“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”

Before you start your journey, you need to know the destination. If you don’t know where you want to reach you may either keep moving aimlessly or get lost altogether.

Similarly, before you make a plan to achieve something in life, you need to set short-term or long-term goals. Without a clear picture of where you want to see yourself, all your efforts will go in vain.

Now when you set a long-term goal, you must ensure that your focus stays intact until you achieve the ultimate goal. Therefore along with a long-term goal you need to have many short-term goals to keep yourself on track and not get lost.

“ Long-term success won’t happen if you don’t set yourself up for it early on. The biggest mistake you can make is only planning for the short-term and expecting things to work out in the long run.”

In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of having goals.

Importance of Having Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

Long-term goals are the goals you set for your future, and short-term goals are an integral part of the planning to achieve them.

Long-term goals can’t be met in a matter of hours, days, or months. It takes years of dedication, hard work, and planning. Envisioning things you want to achieve in the future can be exciting, but practically executing the plan can be daunting. So, to create an effective strategy to achieve your long-term goals, you set several short-term goals.

Short-term goals act as a milestone in your journey to reach the long-term goal of your life. They help you gauge how far you have come and how long you still have to travel to reach your ultimate destination.

Also, to achieve long-term goals, you need to break them down into short-term goals.

For example, if you want a lavish car in the future, you need to start saving small chunks of money every month to gather a sufficient amount to buy that car.

When you don’t have short-term goals, you lack a clear vision of what you want to achieve. Short-term goals help you see your ultimate goals clearly and set specific guidelines to help you attain your long-term goals.

Failures, discouragement, and rejection are some of the hurdles you may face while working towards your goals.

Also, sometimes it takes way too long to successfully achieve your long-term goals, which can take a toll on your confidence.

The secret to success is not just to keep moving. The secret is to keep moving according to a plan to reach a particular destination in life.

This is where short-term goals come into play. They keep reminding you of the purpose of all the hard work you put in and keep you focused.

The plan is often a combination of many short-term goals pointing in the direction of an ultimate goal. It doesn’t matter if you are in school, college or you are a working professional, having short-term goals to attain a long-term goal is always beneficial.

The difference between short-term and long-term goals

While there are many different types of goals, the two overarching categories are short-term and long-term goals.

In general, short-term goals can be finished within a six-month to three-year time frame while long-term goals may take anywhere from three to five years (or even longer).

In many cases, a long-term goal requires and consists of many smaller, short-term goals. These smaller goals break the “big picture” vision down into bite-sized tasks.

For example,
Your goal is to launch a new marketing campaign.
It must be followed by short-term goals or milestones such as,

• Researching a niche market
• Creating a landing page and
• Auditing your brand strategy

Short-term goals can help you work towards that long-term goal or they can be goals you’ve set for isolated milestones in your life.

Tips to create short-term goals

Here are three steps to take when planning your short-term goals:

Identify long-term goals

Knowing your long-term goals will help you break them down into smaller, bite-sized goals to work through before you reach your end game.

Evaluate and identify a goal that would take considerable time and effort for you to reach, such as opening a brick-and-mortar store.

Set SMART goals

The SMART formula is a system designed to help you achieve your goals faster by getting as specific as possible on what it is you want out of your goals.

The SMART formula as you go through your goals to ensure they are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable/Attainable
• Relevant/Realistic
• Time-based

For example, a good SMART goal is, “I will create a new landing page tailored to this specific niche audience in 15 days.”

Create short-term goals for the intermittent steps towards your long-term goal’s bottom line.

Keep track of your progress

There are many ways you can track your progress on your short-term goals and see how they’re leading you to your long-term goals.

Examples include:

• Write in a journal what you have completed for your goal each day.
• Keeping a running tally of days in a row you have worked on your plan.
• Share your progress with a mentor or trusted friend to help keep you accountable.
• Visualize yourself already completing this goal or working towards your goal either before you go to bed or as soon as you wake up.

Tips to create long-term goals

In addition to your short-term goal list, here are some methods to help you envision your goals across the long term:

Think of where you want to be in 10 years

You can break your goals down into different categories from financial to personal.

It’s also helpful if you align your goals with your values and what means the most to you.

This makes them more personal, giving you a greater drive to complete them in the long run.

Work backward from that goal

It may seem counterintuitive to work backward. However, starting at the finish line — as though you’ve already completed your goal — allows you to create tangible steps without becoming overwhelmed and losing sight of the long-term vision.

Working backward allows you to feel the accomplishment and gives you a boost of insight into how to reach it.

Break long-term goals into small, attainable steps

Create short-term goals for the intermittent steps towards your long-term goal’s bottom line.

An example would be writing 100 words a day (short-term goal) toward writing a novel (long-term goal).

Create monthly, short-term goals

Sit down with yourself monthly to review your plan to reach your long-term goal.

Create short-term goals based on what’s going on that particular month.

Adjust goals as priorities change

As time goes on, your goals may change. Check in with yourself as often as you can and don’t be afraid to adjust, tweak, or even scrap your plans to start anew in your long-term goal’s journey.

Use your monthly check-ins to make sure your goal is on the same page as it was when you began.

Final Thoughts

Short-term and long-term goals are essential for effective life planning.

They provide direction, motivation, and a sense of purpose, enabling individuals to make progress, experience personal growth, and achieve fulfillment.

By integrating tools like Justly, which focuses on helping users reach their goals through positive habits and consistent routines, individuals can enhance their chances of success and create the life they desire.

Start your journey towards goal attainment with Justly today and embrace the power of goal-setting, prioritize your aspirations, and turn your dreams into reality.

Justly: Habits, Goals, Journal

How Short-Term and Long-Term Goals Impact Your Life Planning? was originally published in Justly Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.