Short, medium and long term goals are essential to define where we are heading in life. what do we want to do? where do we want to go? what makes us feel happy? Even though we have been setting goals about what we want since we were little, achieving them is not as simple as imagining it, don’t you think?
To begin with, it is necessary to know how to set short, medium and long term goals in order to have a life plan that will lead us to success, since defining achievable goals, and achieving them, serves as motivation to move forward, to promote change in our lives and to get out of our comfort zone.
Additionally, according to Indeed, a job search website, setting realistic goals for the future will help you be a productive person and improve your current situation, since you will be able to define the path you need to follow to reach the point where you feel satisfied with yourself.
So, in your case, have you already defined your short, medium and long term goals? If you haven’t, don’t worry! With this blog post, you will learn how to set your goals in life in simple steps. also, we bring you 70 examples of short, medium and long term goals to inspire you to start creating yours today, there’s no time to lose!
read on!
how to set short, medium and long term goals?
Before going to the examples of short, medium and long term goals, it is important to learn how you can set each of these goals, because, since they define the course of our life, it is not a process that you should take lightly, don’t you think?
Pay attention to the following steps so you can learn each of the goals you have in mind:
1. Define what success means to you
The first step in defining your short, medium and long-term goals is to delimit what success is for you, because, as you should know, we all have different definitions of success. therefore, we need to be in tune with our perception of what it is to be successful in order to set our short, medium and long term goals.
To do this, you must recognize that success is not one-dimensional. It usually consists of finding a balance between work, money and personal life. In that sense, as you begin to define your short-, medium- and long-term goals, you must make sure to encompass all of these aspects.
For example, there are people who consider themselves successful when they do what they like, others when they receive a generous remuneration and others when they spend most of their time with their family. It’s all going to depend on the individual.
So, to start on the road to setting your goals, analyze all areas of your life realistically and find a balance according to your personal characteristics, interests and expectations.
2. Set your goals with the SMART methodology
The SMART methodology is used to set short, medium and long term goals in both the professional and personal spheres. Using this technique gives us more control and clarity in order to have effective goals.
SMART objectives have the following characteristics:
Specific: that is, we must define clear and detailed goals.
Measurable: goals must be measurable in some way. For example, you can use indicators.
Achievable: your goal must be realistic, so you must analyze everything involved, such as resources, time, context and your own capabilities.
Relevant: you must take into account how your short- and medium-term goals will impact the overall goal.
Time: i.e., we have to establish a specific time frame to achieve the goals.
Being clear about these 5 points, described by the SMART methodology, is helpful to maintain your motivation and not get discouraged at the first obstacle, because you will be able to see how your goals take shape in a clear way and how you can achieve them if you set your mind to it.
3. Develop an action plan
We must plan our objectives starting with the long-term goals, as these will help us determine what actions we need to accomplish in the short and medium term goals for our final purpose. In other words, this will allow us to trace a route.
So, once you are clear about what your long-term goals are, you should research on the step by step you need to accomplish to achieve them. to do this, open the internet and start exploring all the paths that will lead you to success. This is the time to analyze all the options you have and decide which ones suit you best.
It is also important to consider all the setbacks and eventualities that may arise along the journey, because not all the way will be easy, especially if you have a long-term goal that involves consolidating yourself in the professional field.
But don’t worry, if you are a disciplined person, once you have set your goals, it will be much easier to follow each step and fulfill your life plan. In addition, anticipating inconveniences will help you to formulate a contingency plan and thus prevent any event from having a negative effect on the achievement of your goals.
4. Make a list of your priorities
what is most important to you? To order your short, medium and long term goals according to your priorities you must identify the degree of importance of each one, this will allow you to select the activities that do not generate impact or add value. In this way, you will be able to keep the goals that are most relevant to you to focus on them.
In the same way, as well as the priorities, you can also prioritize the indicators and tasks of each goal according to their importance. It is also advisable to include dates and times in order to have more order and greater clarity in the goals .
Finally, to get an idea of how productive you are progressing towards your short-term goals, it is important that you keep track of the activities you have developed to visualize how you are progressing towards your final objective.
what are short-term goals?
According to Task, a project management tool, short-term goals are the bridge between where you are right now and where you want to be.in short, we call short-term goals the objectives that are closer to the present, so they should be defined more precisely from the beginning.
Also, we can qualify them as the starting point to achieve our aspirations and dreams. the period of time we refer to with short-term goals ranges from days, weeks and months, i.e., they can range from daily activities or what we will do in a month, to what we seek to achieve in the current year.
