A long‐term goal could be getting into medical school, developing skills and knowledge in a field of study, or simply graduating.

Medium‐term goals start to break down the long‐term goal into smaller, more tangible components. For a student hoping to get into medical school, a medium‐term goal could be achieving 'A' in an AP Biology class.

A short‐term goal is a specific, short task ‐ achievable within a limited time frame. A short‐term goal might be reviewing Biology lecture notes on a weekly basis. When you're setting short‐term goals, it's important to be as specific as possible.

What are your long term goals?

Create a list of medium term goals required to achieve one of your long term goals.

Create a list of short term goals required to achieve one of your medium term goals.

Making a list of academic tasks on a regular basis provides several other benefits:

You'll be less likely to forget even minor tasks

You can determine which tasks have high priority and need to be done first, ensuring that deadlines will be met

You'll have both a short‐ and long‐range view of the work coming up

You may procrastinate less when you have a realistic idea of how much work needs to be done

Assign your tasks to your free time. Use a template for scheduling.