal or small business goals?

T - TIME-BOUND - What will be the beginning and end of the goal?

A For Achievable

Your set goals are only bound to succeed if they are realistic and attainable. This means you should not overstretch your abilities, even as you remain optimistic about fulfilling them. When you create SMART goal example that is achievable, you're boosting your morale and putting yourself in a better position.

The more realistic and achievable the goal, the more likely you will keep working toward it. Try to identify strengths and understand the challenges that may come along the way. Similarly, remain accountable from the initial goal-setting phase and ensure your SMART goals answer the following questions:

How can I accomplish this goal and celebrate wins?
How realistic is the goal, based on existing obstacles?

For example, ask yourself whether developing the skills required to become a top-rated copywriter is realistic and if you have all it takes to get there and achieve overall growth. Do I fall short of all the necessary resources to accomplish this goal?

R For Relevant

Your SMART goals must be relevant, meaning they should matter to you. They should ideally align with your values and larger, long-term goals. If a goal doesn't contribute toward your broader objectives, you might rethink it.

Ask yourself why the objective is essential to you, how achieving it will help you and how it will contribute toward your long-term goals. You can easily share your plans with others to hear their input, but it's essential to retain control over them. A relevant goal should answer the following questions:

Are the goals wasted time?
Do they match my efforts?
Am I the right person to achieve the goal?

For example, it's a good thing to aspire to learn the skills of becoming a top-rated copywriter. However, is it the right time to undertake the required training? Have you considered other plans? Is there anything that would be competing with your time to make this more difficult?

T For Time-Bound

Any achievable goal has a definite time frame for a deadline to concentrate on. This is a crucial element of the SMART goal framework that prevents any other activity from taking precedence over your long-term objectives.

So, start by setting a target date to find the motivation and help you prioritize. However, be keen on developing realistic timeframes, considering all the unexpected roadblocks. Time-bound goals seek to answer these questions:

When am I hoping to achieve this goal?
What can I do from now onwards?
What can I do in six months?

For example, learning the skills to become a top-rated copywriter may require additional experience. How long will it take you to acquire these skills? Should you invest in more learning to be eligible for specific qualifications? Time-bounded marketing SMART goals will ensure all the lofty ideas are broken down into actionable steps to make milestone tracking easier and more efficient.

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Struggling with your SMART goals ?

Worry no more! You know, even though Einstein failed many subjects at school, he conceived the General Theory of Relativity and won the Nobel Prize. Thus, if you have troubles with homework, our expert team is ready to assist you and help you to set your SMART goals right away.

Smart Goals Templates

A SMART goal framework establishes boundaries and specifies the actions you must take, the tools you'll need, and the checkpoints that show progress along the way. For example, a smart goal can be to write a decent statement of purpose , or learn more about special education . No matter how big or small your objectives are, knowing how to set SMART goals can help take you closer to success.

You can use smart goals image and templates to help you set your smart goals in an easy and straightforward way. Also, various smart goals examples for students pdf are available online to guide you through the entire process.

Let's walk through an example of SMART goals and Objectives. The framework can be used in education to help students set their academic or personal goals. So, let’s take a look at these illustrations and hope these examples of SMART goals assist you in getting a better clarity of the concept.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal: Get Better Grades at School

S.m.a.r.t. goal: improve mental health.

Here is a template 'S.M.A.R.T. Goal: Improve Mental Health'. Check here:

Guide on How to Set SMART GOALS

Achieving success in any area of your life requires having specific, well-defined goals. Setting precise and successful goals will help you achieve your objectives, whether working alone or with a team. At first, creating SMART goals that get results might be complicated and intimidating. Follow this guide on setting SMART goals for yourself if you're feeling stuck.

Think of Goals That Can Motivate You

A goal is a clear, written statement of what you want to attain in a given time frame. Everything you plan on doing henceforth must be aligned with these goals. Without them, you will have no clear direction or way to measure your success. So the first step is to think of plans that can motivate you.

For smart business goals, it helps to ask yourself these questions:

What is the one thing we want our customers to feel after using our product or service?
What do we want our team to feel about working for our company?
What do we want our investors to think about when investing in us?
How do we plan to attract new customers and ensure unending customer loyalty?

Write them Down

After deciding what you want to achieve, please write down your goals to have a second view of what they entail. For example, it could be a smart goal to increase revenue by 25% by the end of the year by increasing the number of leads through the website for your small businesses. Or a personal goal to learn a new skill for a better work-life balance in the next six months. Also, if you are wondering - ‘how to do my math homework ,’ our team of experts can do it for you in a flash.

