Will you meet your end of year goals?

Author: Julia Hallas, Doctoral Candidate

For me, the last day of the study year is the 19th of December.  After that, I plan to spend three weeks at the beach – no study allowed!  But to get my holiday, I need to have achieved my goals by that magic date.

I have quite a lot of goals to achieve between now and then: complete 16 individual interviews, code them, complete four lots of case analyses and conclusions, write 2500 words on data gathering methods, and write 2500 words on how I carried out the analysis.

With my deadline nearing, I decided to leave nothing to chance.  Instead of hoping I’ll get it done in time, I planned out exactly what I need to do every day to complete. Here’s what the coming week looks like:

Print out picture of beach and place on desk to keep me motivated.

Monday

Conduct interview with MM

Conduct interview with RR

Read interview 2

Transfer relevant information from PGR9 to ch4/5 data gathering sections

Tuesday

Conduct interview with BB

Code interview 2

Write 350 words for ch4

Wednesday

Prepare and send transcription expenses for reimbursement

Finish coding interview 2

Read interview 3

Write 350 words for ch4

Thursday

Conduct interview with WW

Code interview 3

Write 350 words for ch4

Friday

Finish coding interview 3

Read interview 4

Write 350 words for ch4

Saturday

Relax

Sunday

Code interview 4

Write 350 words for ch4

Yup, it’s scary, but if I didn’t plan it out, I wouldn’t have a chance of meeting my deadline, and I certainly wouldn’t have been realistic about it. But with Saturday as a buffer, I reckon I’ll be ok.

So what are your goals for the rest of the year?  Do you need any help with planning? If so, leave me a comment.  Good luck Masters and PhDs!