As the new year approaches, it’s the perfect time to look ahead and set meaningful goals for yourself, whether they’re academic, personal, or professional. This guide to goal setting will walk you through reflecting on the past year, setting SMART goals, planning your next steps, and staying on track so the goals you set are the ones you achieve.
Step 1: Reflect on the Past Year
Setting goals can help you stay motivated, focused, and intentional about your growth, both inside and outside the classroom. Before diving into new goals, it’s helpful to take a step back and reflect on the year that’s just ended. Reflection helps you recognize your progress, identify what didn’t work, and decide what matters most to you moving forward.
You can start by writing down your thoughts or using a note-taking app. Here are a few prompts to guide your reflection:
- What would you consider your top five achievements of the year? Consider achievements in your personal life, academics, or professional life.
- What goals did you not meet, and what might have held you back?
- What habits or routines have helped you succeed? Which ones do you want to carry forward (or leave behind)?
Taking time to answer these questions helps you begin the new year with a clearer sense of purpose. If you need more structured reflection tools, U of T’s Academic Success Centre has guided worksheets and reflection prompts.
Step 2: Set SMART Goals
Now that you’ve reflected on the past year, it’s time to set goals for the upcoming year. The SMART method is a great way to turn broad intentions into clear, actionable steps.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Specific – Your goal should be clear and focused.
Measurable – You should be able to track your progress with defined benchmarks.
Achievable – Make sure your goal is realistically achievable for your current circumstances.
Relevant – Choose goals that align with your personal or academic priorities.
Time-bound – Set a deadline or timeline to help you stay accountable.
Example:
General goal: Run more
SMART goal: Go for a 5K run three times a week for a month.
This approach makes it easier to stay motivated and track your success as you go. For academic or career-related goals, U of T Engineering’s Learning Strategist and the Engineering Career Centre provide workshops and advising to help you define academic or professional SMART goals.
Step 3: Planning for your Goals
Once you’ve defined your goals, take some time to outline how you’ll achieve them.
Here are a few planning tips:
- Break down bigger goals into smaller steps. Tackling one piece at a time makes big goals feel more manageable.
- Set target dates. Assign timelines or mini-deadlines to keep yourself moving forward.
- Use tools to stay organized. Apps like Google Calendar, Notion, or even a physical planner can help you stay on top of your deadlines.
- Anticipate challenges. Identify any anticipated obstacles and plan responses to manage them, so you have a game plan in place if they occur.
Step 4: Keep up with your Goals
The hardest part of goal-setting is often keeping your momentum. Here are a few ways to stay consistent throughout the year:
- Take action early. Start small, but start now. Taking your first step right away builds momentum.
- Find accountability—partner with a friend, classmate, or family member who shares a similar goal. Having someone check in with you can make a big difference.
- Track your progress. Use a habit tracker, set reminders, or schedule monthly check-ins to see how you’re doing.
- Reward yourself. Celebrate your milestones, no matter how small. Treating yourself for progress can keep you motivated in the long term.
The process of goal setting isn’t about achieving perfection; it’s about progress. As the semester and year unfold, remember to adjust your goals if needed and recognize how far you’ve come.
We spoke with Shahad Abdulnour, the Engineering Learning Strategist, to get advice on how to better understand how you learn and tips on how you might enhance your overall academic success.
Students can book time with an Engineering Learning Strategist during the school week. Strategists can provide expert guidance on tailoring your approach to more effectively meet your learning goals and optimize your study skills, with proper time and stress management tools, approaches to increasing motivation and focus, strategies to deal with procrastination and distractions, and more.
1. Why is the new year a good time to reflect on and set new goals?
The break gives students space to think about new habits and change study strategies. It’s basically a reset point where students can decide how they want the next semester to feel.
2. What does effective goal setting look like for engineering students?
Effective goal settings usually involve two types of goals: long-term and short-term.
Long-term goals may change over time, but having a long-term direction helps keep you motivated when things don’t go as planned.
Short-term goals don’t have to be big; they need to point you in a direction that matters to you. Reasonable short-term goals are realistic and specific.
For example, your goals might include:
- Feeling more confident with a specific concept
- Starting projects earlier
- Practicing problem-solving more often
- Improving group communication
- Writing a few lines of code regularly to stay sharp
Engineering is all about building skills little by little, so your goals should support that process.
3. How can students set realistic academic goals that match their workload and personal limits?
- Focus on small wins: short study sessions or tiny steps toward a project really do add up.
- Be flexible: some weeks will be busier than others, adjust your goals as needed.
- Notice your energy: certain times of day might work better than others, lean into that.
4. How important is reflection when goal-setting, and what’s a simple way students can add it into their routine?
Reflection is helpful because it gives students a chance to figure out what’s actually helping them learn.
Here are a few questions that can help you with reflection:
- What went well this week?
- What’s one small change I want to try next week?
At U of T Engineering, we also have a great free program called engAccountability for success to help undergraduate students stay accountable. engSuccess mentors meet with students online on Mondays to discuss goals, and again on Fridays to check in on progress.
5. What’s the best way to approach that setback?
Adjust your goal: maybe make it smaller, change the timeline, or try a different approach. And remember to celebrate small wins and treat setbacks as part of the process.
The start of a new year is full of potential. Whether your goal is to improve your study habits, start a new hobby, or take on a new challenge, remember that small, consistent actions add up over time.
Here’s to a productive, balanced, and fulfilling year ahead!