As a special education teacher, I learned some
goal-setting secrets that will improve your results instantly!
NUMBER ONE: Make your goals super specific!
None of that vague stuff like create more post, get a new client, or become more organized.
In the classroom, I never said,
“The child will learn to count change.”
In special education, we are specific! A written goal sounds like this.
“When given pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, the student will count change up to one dollar with 100% accuracy!”
NUMBER TWO: Determine your mastery criteria.
Humans make mistakes, so 100% mastery is only sometimes going to happen.
Mastery goal criteria sounds like this.
“With 90% accuracy in three out of four attempts, the child will be able to X.”
For reading, I wrote things like,
“The child will, when given 2nd-grade text, read with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 attempts.
Remember you are human!
NUMBER THREE: Time frames!
Set the dates when you’ll reach that goal!
“Between now and September 30, 2023, I’ll create and post four IG posts each week, with 90% accuracy!”
But here’s the kicker, the time frame is your cheerleader, not the party crasher!
If you don’t reach it in time, don’t give up, just keep at it!
If you keep trying, you’ll eventually get there.
I’m not telling you this to make goal setting feel more complicated.
Being precise is the fastest way to reach your goals, boost your confidence, and keep you motivated on what it really is you want to accomplish!
Check your goals… if you even remember them!
This reminds me, I’ve got a NUMBER FOUR.
Write your goals down and look
at them often.
Each week when I was lesson planning for my students, I pulled out their goals to make sure what I planned was focused on their goals.
Did you look at your goals this week before planning out your actions?
Specific, vauge doesn’t make you fail less, it makes you fail ahead of time.
Mastery (decide ahead of time how many times, how often, and with what accuracy you will do each goal.
Time frames, they’re your buddies, not your enemies!
Write and review, if they aren’t reviewed often, most people forget about them.
Now go out there, create, and own your goals like a boss!