{"id":5466,"date":"2017-08-19T12:35:49","date_gmt":"2017-08-19T17:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/?p=5466"},"modified":"2017-08-19T12:35:49","modified_gmt":"2017-08-19T17:35:49","slug":"back-to-school-basics-why-setting-goals-is-important-and-how-to-do-it-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/back-to-school-basics-why-setting-goals-is-important-and-how-to-do-it-right\/","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-school basics: Why setting goals is important (and how to do it right)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re already on the school-year grind or you\u2019re getting ready to start, it\u2019s always a good time to brush up on your skills. For the next couple of months, we\u2019ll be bringing you some back-to-school basics to help your team get off on the right foot.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This week, we\u2019re talking about why it\u2019s important to set goals at the beginning of the year. Got any practical tips, feedback or ideas? Tweet us<\/a> or message us on Facebook<\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n

We all come into the year brimming with big ideas \u2014 grandiose dreams of transforming your entire newsroom into a lean, digital-first, integrated content machine. <\/span><\/p>\n

Well, we hate to break it to you, but it\u2019s pretty hard to change everything about your organization in just 12 months. And while we totally support you aiming high, we also want you to feel empowered to make real, tangible change.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most important steps toward making an impact is setting realistic goals at the beginning of the year. Here\u2019s how to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start with your dreams. <\/b>Think of your perfect, ideal student newsroom. What does it look like? Who\u2019s in it? What kind of work is being produced? How do others perceive it, both within and outside of your staff?<\/span><\/p>\n

Now think about what aspects of that mental image that are the most attainable. What can you actively work toward? And, most importantly, which things will you make a priority?<\/span><\/p>\n

Here comes the hard part \u2014 narrowing it down.<\/b> By no means should you let go of your ideals. But setting realistic goals is the key to actually achieving them.<\/span><\/p>\n

A great strategy for setting goals is to make <\/span>SMART ones<\/span><\/a> \u2026 that\u2019s specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused and time-bound.<\/span><\/p>\n

Say, for example, you want your content to be seen by more people. You might think, \u201cI want to grow our social media audience!\u201d But how will you know if you\u2019ve succeeded?<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s tweak that vague idea into some SMART goals:<\/span><\/p>\n