Usually, short-term goals represent a priority and are planned for a specific date. Here are some examples.
Examples of short-term goals
Open a savings account before the end of the month.
Select clothes I no longer wear and give them to charity.
Clean the apartment thoroughly this Saturday.
Get a passing grade on the final exam of the semester.
Design the logo for my brand this weekend.
Bring 10 new clients into the company in the next 3 months.
Start an online course to improve my soft skills this Thursday.
Update my resume tomorrow.
Buy a portable bottle to drink my 2 liters of water daily.
Not consume sugars for 30 days.
Read one book a month.
Bake a cake for my mother’s birthday on Friday.
Learn to crochet a scarf.
Design a monthly savings plan for this year.
Practice this Friday for my job interviews next week.
Be on time for work every day.
Write the checklist for my next trip.
Send the client the digital marketing proposal for their brand on Monday.
Go to the supermarket and buy everything I need for the week.
Write an article for my website.
Go for a walk every day in the afternoon.
Join the gym on the first day of the next month.
Learn a new language in the next 5 months.
Finish the first season of my favorite series.
decorate my room this weekend.
As you can see, at this point in our guide to short-, medium- and long-term goals, you don’t have to get too complicated. moving towards your goals and what makes you happy can start by consciously changing the activities you do every day.
Image: Pexels
what are medium-term goals?
On the other hand, medium-term goals are the objectives we set ourselves to achieve in the near future; however, they require sustained effort and commitment to achieve them. Therefore, we usually set a medium-term goal and break it down into tasks.
When we talk about medium-term goals in terms of time, they are annual or biannual objectives. Likewise, we can consider them as the result of short-term goals. Here are some examples.
Examples of medium-term goals
Increase profits in my area by 20% over the previous year.
Develop a social media campaign.
Grow an organic vegetable garden in my backyard.
Attend all classes for the semester and take notes for exams.
Reduce annual expenses in my personal budget.
Have a 5% monthly growth in sales on Instagram for 1 year.
Start the process of designing trainings for the marketing area.
Organize company events throughout the year.
Save every month to buy a car.
Finish a diploma course at the university.
Open a new location for my business in another city.
Design a strategy for my sales team and increase annual productivity.
Reduce my cigarette consumption every month until I quit smoking.
Create an online sales channel for my business.
Move to a bigger apartment.
Clean the apartment thoroughly every two weeks and make it a habit.
Publish my first book.
Launch my clothing brand.
Finish the year as the 1st place in my promotion.
Participate in volunteering.
Get up early every day and meditate.
Win a basketball or soccer tournament.
Practice yoga every month of the year.
Travel at least 3 times a year.
Develop a new hobby to level out stress.
Although medium-term goals will demand a little more effort, the rewards or results will be even more rewarding, because can you imagine seeing how your business moves forward or how your body changes if you decide to choose a healthy lifestyle?
Undoubtedly, it will be worth all the effort and the wait, so, even if the process seems complicated and you feel tempted to give up, remember that the best things are the result of perseverance and determination.
Image: Pexels
what are long-term goals?
Well, now that you know what short and medium-term goals are, in this section we will focus on long-term goals.
So, what are long-term personal goals? Basically, they are the most distant projects in time and depend on the fulfillment of short and medium-term goals. When we talk about time, long-term goals are established for a period of 5 to 10 years.
At that point, we will see the result of all our attitudes and behaviors over time. Because they are more demanding, the fulfillment of long-term goals will be subject to the self-discipline, resilience and constancy of each individual.
However, we must take into account that long-term goals are neither static nor definitive, since they may vary over time, as people are changing beings.
In that sense, you must consider that our personality, as well as our interests, tastes, ideas and values evolve and can alter our perspective to transform the objectives we have defined. likewise, the context is changing and, many times, it will be necessary to redefine our goals to adapt to what we want.
To give you a clearer idea of what we are talking about, here are some examples.
Examples of long-term goals
To be a person with a healthy lifestyle and who promotes exercise and good nutrition to others.
Be the manager of a transnational organization.
Obtain a professional university degree.
To save and buy a 3-bedroom house.
To be a leading professional in my industry.
Found an international non-profit organization.
Lead a prestigious company.
Be a professional soccer star.
Start a family, with a partner and children.
design and develop innovative technology to make people’s lives easier.
Own the largest digital marketing company in the country.
