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Your Well-being

Set goals for success

New York Teacher
Career Ladder - Generic

The transition from summer to fall provides the perfect opportunity to revisit our life’s purpose by setting goals to enhance our work-life balance.

It is important, however, that we set goals that are realistic and attainable.

Studies show that accomplishing a goal triggers a dopamine boost, allowing us to feel happier about ourselves. Reaching goals also reinforces healthy habits, encourages self-awareness and reflection, and correlates to a reduction in anxiety, depression and panic.

A good way to set reasonable goals is to use the SMART goal framework, under which goals should be:

  • Specific
  • Measureable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Time-based

What do these terms mean in practice?

Let’s, as an example, turn a general (not SMART) goal — such as “I want to wake up earlier” — into a SMART goal.

Be specific: Instead of saying you want to wake up earlier, start by saying you want to wake up at a particular hour, say 5 a.m. on weekday mornings.

Make it measurable: Think about how you’re going to track your success in reaching the goal. Are you going to note your wakeup times in a journal? Log them in an app? Do you need to ask for help from someone to accomplish the goal?

Ensure it’s attainable: Do you face any barriers to reaching this goal? Perhaps you don’t get to bed until 1 a.m., which makes waking up at 5 a.m. a significant challenge.

Make it relevant: Articulate the reasons why you have set this goal. Maybe you need more time in the morning to exercise or take care of personal matters.

Set a timetable: How long are you going to work toward the goal before you reflect on your progress? Some people gauge their progress on a monthly basis, while others track progress quarterly. Figure out what works for you.

If you would like support or more information around goal-setting and related workshops, please contact the UFT’s Member Assistance Program.

Call the UFT’s Member Assistance Program at 212-701-9620 or email MAPinfo [at] uft [dot] org (MAPinfo[at]uft[dot]org) to speak with a licensed clinician, or call the UFT Helpline at 1-866-UFT-FOR-U (1-866-838-3678).