How to Study

The Goal Pyramid
One way to visualize all your goals—and their relationship to each
other—is to construct what I call a goal pyramid. Here’s how to do it:
1. Centered at the top of a piece of paper, write down where
you hope to be—and what you want to be doing—3, 5, or 
10 years from now. This is your long-range goal and the 
pinnacle of your pyramid.
2. Below your long-range goal(s), list mid-range goals—
milestones or steps that will lead you to your eventual 
target.
3. Below the mid-range goals, list as many short-range 
goals as you can—smaller steps that can be completed 
in relatively short periods of time. 
How to Study
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Change your goal pyramid as you progress through school. You may
eventually decide on a different career. Or your mid-range goals may
change as you decide on a different path leading to the long-range
goal. The short-range goals will undoubtedly change, even daily.
The process of creating your own goal pyramid allows you to see how
all those little daily and weekly steps you take can lead to your mid-
range and long-term goals, and will thereby motivate you to work on
your daily and weekly tasks with more energy and enthusiasm.
The development of good study skills is the highway to your goals,
whatever they are. No matter how hard you have to work or how
much adversity you have to overcome along the way, the journey will
indeed be worth it.
How do you make setting goals a part of your life? Here are some
hints I think will help:
■
Be realistic when you set goals. Don’t aim too high or too
low, and don’t be particularly concerned when (not if ) you
have to make adjustments along the way. 
■
Be realistic about your expectations. Seek a greater
understanding of a subject for which you have little aptitude
rather than getting hopelessly bogged down if total mastery 
is just not in the cards. 
■