Visit 100 different countries.
Go public with my company.
be an internationally renowned writer and translated into several languages.
Win elections to be a state representative.
To be a recognized activist who has created a change in the world.
To be a marathon runner.
Expand my business internationally.
To earn a doctorate degree.
To be a financially independent person who enjoys job stability.
The personal plans for the future that are set to materialize in the long term will help you consolidate a position in your life that will produce well-being and security. However, to reach that point, as we have mentioned previously, everything will depend on whether you have been able to achieve your short and medium-term goals.
how to achieve your short, medium and long term goals?
Atthis point, you already have a clear idea of how you should define your short, medium and long term goals. However, you are probably wondering how to achieve your life project goals or what are the steps you should follow to get closer to personal fulfillment.
As you already know, the road to your goals will not be easy and much less short, remember that long-term goals are usually demanding and are set for a period of time longer than 5 years. However, there are some points that you should keep in mind to make the process easier and not lose sight of your goal.
Remember that, in order to achieve all your short, medium and long term goals, you will have to accomplish small activities on a daily basis. So, pay attention to the essential points to start this journey on the right foot:
1. Be consistent
To meet your short, medium and long term goals it is essential that you build a strategy to schedule your daily, weekly and monthly activities. Then, it is important to have discipline and carry them out every time you have scheduled them, only then you will be close to achieving your goals.
2. Be positive
Motivation will be your engine to achieve all your goals in the short, medium and long term, since you need to maintain a positive attitude when performing each task, this will help you overcome adversities without letting yourself be carried away by the bad time.
Do not forget that it is normal that during all the time that you program yourself to achieve a goal many things can happen. The important thing is to stay firm and be clear that, ultimately, achieving a goal in the short, medium or long term depends more on you than on external factors.
A good idea to keep your positive attitude and be a motivated person is to make a vision board with your goals on Pinterest and pin it on the wall of your room to inspire you every day to move forward.
Image: Pexels
3. Reward your achievements
how to achieve your life goals? Recognize your accomplishments and feel happy for what you achieve, even if it is something small. This will not only help keep you motivated to reach your goals, but it will boost your self-esteem. Remember that, ultimately, every action you take today will bring you closer to your ultimate goal.
However, you should keep in mind that rewards should be consistent with the goals you set. For example, if your goal is to save for a car, you cannot reward yourself with an expensive object with no utility value.
4. Make adjustments when necessary
As previously mentioned, people change, and so do their goals. So, if you find that you need to alter, replace or remove a goal from your list, that’s okay.
To this end, it is important to monitor our medium and long-term goals from time to time, and to be flexible to make the necessary adjustments that will help you adapt to your new perspective.
Image: Pexels
5. Talk about your goals
tell your friends and family about your life goals! This will reinforce your commitment and help you lose fear of failure, as people will be there for you as a support and to sustain you in the face of adversity.
6. Look for tools to narrow down your goals
Finally, it is recommended that you look for resources that will help you to delimit the path you must follow to achieve your short, medium and long term goals. When you start this process, it is normal to feel lost and not knowing where to go. However, with the right tools, you will be able to solve this problem.
To help you in this process, we have compiled a list of resources to help you achieve your short-, medium- and long-term goals, which you will find in the final section of this article.
Image: Pexels
how to define short, medium and long term goals according to your priorities?
As we mentioned earlier, one of the keys to defining short, medium and long-term personal goals is to organize your priorities and select the most important ones, that is, those that will have an impact on your life.
Once you have defined your goals, the second part is to work towards them and achieve them. To help you with this mission, we have prepared some free resources, organized according to your priorities.
1. Community goals: examples and resources
Community goals are those that have a direct impact on a group of people, be it a family, a population or a community. They usually refer to actions with a social impact.
Some examples of short, medium and long term community goals are:
Short term: Separate waste in my home.
Medium term: Contribute to the soup kitchens in my city.
Long term: Contribute a percentage of my monthly income to a charitable association.
what tools will help you achieve these goals?
1.1. Guide for reusing old or used clothing
By following the steps in this guide that promotes sustainability, encourages responsible consumption and reduces environmental impact, you will be helping to save natural resources.
are you ready to be part of the change?
download our guide to reuse old or used clothing
1.2. Monthly savings chart template
On the other hand, this template will help you organize your finances to allocate a monthly percentage to a charity or association of which you want to be a benefactor.
download our monthly savings table template.
