Though time may be short, you can definitely make progress on your business school goals. Simply taking a few actions to ensure your goals remain front-of-mind will help you continue towards successfully achieving many of them before graduation.
1. Define your next steps: after analyzing your goals using SMART criteria, make sure you identify what interim milestones you must hit to achieve them. At this point in time, determining whether a goal is timely may be the most important factor as you consider how to move forward. If it doesn’t seem feasible to achieve a goal within the next six months, consider whether you should change the goal, or lay out a series of smaller goals that can help you achieve it with greater confidence.
2. Leverage your Advisory Board: talk to those you trust the most to get real feedback on whether each goal is realistic and attainable in the time before you finish your MBA. Ask them to be brutally honest with you about what you hope to achieve – as well as providing thoughts on what other options you might have to accomplish those goals in the long run.
3. Find a tool to start tracking: there are many online options that can help you achieve your goals, depending on what motivates you. Do you do best with monetary incentives? Try StickK.com, which charges a penalty for every goal milestone you miss. Are you a highly visual person? Consider GoalEnforcer, which allows you to visualize each of your goals. Do you want help prioritizing and tips on how to best pursue your goals? You might do best with GoalsOnTrack. Whatever system you choose, make sure you find something that keeps you accountable for your goal milestones!
4. Enlist others: while you may feel alone in pursuing your goals, please know what many (maybe even most) others are also struggling with their own goals. Often, sharing your goals with others creates accountability and camaraderie as you strive to improve. Don’t be afraid to enlist others in your pursuits…not only will you increase your chance of success, but you will have more fun along the way!