Make them S.M.A.R.T.

The difference between "I want to know more about computers" and "I need to master security protocols in PHP programming" is pretty vast. You've probably got much more intriging goals than either of those, but the same key criteria should apply to making your goal a realistic one. Use the way-older-than-this-blog S.M.A.R.T. guidelines to shape them: Specific ("Run 2 miles, three times a week"); Measurable ("Improve my mile times by 25%"); Achievable (Avoid pie-in-the-sky goals that you can't expect to achieve.); Realistic (Give yourself the time necessary to achieve the goal. Don't expect overnight success.) Timely (Have a real deadline with progress check-ups; get your first 5K under your belt by Sept. 1, instead of "Run a long race this year"). A more thorough schooling on S.M.A.R.T. is offered by Robert Bogue at TechRepublic.