A written, measurable, and time-bound goal with a definite deadline takes you closer to actualizing it. When you set a deadline, you create the necessary urgency, which can be a powerful motivator. It also forces you to prioritize, create urgency, inspire confidence, make you accountable, and, most important, clarify your success metrics.

Set an Elaborate Action Plan

Now that you know your achievable goals, you're ready to turn them into actionable steps to increase sales. At this point, you shouldn't go off track and start thinking about the strategy you will use to achieve your SMART goal. Focus on the actions that you need to take to reach your goal. You'll find that it's much easier to stay focused this way. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What resources do I need to make this happen?
What are the first few steps I need to take to achieve this goal?
What are the smaller steps that will lead to the bigger goal?

Once you've set a SMART goal, it's crucial to go ahead and implement it. This shouldn't be difficult if the plans meet all the standards of a SMART goal framework. Similarly, ensure you measure your progress to know if you're on track.

Failure to track your progress can lead to frustration and uncertainty. There are lots of ways to track your progress, including:

Write down your goal and the specific actions you'll take to reach it.
Drawing a visual representation of your purpose and the path to get there
Writing a SMART goal journal
Working with a coach or mentor

So, why is it important to set SMART goals? Successful people know that goal-setting is time bound and integral for achieving success. When you know exactly what you want to accomplish by being an active team member, you will have a clear direction and more ways to measure your success. Now that you understand how to write a brilliant plan, it's time to start.

When you reach your goal, don't forget to celebrate! This allows you to reflect on what you've accomplished. You've probably completed more than most people do their entire lives. So, congratulations! You've just set and achieved your first set of SMART goals! With specific, measurable, achievable, relevant goals and determination, you can fulfill anything you set your mind to. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and make something of your life! That's the beauty of setting SMART goals.

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Write Smarter: How to Set Effective Goals in Your Academic Writing

How often do you walk away from your computer after a writing session feeling disappointed at having not written more? This will be familiar to any academic, but ask yourself: What did you set out to achieve in the first place? One mistake too many of us make is that we approach writing with ill-defined goals. However, the research is clear: Setting effective goals is the first step toward making tremendous accomplishments. 1

Thankfully, there are plenty of methods to help you set practical goals, one of which is the SMART framework. Using this framework will help you not only keep on track but identify when a day’s work is complete. This means you can walk away from the computer feeling proud of what you have accomplished.

What does SMART stand for? The short answer is Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Each of these corresponds to a strategy you can use when setting your writing goals. Below, we explore each component in the context of academic writing.

Rather than being vague, a good writing goal will make crystal clear the particular task to be completed (and how), often using numbers.

Bad example of a specific goal: “I will write some of my introduction section today.”

Good example of a specific goal: “I will write five paragraphs of my introduction, focusing on the quantity of writing. I’ll go back and edit for quality tomorrow.”

How will you know that you are making progress toward your writing goal, and how will you know when you have achieved it? Ensuring you have quantifiable metrics against which you can benchmark your progress is essential for holding yourself accountable and knowing when it’s time to close the laptop.

Bad example of a measurable goal: “I will write up some of my discussion section today, stopping when I get tired.”

Good example of a measurable goal: “I will write 500 words of my discussion, after which I will stop writing and review my work tomorrow.”

It’s possible that being accepted by a top-tier publication on your first submission, or drafting an entire thesis in a day, is unrealistic. Take a moment to consider whether your goals are achievable. Seek support and keep your goals manageable.

Bad example of an achievable goal: “I will finish the last chapter of my thesis before editing and proofreading the entire manuscript in time for the submission deadline. I’ll squeeze it in around the other things I have to do. Everything will be fine! ”

Good example of an achievable goal: “I will take the next day to finalize the last chapter of my thesis and then send it to a professional proofreading service to get the language polished.”

It’s much easier to work on things that feel personally relevant to you. Ask yourself—ideally before you even commence writing—whether your current writing project feels meaningful and exciting. Goals that motivate us in and of themselves, irrespective of their material rewards, are much more motivating than goals we’re pursuing purely for a paycheck. 2

Bad example of a relevant goal: You see a call for proposals for an upcoming special issue. The issue is not on a topic that you find particularly interesting, but you’ve got some results that you think will fit the bill. You decide to write up a proposal but it feels like a chore. When the proposal is accepted, you dread the time you must now dedicate to writing the full manuscript.

