Establishing a short-term goal can be difficult if you do not know where to start. Setting a long-term goal can sometimes be overwhelming because you must wait several years before accomplishing it.
This can often be discouraging and unmotivating as you are not seeing the growth progress you would like. Short-term goal examples are a perfect way to jump-start your self-improvement journey, as some goals allow you to complete within weeks or even days.
When it comes to life planning, there are three main types of goals: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. Each goal is essential to establish as it can add tremendous value to your life.
In this article, I’ve provided 48 different short-term goal examples across six categories so you can immediately bring value to your life.
Which Best Defines the Relationship Between Short and Long-Term Goals?
Setting goals in both your personal and professional life can bring tremendous direction and purpose. Although, by definition, the difference between short and long-term goals is in the length of the goal itself, the relationship between these two concepts helps create a roadmap toward success.
For example, a long-term goal without a short-term goal is just a far-fetched dream without actionable tasks attached to it. It is only when short-term goals are stated so that progress can be made. In a way, these two goal-setting methods have a codependent relationship.
A long-term goal creates a larger vision or goal to be reached. Short-term goals provide a foundational structure that can easily be adapted to any timeframe or situation.
How Can Short-Term Goals Best Lead Towards Accomplishing Long-Term Goals?
The best way for short-term goals to lead toward accomplishing long-term goals is by consistently reaccessing your short-term goals and seeing if they align with the ultimate vision. Oftentimes, external factors can negatively affect your life or vision it is essential to adjust your goals.
Personal Development Goals
1. A Glass of Water Before or After Each Meal
One simple and realistic example of a short-term goal is drinking several extra cups of water a day. A study shows that we should ideally drink about 4-6 cups of plain water daily while retaining the remaining water from other fluid sources.
For the vast majority of us, our water consumption is below average. Simply adding water before or after our meals means that we will be more hydrated throughout the day and more focused and energized.
One tip I would like to add to this short-term goal is to increase my cup size from 8oz to 16oz, that way I drink even more water.
2. 5 Minute Tidy Rule
This short-term goal is one of my favorite additions to my nighttime routine. It helps me end the day and even prepares me for the next day. Having a 5-Minute Tidy Rule allows me to quickly organize my workspace/ room without dedicating too much time.
I don’t exactly set a timer for 5 minutes, instead, I like to put 2 of my favorite songs and I have until the songs finish to tidy as much as I can.
Here are some things I do:
- Clean the workstation table as much as I can.
- Put away dirty clothes.
- Clorox wipes the work area.
- Throw 5-10 things away.
- Prepare clothing for the next day.
- I pick up as much stuff as possible from floors and put it in respective bins.
3. The 2 Minute Rule
This is another short-term goal that I actively use daily. The rule is that if something takes 2 minutes or less, I try to complete it immediately. I learned about it here, and following this allows me to keep my to-do list short and organized to focus on priority-only tasks.
Throughout the day, some examples of my 2-minute tasks can look something like this:
- Respond to a quick email.
- Put away an item that’s out of place.
- Quickly wipe a surface
- Respond to a text message
- Schedule a meeting
4. 30 Minutes Less Screen Time
One of the most significant bad habits I actively indulged in is using my phone during and after my meals. This is a terrible combination of a food coma followed by screen time on the phone. Often, meals in the afternoon or evening can be easily ruined due to hours of lazy scrolling.
To combat this, I try to put my mobile devices away for 30 minutes after I eat. This means engaging in these mindless activities will be much harder for me. Thereby, I can save countless hours throughout the day by strategically avoiding using my phone.
5. 1 New Meal Bi-Weekly
Another great short-term goal that I use is to learn one new recipe bi-weekly. I can be very forgetful sometimes about exactly what days I should start this, so I like to follow my paycheck cycle. Every time I receive a new paycheck, it means it is time for a new recipe.