Image: Pexels
2. Study goals: examples and resources
Some examples of short-term educational goals relate to passing upcoming exams or starting a new course.
On the other hand, some examples of a student’s medium-term goals are more related to a semester’s planning of classes or a training activity.
Finally, examples of long-term goals could be studying for a degree and obtaining a university degree.
did you identify with any of the above goals? If so, and you want to accomplish any or all of them, these downloadable files are for you:
2.1. Backgrounds for formal PowerPoint presentations 1
During the completion of an educational course or career, as part of your short, medium or long term goals, it is very likely that you will have to make many presentations to expose some project or work.
Therefore, if you want to ensure the highest grade and get your professor’s congratulations, you can’t miss this resource.
download our backgrounds for formal Power Point presentations
2.comparison chart template in Word 1
Following the path towards your short, medium and long term goals, you are likely to find yourself in the position where you have to decide between different college majors or between courses to build your semester.
To make the best decision and not regret it later, making a comparison chart will help you to have a clear idea of what each of the options represents.
take advantage of this tool!
download our Word comparison chart template
Image: Pexels
3. Work goals: examples and resources
Short- and medium-term goals in the workplace are usually associated with a specific project that you have to finish in the next few days or with the fact of increasing sales in the following months.
On the other hand, long-term work goals may be related to a promotion or a transfer. For example, leading the marketing department.
If you have some of these goals in mind, then you should download the following free templates:
3.1. Excel work plan format
If you want to successfully carry out the project you have pending and thus concretize part of the goals of your life project, with this tool you can delimit all the essentials that you must take into account to do so.
download our Excel work plan format
3.2. Excel timeline template
With this Excel document you will be able to better organize the tasks and responsibilities of your business or work project, you will not forget the deadlines you have pending and you will be able to achieve all the short, medium and long term goals you set for your business.
download our Excel timeline template
Image: Pexels
Free resources to achieve your short, medium and long term goals
All right, promises are promises. In this section, you will find the best tools to achieve all the short, medium and long term personal goals you set for yourself.
Although you already know some resources that you can apply to achieve specific goals, the list you will see below will be useful to motivate you and delimit your goals in general. therefore, you can use them to start from scratch to establish your short, medium and long term goals.
are you ready to know what they are? let’s keep going!
1. Template to learn how to make your life project
where are you headed? what are your long-term dreams? This template will help you put your wishes and desires down on paper to set small goals that you can achieve little by little .
In other words, with this tool you will not delay in delimiting what your short, medium and long term goals are, take advantage of it!
download our template to make your life project
2. Guide to create a dream map
On the other hand, if you have already defined your short, medium and long term goals, but you have not been able to achieve most of them, don’t worry! With this guide we have prepared for you, you will have at hand the best visualization tool to remember the activities you want to achieve and not give up along the way.
This dream map or visual board will be one of the best motivators to keep you going until the end.
download our guide to make a dream map
3. Purpose Mural
In addition to the dream map, a purpose wall will also help you stand firm in the face of events that may delay or affect the process of reaching the short-, medium- and long-term goals you have set for yourself .
With this tool, you will stay motivated to accomplish each small task you have set for the day, month or year. you can’t miss it!
download our resolutions wall chart
4. Personal activities timeline
As we have discussed throughout the article, to achieve any of the short, medium and long term goals you desire, you must go through many daily, monthly and even yearly activities. Therefore, it is evident that you have quite a bit to do!
But, relax, our activity schedule is here to save you. So don’t stress and start organizing yourself efficiently with this tool we’ve developed for you.
download our personal schedule of activities
congratulations! Now you know how to correctly define your short, medium and long term goals, how to achieve them and, in addition, you have the best resources to chart the best path to professional and personal success.
Additionally, we share with you some words from Clarisa Ponte, teacher of the self-motivation and achievement motivation course, which, we are sure, will motivate you: “never lose sight of your purpose, focus on what is important to you and what you dream of. Remember that, in order to achieve your life project, everything is attitude, perseverance and discipline”.
Therefore, as our expert says, to reach your goals in the short, medium and long term, the whole process will depend on the small steps you take and how firm you remain in the face of negative circumstances. don’t get carried away by other people’s opinions and make sure you always do what you want.
In that sense, to delimit the small activities that will take you towards the final goal, we recommend you to take the course on the power of creating habits. Similarly, to further enhance your skills and thus achieve your goals, you can review our extensive catalog of soft skills courses.
good luck!