Setting Effective Goals
Avital Schweitzer, 17, is clearly goal-directed. She works hard to achieve the various tasks in her life. This summer she attended a program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, for high school students who are interested in research.
Avital says that she rarely clearly states and discusses her goals. But goal-setting has always played a role in her life. During her junior year, for instance, she set personal goals to win a tennis championship and to become debate-team captain.
Avital says, "In an academic environment when I set goals for myself, I often make lists that I need to complete in order to achieve them. The lists can include doing problem sets, meeting with a teacher or asking specific questions. When I run into difficulties, I reach out to resources for help or advice, like the Internet, my teachers or my parents. I think that learning about the best types of goals to set and standard methods to achieve these goals could be very useful in my day-to-day life."
Who else is better to turn to for this kind of insight into the art and science of goal-setting than your own father? Avital's dad, Maurice Schweitzer, a Wharton professor of operations and information management, has researched the topic extensively. He said, "Goals are powerfully motivating and will help us get where we want to be. Across every field, people who set specific, challenging goals do better than people who go out and just aim to do their best."
Avital often makes lists of goals to find which goal is the best for her.