Good example of a relevant goal: You have been offered the chance to submit a chapter to an edited book. The offer comes from a prestigious and reputable publisher, but the topic you would be writing about isn’t as interesting to you as your focal research. You decide to decline the offer and focus on your core research. Consequently, you enjoy sitting down to write much more than if you had pursued the opportunity, and are highly productive.

Lastly, the best goals are time-bound. Create a timeline of tasks that lead up to a final deadline, ensuring they are bite-sized and allow buffer room for any unexpected hiccups.

Bad example of a time-bound goal: “I’m going to finish that chapter of my thesis… eventually.”

Good example of a time-bound goal: “I will complete the first draft of my 3,000-word discussion section within seven days. Therefore, I will write 500 words each day up to the deadline, allowing one day for any delays.”

Consider setting yourself some SMART goals and watch as your writing productivity soars!

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38 Examples of SMART Goals for Students

The SMART Goals framework, also written as S.M.A.R.T Goals or SMART Objectives, is a template for setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based goals.

While originally used in leadership and corporate management, the framework is now extensively used in education to help students to set personal and academic goals for themselves.

The following examples of SMART goals for students show how students can set achievable goals by following the five elements of the framework.

SMART Goals Example

For the SMART framework, a student should set one goal that meets five clear criteria. The goal should be:

Specific – Be clear about exactly what the goal is and what will be done to achieve it. Consider giving details about what, when, where, why, and how.
Measurable – Make sure you have a way to assess whether you have achieved your goal.
Attainable – State how you believe reaching the goal is within your power.
Relevant – State how the goal will help you to meet your overall goals as a student.
Time-Based – You need to set a time by which you will complete your goal to keep yourself accountable.

SMART Goals Template for Students

The student should write down their goal in a quote above the table then enter an explanation of how their goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.

Get the Google Docs Template Here

Goal: Write your goal above the table. Carefully think about your goal and fill out the sentence with details that will ensure that it is S.M.A.R.T.

SMART Goals for Students

1. get an a in my next essay.

“I will get an A in my current essay in my Psychology class.”

2. Improve my Research Skills

“I will improve my research skills by using library resources and taking notes from the recommended readings for my course. I will do this every Friday afternoon for 3 weeks. I will aim for a subjective statement on my end-of-semester feedback about my research skills.”

3. Type at 60 Words per Minute

“I will learn to type at 60 words per minute within two months.”

4. Study 5 Days a Week for 5 Weeks

“I will study for my math class for one hour each afternoon Monday to Friday for 5 weeks.”

5. Improve my Productivity

“I will improve my productivity by using a Pomodoro timer when studying and closing all other tabs on my computer. I will do this every time I study for 2 months.”

6. Improve my Focus

“I will improve my focus during class this term by leaving my phone in my bag, sitting alone instead of with friends, and ensuring I turn up well-hydrated and rested.”

7. Memorize 100 flashcards within 3 weeks

“I will create a deck of 100 flashcards related to my Spanish course and memorize all 100 flashcards within 3 weeks by spending 20 minutes per day on the task.”

8. Complete my Assigned Book for Class

“I will finish reading the book that has been assigned by my teacher within 5 weeks.”

9. Obtain the Confidence to Give a Public Speech

“I will obtain the confidence to give a public speech by practicing speaking from note cards in front of a mirror and friends for the next 3 weeks.”

10. Re-Submit my Essay for a Higher Grade

“I will use the feedback provided on my essay to re-submit for a higher grade within the 2-week timeframe I have been given by my teacher.”

11. Follow a Study Calendar for the Next 5 Weeks

“I will use a study calendar that states when and what I should study. I will do this for 5 days a week for 5 weeks.”

12. Borrow One Book per Month from the Library

“I will borrow one book per month from the library for six months and read it fully in order to deepen my knowledge of sociology for my sociology class.”

13. Complete my Assignments 2 Weeks Before Due Date

“I will complete all assignments 2 weeks before the due dates so I have 2 weeks of free time to edit the work without stress.”

14. Maintain a Study Journal for 15 Weeks

“I will keep a daily study journal Monday to Friday for 15 weeks that will record what I studied, notes on key things I need to revise, and how long I studied. This will help me reflect on my improvement over time.”

15. Minimize Study Stress

“I will minimize the amount of stress I’m experiencing by exercising an hour a day, only studying for a maximum of one hour per day, and meditating for 15 minutes after each study session. I will do this for 5 weeks.”

SMART Goals Examples for High School Students

16. apply for five colleges.

“I will apply for five colleges within 3 months.”

17. Go to Four University Open Days

“I will go to four university open days within the next 2 months to learn more about the universities and see which one I would prefer.”

