Goal-Oriented?? More Like Disoriented

I've never been one to make New Year's Resolutions. Many people will set a goal, fail to accomplish it once or twice, and then give up, as has become the norm with these resolutions. Instead, I try to pick up interests and activities as the opportunities arise. For example, when we were first sent home from school last March, I began a workout routine that I followed for the full 12 weeks!

a slightly burnt-out Stuti

I often simply create goals in my mind and let them live there. However, I did not realize the benefit of writing down my goals until we were asked to do so during a recent College Scholars' Meeting. Leaving my goals in my brain either leads me to forget about them or feel overwhelmed, so putting them on paper and writing down steps to achieve them makes them significantly more tangible. Additionally, with the pandemic, it is easy to become unmotivated and exhausted from the monotonous days, so being able to see my goals allows me to be more intentional with my work. That being said, here are 3 of my main, short-term goals:

My Academic Goal: Implement Productivity Techniques

my single use of the Pomodoro method

I had heard a lot about the Pomodoro method, and a few weeks ago, I downloaded the app "Focus Keeper" which applied this technique. I was shocked at the amount of work I completed. Maybe I am a procrastinator and I needed a "false deadline" to be productive, or maybe I just work better under pressure. Regardless, this method definitely improved my work ethic. I went on to preach about it to my friends and peers...

...only to stop using it the following week. My schedule started to fill up, I began to fall behind, and I convinced myself that I would start using the Pomodoro method just after I caught up. Well, it is now four weeks later, I have yet to "catch up", and Focus Keeper sends me hopeless notifications every day. I keep telling myself that I will spend the entire weekend after my final midterm this Friday completing the work I have due and getting ahead in my classes, but this is something I tell myself every week, so I think it is time I am honest with myself.

With the end of the quarter quickly approaching, assignments are going to pile on at an exponential rate. At this point, it is unlikely that I will ever get as far ahead on my work as I would prefer. Thus, to make this goal more attainable to me, I will attempt to implement this study technique at the beginning of Spring Quarter. Modifying my schedule currently seems too lofty a goal, so while I may consider it in the upcoming weeks, I will set the timeline to Week 1.

Implementing the Pomodoro method will help me be more proactive about my education. Being more productive (which includes giving myself necessary breaks) will enable me to go to office hours and seek out help when I do not understand the material. If I begin projects earlier, I will able to produce better work and be satisfied with the results. Furthermore, I have many years of education ahead, so the sooner I figure out what study habits work for me, the better.

My Extracurricular Goal: Join a Research Lab

This goal has resided in the back of my mind for the entirety of this school year. In Fall Quarter, I joined Collaboration for Undergraduate Enrichment as a mentee to learn more about the research opportunities at UCLA and how to become involved. I am extremely grateful for this organization because the weekly meetings and tasks have ensured I continue progressing towards this goal. Nevertheless, it does take work on my part, which I have not been the most diligent about.

pictures from my first research project ever at COSMOS UC Irvine in the summer of 2019

The steps have been laid out - figure out what type of research you are interested in, create a resume and a CV, create a list of labs you hope to join, reach out to LOTS of Principal Investigators, perform well at the interview, and you are in! Currently, I have only finished writing my resume and CV, so I have a few more tasks to complete before I can achieve this goal. However, the main reason I wish to join a lab is that it is fascinating to delve deeply into a niche topic and be on the edge of new discovery. I hope this curiosity and motivation will propel me towards becoming involved in a lab by the end of this school year.

My Social Goal: Make 2 Friends at UCLA

Everyone can admit, Zoom is not the best method to form connections. While many first-years seem to be thriving at UCLA, making new friends right and left, I have struggled to create meaningful relationships. I joined multiple organizations in hopes that they would allow me to meet new people, but I have not been very successful thus far.

grateful for the friends I have made ♥

Additionally, I do think friendships form naturally and often in the strangest ways, so I am not one to be extremely proactive in attempting to meet others. Nevertheless, if I do not want to feel like a stranger on the UCLA campus this fall, I will definitely need to put more effort into achieving this goal. The trouble is, there is no guide to making friends (I feel like I am in kindergarten again), so it is difficult to create a plan. Hopefully, I can try to engage more with my peers in break-out rooms during class and club meetings and initiate conversation.

Although there is no "SMART" structure for this goal, I believe writing it down and pursuing it more intentionally will lead to a positive outcome. If anyone wants to be friends, text me! My number is... jk, I trust myself to figure it out soon enough.

Let's get to work.