Setting learning goals sets the guidelines for the learning process. A good goal is concrete, measurable and achievable. Learning goals may also include the number of repetitions in a given exercise, number of pages read, or other measure for countable learning efforts to be performed by a specific date. Setting concrete goals helps to set a concrete learning plan and to see, whether one is proceeding in time towards the right goals.

• Setting concrete deadlines for reading a book, accomplishing an online course or delivering an exercise often helps to get the learning tasks on schedule.
• Writing down what is the targeted skill level and analyzing what intermediate goals it will take to achieve that level can help in creating a concrete and achievable learning plan.
• When delivering training for others, delivering small tests on predefined dates can help to measure the progress and to stay on the right track.
• Dividing learning goals into smaller subgoals can help to split the required workload into smaller parts, which are achievable more quickly and which also make sticking to the planned schedule more motivating.

Making goals black and white helps to stick with them. Therefore it is often a good idea to write down your goals and share them with the people who can help you to achieve them.

What concrete goals you could set for yourself to master a skill you want to practice?

What metrics you could use to measure the development of your team and to set more concrete goals?