Advantages of setting up short-term goals

Short-term goals are primarily responsible for our well-being. They reinforce us and provide us with fundamental feedback to optimize the investment of resources.

Short-term goals refer to the objectives that we intend to meet in the near term. In other words, these are the purposes we are trying to achieve in the following days.

The lack of these types of goals, in favour of long-term goals, is one of the leading causes that we end up overwhelmed with frustration or hopelessness—weighing feelings that make us stay stuck halfway.

While it is true that a long-term goal may be a compass or a source of balance, it is short-term goals that increase the density of enhancers that we enjoy.

Meeting short-term goals requires more constant efforts and less spaced rewards. In many cases, they also bring you closer to an ultimate purpose, your long-term goal.

“You have to believe in the long term plan you have, but you need the short term goals to motivate and inspire you.” – Roger Federer

Benefits of daily goals

Goal setting and short-term planning or, in other words, short-term goals promote the progress of our achievements, thus bringing us closer to our reality and optimizing the investment of resources.

In a way, they motivate us to continue building our path; it invites us to persist, keep on going and not give up.

Also, on many occasions, new goals are born from the purposes that we have achieved. It often happens that we are not fully aware of the potential we have and how fare we can go.

As we overcome small daily goals that we are setting, we open new possibilities for our personal growth.

So, through short-term goals, we open the way to our self-knowledge. We begin to discover our skills and strategies while we find out our weaknesses.

This path of self-knowledge strengthens our self-esteem, as we focus on enhancing our talent.

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” – Confucius

Short-term goals to maintain motivation in the long term

To achieve progress at fitness level, it is essential to have the right amount of motivation that lasts with us over time, and for this, nothing better than setting short-term goals to maintain motivation in the long term.

The fact of setting short-term goals always allows us to see them before our motivation declines, that is, if we have the goal of running a full marathon within a year, it is better to break the goal down into small goals, which we can do.

The reality in the short term to feed our motivation, that is, the engine of our actions.

Short-term goals to motivate you

So that the goals are adequate and our motivation does not decline, it is essential to have an objective to achieve and based on it, just as if they were tasks to be specified to achieve our aim, we must establish goals.

Some useful tips for setting appropriate short-term goals are:

• Set realistic goals, that is, challenging but not threatening. Goals must mobilize us and not paralyze us. For example, we can set ourselves the goal of running 10% more distance than last week.
• Set measurable and tangible goals, not ambiguous and challenging to check goals. Thus, it would not be appropriate to say: “I want to run as much as I can,” but it would be better to establish, “I want to run a half marathon within six months.”
• Set goals early, for which we must establish deadlines, as we have indicated in the previous example. For example: “achieve a certain speed within three months.”

Determine goals based on resources, that is, we must take into account before setting goals, the times we have to train, the previous physical form, the material objects or necessary economic resources, among other things.

Thus, taking into account the advice given above, we will be able to achieve the appropriate goals in the short term to maintain motivation in the long term and always find a reason to get going.

Keep in mind that when setting short-term goals, you will be able to check your progress and encourage with them the path to success, thus managing to sustain the effort and never give up.

How to set short-term goals for your business

Set your priority list and select simple, easy-to-reach goals. If we overload ourselves with daily goals, we may end up saturated and decide to give up.

It is better to set yourself short, affordable goals and a low number of them than to saturate yourself with small goals and end up tired.

Focus your goals on the path you want to follow. That is, guide them towards long-term goals towards your purpose.

Focusing on short-term goals is not an obstacle to keeping the long-term purpose in mind. Keeping in mind the final goal helps to be clear about the daily goals to be achieved.

• Set a specific deadline to achieve each goal. Thus, it will be easier for you to carry them out. In a certain way, when you specify a date, you commit yourself to achieve the result.
• Reward your achievements. Celebrate every little daily goal, every success, no matter how small. Evaluate your effort and the steps you are taking. In this way, you will feel motivated, and you will get some gratification for each achievement. Remember that motivation is a critical element of success.
• Write your purposes on paper, have them written down and put them in an accessible place. This will help you not lose sight of your goals. It will make you remember your projects and what you need to achieve them.

Setting short-term goals means taking charge of your life; you are the one who chooses the music to dance with. You are responsible for yourself.

Taking responsibility for yourself and your well-being is often a sign of healthy self-esteem.