18. Study for an Hour Before Class Daily

“I will study for one hour between 8 am and 9 am daily before class Monday to Friday. I will study for the class that I will be sitting that day and keep a journal of progress.”

19. Maintain a Regular Sleep Routine

“I will sleep for 9 hours a day by making sure I get into bed by 10 pm every night and set an alarm for 7 am each morning. This will keep me fresh for classes.”

20. Research Five Potential Career Options

“I will spend 3 hours every Thursday night researching a potential career option for 5 weeks straight. At the end of the 5th week, I will rank all the career options based on my research.”

21. Have Three Meetings with my Careers Advisor

“I will book in three meetings with my careers advisor over the next six months to check in and re-evaluate my thoughts about what I want to do after I finish high school.”

SMART Goals Examples for University Students

22. decide upon a major for my degree.

“I will lock in a major with my advisor by the end of the month and select the appropriate courses for next semester.”

23. Meet Each Instructor in Open Office Hours Once per Semester

“I will meet each of my instructors during their open office hours on Week 8 of the semester to go over my essay drafts.”

24. Meet with my Advisor for Feedback on my Progress 3 Times per Year

“I will meet with my advisor to check in on my progress in my degree 3 times this year. I will meet her in March, July, and September.”

25. Attend One Library Skills Seminar per Month

“I will attend one library skills seminar per month until I have attended all the training sessions they have on offer. This should take 6 months and help me incrementally develop my academic skills.”

26. Meet with my Study Group Weekly All Semester

“I will meet with my study group at 2.30 pm every Tuesday in the library for one hour to compare notes about our studies. We will also meet to check each other’s drafts during this period when necessary.”

27. Complete All Homework Tasks by Wednesday each Week

“I will complete my homework tasks by Wednesday each week this semester. To do this, I will remain at the university library on Tuesdays from 12 noon onwards.”

28. Turn up to Class on Time

“I will turn up to class five minutes before class begins for the entire semester in order to change my habit of being late. To make this happen, I will take the 8.05 am bus each morning.”

29. Apply for Five Summer Internships

“I will apply for five summer internships by the end of next week.”

See more SMART internship goals here.

30. Apply for Five Part-Time Jobs in my Career Field

“I will apply for five part-time jobs in my career field by the end of next week.”

31. Write 400 Words per Day for my Essay

“I will write 400 words per day for 5 days to get my first draft of my essay complete.”

SMART Goals Examples for Online Students

32. post five forum responses per week.

“I will log into my online course between 4 pm and 5 pm each weekday to read a forum task and post a 100-word response on the discussion board. I will continue this for the rest of the semester.”

33. Re-watch my Online Lectures and Take Notes for my Essay

“I will re-watch the eight one-hour online lectures for my course. I will watch one per day between 9 am and 10 am and take notes daily on anything relevant to the essay I’m writing.”

34. Reply to Three other People’s Forum Comments per Week

“I will reply to three forum comments on my online discussion board per week for the next three weeks in order to engage with other students in my class.”

SMART Goals Examples for International and Exchange Students

35. speak only in spanish for a whole day.

“I will speak only in Spanish for the whole day during my exchange at Barcelona University.”

See a Full List of Communication Goals Here

36. Apply for an Exchange Scholarship by May 1st

“I will apply for an exchange scholarship to get funding to go to Barcelona for a semester. This application will be a 1000 word essay and completed by May 1st.”

37. Join a Cultural Club at my new Unviersity

“I will join one cultural club at my university by the end of the social club sign-up day tomorrow.”

38. Apply for a Work Visa for after I Graduate so I can Stay Here

“My goal is to apply for a work visa by 5 pm on the 30th of December so I can stay in the country after I have completed my degree.”

The SMART framework is valuable when setting educational goals because it helps you to articulate exactly what your goal is. The five criteria within the framework will force students to set goals that can be clearly explained and are achievable. By setting SMART goals, students can see greater levels of success whether it’s short-term goals or long-term goals and have a clearer idea about what they need to do to meet their goals.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

5 thoughts on “38 Examples of SMART Goals for Students”

I have tried it before but soon forgot about it, which means I have made my calendar or schedule with a goal on top and worked toward it, and then I forgot to do it again for my next semester’s class. but it does not hurt trying again one more time.

This method is useful and essential. That why I have been using it since high school.

This method is very significant in my study I have been using it.

This method is essential and productive, i still use it even today to achieve my goals.

One of the best online learning articles I have come across. Rarely give comments at over 69yrs and a lot working in education. But you are clear, and straight to the point. Good job! Recommended.