This is actually a triple-win short-term goal as I learn something new, I save money by not going out, and I can even do this activity with a friend or significant other, so we create new memories together
6. Read 1 Book Bi-Weekly
One of the wealthiest people in the world, Warren Buffet, spends nearly 80% of his day reading. He does this because he understands that, in a way, reading books is the closest thing you have to having superpowers.
Imagine someone spending 5-10 years studying a specific topic and then condensing it into a 200-page book. People can then accelerate their learning by spending 5 hours reading and understanding instead of starting over from scratch.
For instance, reading a book about becoming a bodybuilder would be 100x times more effective than going straight to the gym and practicing trial and error until you get the skills right.
This is why aiming for one book every two weeks is more than crucial to your personal development.
7. 5 Minute Unsubscribing From Email List
With so many articles and newsletters, you seem to be on everyone’s email list. On average, people receive about 120 emails per day. However, only about 5-10% of them are actually helpful or applicable to one’s life.
If you can somehow remove 90% of those email listings, you will essentially save 90% of your time by looking through your emails less. It is very counterproductive to spend a whole day clearing your emails, so spending just 5 minutes during your free time is ideal.
Try to unsubscribe whenever you are doing the following activities:
- Waiting for food at a restaurant
- Waiting for train/ bus
- Waiting for a friend
- Waiting for a meeting to start
- During bus/ train/ Uber rides
8) Throw away 10 items to Declutter
Establishing a clean workplace can boost your productivity 10x, and it can even be highly motivating when you feel lazy. Sometimes, cleaning your place can be a bit overwhelming because there are so many things to clean. However, just breaking it down 1 item at a time throughout several months will be much more rewarding.
For instance, you will wake up every day knowing your room is 10 items cleaner than the day before, and you can slowly see your room grow daily as there is less clutter.
Remember, the most important thing is to start anywhere, whether on your desk, floor, chair, or drawer!
Career Goals
1. Certifications
Completing certifications is a great way to show that you are interested in a topic and can learn independently. With so many online certifications, you can build excellent skills for free in any field you desire.
One of my best friends changed her career trajectory by completing a certification in cybersecurity on Coursera, a field completely different from what she studied during college. Soon after posting on LinkedIn, she slowly started getting recruiters in her inbox about cybersecurity-related job roles
2. Reach Out for a Coffee Chat
In the world of career development, one critical short-term goal is establishing a coffee chat with people to keep consistent contact. A coffee chat can be as quick as a 15-minute coffee break, and this personal connection gives you an edge over someone else when the time comes for a referral.
A coffee chat also provides a perfect opportunity to ask your mentors about the trajectory in a field of interest, as they have years of experience you do not have. This form of networking is easy to do and maintain.
3. 15 Minutes to Update Resume and LinkedIn
Keeping an updated Resume and LinkedIn can be difficult if you wait to do it once a year, as you will have to think back about all your accomplishments. Instead, spending 15 minutes once a week writing down a solid bullet point or two about your accomplishments is better.
With so many online tips and tricks for updating your resume, you can easily stay ahead of the game by staying on top of your game.
Doing this will save you hours trying to remember what you did on the backend. Furthermore, updating LinkedIn shows recruiters that you are still active and in the game, positioning you for future opportunities.
4. One New Network Contact a Week
If you want to advance in your career, you must know what you want to work towards. This means looking around your office and seeing what other roles people have that may be of interest to you. The best way to do this is to try to reach out to one new person per week, either in your office or through LinkedIn, and learn about what they do for a living.
Having LinkedIn is a quick way to explore new opportunities and ask for advice. With so many users, networking is easier than ever. For instance, if one person does not respond to you, hundreds of others are in the queue, willing to help you grow.
5. Understand Promotional Requirements
However, there are no guidelines in the workforce, so it is solely up to you to determine how you will get promoted. By constantly communicating with your manager about this, the expectations are set early on, and you have a clear vision of how and when promotions can occur.
Throughout school, it is extremely clear how to get a degree as the requirements are listed clearly, and you have support from the faculty to answer any questions you have about whether you are on pace to graduate.
