Olumurewa Damilola

Holidays are over, yes, that is no longer news, and some are ready to make that academic comeback after being shocked with their last session’s result. While some might have just given up on making any academic comeback, but would rather divert their time and attention to  other goals like; taking a  business seriously, nursing a  talent, or it could be igniting that furious determination to make money through airdrops (“tap-swap” is just one of them) which is quite popular at the moment. We all have different goals that we set out to achieve, but the issue lies on how we go about achieving these goals, and not only achieving them, but also being consistent with ticking  off that long list?

Interestingly, writing down goals could be very exciting because in the process our brain gets excited that finally, our life is about to get on track. In fact, some start dreaming of what it would be like to finally accomplish some of these goals. There is this ‘false hope’ that comes with writing down goals, psychologically, this feeling is called the ‘mental masturbation’. Mental masturbation is when one writes out a list of what one dreams of accomplishing, but not really knowing how to go about them. While writing these goals down, one gets so excited that the brain forgets at that moment that the task is not going to be an easy one. Then, when the excitement leaves and reality kicks in, staying consistent in achieving these goals would appear somewhat daunting.

Now, what do one do when faced with such a challenge? There’s a technique called the ‘pomodoro’ technique which makes learning and working manageable. These techniques entail you having to work for about twenty-five minutes at a stretch, after which you take a break. These breaks are to help to prevent the brain from being too congested with too much information at a time. You can even take it a step further by setting a timer for twenty-five minutes, as this can help you focus on that single task until the timer rings, then you have a chance to take a break for 5 minutes. This technique helps in planning out different schedules, making it possible for   one to take about five Pomodoro sessions with a twenty-five minute break interval. This helps in breaking down complex tasks, maintaining consistency and also helping with time management. Staying loyal to this technique could help you manage your reading plan in studying a particular course, that per-adventure might have been giving you certain problems. You can even schedule other activities such as cooking, chatting with friends, time to relax, and so on, with this technique. Proper time management can be observed efficiently with the effective deployment of the pomodoro technique. 

Another solution to achieving a set out goal is to always take that ‘one step at a time’. Take that step to read that one chapter, take that step to start that business regardless of how ‘broke’ you exaggerate you might be, take that step to attend lectures no matter how tempting a little nap might seem, just take that one step at a time! Because, come to think of it, you can never know until you try it, you won’t know if you are your own enemy and not that ‘wicked’ lecturer, you won’t know if that business will prosper if you don’t try investing in it first, you won’t know if you will do well in that sport if you don’t take that step by first enrolling. In all, being one step closer to one’s goal is by taking actions to achieve those goals, taking baby steps that will later lead to giant steps and bigger achievements.

Moreover, being realistic in setting goals is one of the key ways to be true and consistent to one’s goals. Imagine being a 300 level student who is on a 2.1 CGPA and plans on moving up to a first class but finds it hard to attend classes. Instead you find yourself hunting for slides because you just seem caught up in various activities, probably being a social bird who is very active in politics, attends all parties, hustles for jobs amongst other things. It’s very important to be real to oneself, know your strengths and weaknesses, and have a realistic plan. Ask yourself questions like; How real are these my goals? Will I be consistent in achieving these goals one at a time? Don’t lie to yourself this session so you won’t have to look back and regret at the end of the session.

Lastly, celebrate every setback because every setback or failure is one step to success. Nothing comes easy so it’s just appropriate to experience a setback so, the anecdote to success is consistency. These few tips will set you straight in checking off those goals you have on your list for the session.