People seem to like to set goals. A popular time to set them may be in January when the new year begins; others often set goals according to the start of each new school year. Working with students, I often ask them about their goals. Serious athletes may want to excel in a sport and tell me they want to make it to the Olympics. Less-serious athletes may think more locally and just hope to earn a place on the junior varsity team at school. Still other students may think of the new school year as a time to put new habits in place so they can achieve academically. Academic goals may not be as fun to think about as the athletic ones, or as much fun to work toward, but they do matter, and do make a difference.
Michael Jordan, former basketball player for the Chicago Bulls, once said,
" Some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, others make it happen."
There's a lot of truth to that saying; after all, you don't just snap your fingers to achieve a goal. With sports, no one expects to show up at the soccer game and just become the star of the team; they go to practices, listen to the coach, implement suggestions, and, after practice, spend extra time on their own practicing, practicing, and practicing some more. That's the only way they'll even stand a chance of getting better at the game.
The same can be said of academic gains. If you do the same things you've always done, you'll end up with the same level of achievement. If you set a new goal, you're going to have to do something new in order to achieve it. Will it be easy? Not always, but the first step is always the hardest step to take.
Try adding a strategy involving a note card system to your daily plan, and see what differences you realize:
- Have a stack of note cards/index cards and highlighters available. You get to choose the size.
Does it sound like a lot of work? Only if you take a break and let all the work build up.
And when you need to study for the next test? Imagine that! You only need to review!!
Try it. Once you get the hang of it, it will cut your work time in half, and your grades will go up, up, UP!