6. Find In-Person Workshops
Finding in-person networking events is another excellent way to expand your career. These events allow you to connect directly with recruiters and the HR team, allowing you to stand out from the crowd.
Throughout undergrad, there are sponsored events just like this; however, as you advance in your career, these opportunities are still out there, just not thrown in your face. So it is your responsibility to find these events and network yourself
7. Become a Mentor
Becoming a mentor allows you to contribute back to the community and help those younger than you turn their careers around. Furthermore, you can build a skillset in leadership, teamwork, and communications, which are all invaluable skills to have on any team.
8. Negotiate Your Raise
After working for a single company for an extended period, you might forget that you still have the power to negotiate your salary. This means that you can do the same job while getting paid 10-20% more.
Negotiating a raise can be as simple as having a list of all your accomplishments and contributions and explaining to your manager why you deserve it. Taking the time to have all of this laid out can mean extra income every single month.
Relationship Goals
1. Call a Friend Once a Month
I am extremely busy balancing work, life, business, health, and relationships. One sure way to keep up with friends is to call them at least once a month.
Throughout college, I am expected to see a friend ten times a week due to classes or after-school projects. However, post-grad means that life has become more difficult as your schedules do not align, so it is more important than ever to make those calls
2. Bi-Weekly Date Night
One of the best ways to maintain a relationship is to have a biweekly date night. In daily life, it is expected to forget about having a special moment because you may be busy going to the gym, cooking, managing your business, or your career. So having that dedicated time, whether it’s an online movie day or an in-person night at a fancy restaurant, is essential.
3. Remote Cook Battle
Having a friendly cook battle is a great way to develop relationships, make food, and create memories. A cook battle can occur in many ways, where the group decides to have one dish, and you guys determine what dish tastes or looks the best. I think one of my favorite parts about the short-term goal is that you’re able to learn new cooking skills as well as learn from your friend or significant other their cooking techniques
4. Online Games
An online game night is one of my favorite activities for developing relationships and building memories. This could mean online charades, watching a movie, Pictionary, or any other game that you can imagine. One of my favorite games I love to play online is the online version of Catan, and it’s always great because it is a chance for us to make friends online as well well
5. Group Vision Board
Having friends support your future goals is a great way to come together. Creating vision boards is one of my favorite activities to do with friends because we can analyze our thinking process. For example, sometimes, when I make my vision boards for the year, I accidentally write too much or take on too many activities, and this can be counterproductive because they might not necessarily be the most important tasks for me to focus on. I typically find myself to have many interests, and that is actually a double edge sword because a lot of the time, I get distracted easily from those interests, so working on a vision board together allows both parties to establish a realistic goal
6. Mail Cards
Nowadays, text messaging allows us to send messages within a second, however quickly; there are even occasions where birthdays are forgotten or anniversaries are left unspoken about. A straightforward way to make everything more meaningful is to include a simple $1 mail card during essential times, which can be helpful for memories and gratitude. People rarely receive physical mail these days, so it’s more meaningful.
7. Plan a Trip
Planning a trip with friends can be a very daunting task. The reason is because it is so hard to match everyone’s schedules together, especially if it is long distance not to mention the more people you try to bring along the more difficult. It is to plan activities around everyone’s specific criteria. This can lead to just postponing a plan over and over again. One way to beat. This is to buy the plane tickets first by focusing on the date. That way, everyone is locked in, and people will make more of an effort to meet up because they already paid.
8. Start a New Hobby
Starting a group hobby together is great for relationship development and exploring new topics and ideas. Often, people hesitate to start a new hobby together because their interests are too different. However, I encourage you to seek out those different interests because you might like them. It’s often not until we go out of our comfort zone that we truly grow.
