Join us in reviewing your academic year so far!
What goals will you create for 2022?
As we near the end of another year, let us help you in taking some time to reflect!
Did you achieve your goals for 2021? What do you want to achieve in the new year? How will you get there?
These are all questions that can be really useful to reflect on at the end of a busy year, so grab your nearest notepad and pen (or keyboard!), and let’s get started!
Or, use our printable template here:
What did you achieve this year that you are proud of? ?
Let’s start with the positives! Think about a time when you felt really proud of yourself, it could be that you got full marks on an exam or assignment, or maybe you achieved a personal goal. It doesn’t have to be a physical award or certificate, it could be something as simple as remembering to hand in homework all year or progressing in an extracurricular activity. It’s really important to give yourself praise for the ‘big’ things and the ‘small’ things. So jot down anything that you made you feel proud this year!
Did you encounter any struggles this year? ?
This is a great time to reflect on any times throughout the year that may have been a bit more difficult! This is entirely personal to you and it helps to be as honest as possible. Then when you come to make your next steps, you can set goals to address these areas for the next year. It could be that you struggled to balance your study and rest time and ended up feeling overwhelmed, or that you didn’t take enough downtime. Again, these notes are just for you so go into as much or as little detail as you wish.
What does your next year look like? ?
Whether you are in primary, secondary, further, or higher education, each year will bring different experiences. So what will your next year involve? Jot down a few bullet points or important dates that are coming up.
- Do you have any exams or assignments?
- Which year will you be moving up to in the new school year?
- Do you have any personal events coming up?
- Is there a competition or event in any extracurricular activities?
- An event you are looking forward to?
It’s sometimes useful to view your whole year and break it down into individual events. If you find it useful, go through each month and think about any important dates that may come up. This can include things in your academic and personal calendar!
What do you want to achieve in 2022? ✅
Now we have reflected on the past year and have a rough idea of what the next year may bring, it’s time to think about our goals. Again, these can be as grand or simple as you want! Consider three different areas; your academic goals, your personal goals, and your career goals. When creating these, also think back to the things that you may have struggled with this year, and how these new goals can help overcome them. Create as many for each area as you want!
- Academic goals should be related to your studies and your progression. An example would be to create a personalised revision timetable to better balance your study time and downtime.
- Personal goals should be related to your interests and areas that affect your personal life. An example would be to start a book club with your friends or achieve a fitness goal!
- Careers goals should be related to your longer-term aspirations and the steps that you can implement now to help you get there. An example would be to start volunteering and work experience in an area of interest such as an animal shelter if aspiring to become a vet or zoologist.
You can even break it down further into 3, 6, and 12 monthly sections if this helps you to visualise your goals. This can help to create an action plan and keep you accountable along the way without losing your focus.
We hope that you have found this exercise useful and will support you to have an amazing 2022! Share your goals with us over on our Twitter @NERAP_Team with the hashtag #NERAPNewYear.
Don’t forget that we are always available for any questions on our live chat in the bottom right corner of our website.
The NERAP team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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