Time-Saving Goals
1. To-Do List
One of the most significant ways to waste time is to spend your day wondering what you will do next. Having a to-do list will solve that problem. I remember many times I was very motivated to do something. However, I would jump from one task to another because I didn’t really have a plan and was going with the flow. Establishing a to-do list means that you know exactly what to do next, and it will prioritize tasks as well.
2. Delete One Useless App on Your Phone a Day
On average, a person might have 300 apps on their phone. In reality, however, people only utilize a fraction of them. This means many apps are just taking up storage and cluttering your digital space. Deleting one app a day, especially a gaming app, can actually end up saving you hundreds of hours throughout an entire year.
By decluttering, you can save time and reduce distractions and mental clutter as well.
3. Download StayFocused Website Blocker
This is one of the best apps I use by far, as it helps me block so many websites related to movies and shows, which are my kryptonite. I don’t have any issues with gaming, but when it comes to shows and movies, I rely on Stay Focused to block everything. The best part is that it’s a time blocker, so once I’m completely finished with all my tasks, I can continue enjoying my day—but only after I’ve earned it. I think that’s where most people mess up because they focus on enjoyment first instead of getting their priorities done.
4. Start with Priority Tasks
Often, people confuse staying busy with staying productive. You might spend a lot of time cleaning, organizing, or creating a system, but in reality, you’re just really busy getting organized without being genuinely productive. You aren’t really producing anything, making anything, or learning anything. So, starting the day with priority tasks is essential to move forward with where you want to go.
5. Develop Morning and Nightly Routine
Having a morning and night routine means that you’ve created a fast and efficient system to warm up for the day or wind down for the night. Sometimes, having a chaotic day means that winding down is something you look forward to, and waking up in the morning with the proper routine means that you start the day off potent and can tackle all your tasks with the right mindset. It is always essential to take the time to develop these routines.
6. Implement 30-Minute Time Blocking
This is my favorite short goal. The main idea is to take Elon Musk’s five-minute time boxing and extend it to 30 minutes. Since we’re more human as opposed to being aliens, having a 30-minute time box gives you enough room to be productive and accomplish tasks without feeling burnt out. One of the best aspects of time boxing your time in 30 minutes is that if you get on your phone for a short period, instead of wasting three or four hours or your whole evening, you waste just about 30 minutes.
7. Optimize Commute Tasks
People spend hours commuting throughout the week. Finding ways to optimize this time by being productive during your commute can result in accomplishing more throughout the year. For instance, if I listen to one audiobook every week during my commute, I will have read more by the end of the year than someone who mindlessly listens to the radio. If you have trouble listening to audiobooks, it’s also a good idea to listen to podcasts that can help you in your daily life, whether for business or personal growth.
Health Goals
1. Floss
Flossing is one of the most straightforward short-term goals that people often overlook. Research shows that one of the biggest regrets the elderly have is not taking care of their teeth, which can cause many diseases and even malnutrition. An easy way to prevent this is simply to floss after every meal. It takes less than 30 seconds and can save you thousands of dollars in medical bills in the future.
2. Double Cleanse
Double cleansing is another important self-care goal that I utilize every day. It involves cleansing your face with an oil cleanser to remove oil stains or grease accumulated on your skin throughout the day, followed by a gentle cleanser to get the rest. This simple task can be added to your nightly routine and can be completed in under two minutes. It’s important because it makes you feel much cleaner and more confident.
3. Standing Workstation
Having an ergonomic workstation might seem pointless when you are young, but after working in the same position for ten or even 20 years, you start to feel fatigued because you did not optimize your workstation. Owning a standing workstation has countless benefits, ranging from being more active than sitting down to having an adjustable seating arrangement that you can customize for comfort.
4. Identify Free Workouts
Another short-term health goal I constantly follow is adopting a new workout routine every three months. These routines can be easily found online for free, so you can get great workouts without needing a personal trainer. Depending on what you want to achieve, you can find guides that suit your needs, and by switching them up every three months, you keep your fitness training fresh and new.
5. Accountability Partner
One of the most important lessons I learned through working 9 to 5 is the value of having a daily stand-up. This involves taking about 15 minutes out of the day to share what you did the day before, any blockers you’re experiencing, and what you plan on doing for the rest of the day. This is a form of accountability.
6. Walk and Think
Sometimes, going on a walk is the best thing you can do to clear your mind after a long day. By doing this, you not only get a chance to relax, but you also get to enjoy the nice weather outside and get your steps in for the day. During very stressful times, I like to walk to the pier and bring a small notebook with me because I often generate my most creative ideas during my walks.
7. Add a Serving of Greens
A simple, easy short-term goal is to add a serving of greens to your meals. By doing so, you create healthy habits for yourself and your family, and by the end of the year, you will have eaten twice as many greens as you did the year prior. This short-term goal takes minimal effort as it involves adding extra vegetables to your cooking.
8. 5-Minute Deep Breathing/Meditation
I find myself on a digital device almost every waking second, whether I’m at work, commuting, or home working on my online side business. This constant screen activity strains my eyes. I like to reset my mental state by doing a five-minute breathing exercise. It not only clears my mind but also reduces my stress and anxiety. Through a simple meditation period every day, you can accomplish more throughout the week as you feel less stressed and more productive.
Financial Goals
1. Save 10% of Your Income
Nowadays, nearly half of America is in debt, whether it’s credit card debt or student loan debt. One way I combat this is by immediately taking 10% of my paycheck and putting it into my savings account. By doing so, I pay myself first, then focus on paying my bills, and finally use the remaining money for entertainment as a reward.
2. Download Credit Karma
This app is by far one of my favorites for keeping track of my finances. With it, I can look at my credit score from both TransUnion and Experian. I can see all my credit cards and their balances, so I never miss a payment. Most importantly, I learned why my credit score went up or down. This is the best app to download when starting your financial journey.
3. Monthly Sit-Down
Having a monthly sit-down with yourself or your spouse is crucial for your financial future. You can review your month-to-month spending and become more aware of where your money goes and how you can change your habits to budget for future expenses like owning a home, paying off debt, or getting a new car. By having a monthly sit-down, you can continuously optimize your spending.
4. Get Partner/Friend Advice
Not everyone is a finance or math person, and that’s okay. However, it’s not OK to ignore your responsibilities when it comes to paying bills and debt. If managing your finances is not your strength, a short-term goal you can set is to reach out to someone you know who is good at managing their money and ask for their advice.
5. Create a Roth IRA Account
Everyone is so focused on living in the present that sometimes they neglect the future. One of the saddest moments I’ve experienced was seeing someone in their mid-70s working at a fast food restaurant to maintain their livelihood. Whatever the reason, most people don’t look forward to working in their mid-70s. To avoid this, you need a retirement account. With its tax advantages, a Roth IRA allows your money to grow well into your retirement.
6. Watch 10 Finance Videos
Many people think they know everything about finances because their parents taught them the importance of saving or having a good credit score. Or perhaps your parents didn’t teach you any of that, and you found yourself in a giant debt hole. One of the best places to learn more about finances is through YouTube channels dedicated to teaching financial literacy. They spent years learning about finances and months making high-quality videos for you to watch, so all you have to do is consume the videos and learn something in minutes.
7. Open a HYSA Wealthfront Account
My parents always told me to put my money in a safe place and not to keep all of it in the bank because if it goes down, you lose everything. So, up until high school, I kept thousands of dollars under my bed. However, I didn’t know that every day I kept it there, I lost money due to inflation. I didn’t think I could earn 5% with a high-yield savings account or invest in treasury bonds, ETFs, or index funds. Now, you can access everything you need about finances through Google.
8. Find Ways to Make an Extra $100 a Week.
As the year progresses, it’s becoming increasingly complex to make a living due to rising rent prices while wages stay the same. Although we can complain about the government not doing its job to provide for its citizens, sometimes it’s best to step away from being a keyboard warrior and find ways to make an extra $100 per week.