Everyone wants something out of life — be it adventure, meaning, or prosperity. Some are quick wins you can check off in a matter of weeks. Others require a 5-year plan and significant ongoing effort. Together, these long and short-term goals form the foundation of what you consider your best life.
Regardless of whether they’re personal or professional goals, they don’t achieve themselves. You need a plan to take you where you want to go. To create this roadmap, you must first understand the difference between long-term versus short-term goals.
Use this knowledge to create direction and purpose in your life, even when it throws you a curveball.
A 2022 Gallup study found that 70% of Americans claim they’re somewhat or very likely to set goals. Of that number, only 8% actually achieve them. And those that achieve their goals are more likely to have thoroughly planned them out, writing specific details and reminding themselves of these objectives throughout the year.
Intentional goal-setting helps you create your ideal future by offering you the following:
Long-term goals shape your future. You’ll typically take more than a year to complete these goals, but there’s no strict guideline for what you consider long versus short-term. The important part is that they’re the accumulation of lots of hard work and patience. These goals also typically require a thorough action plan.
Because of the longer time-frame, long-term goals should be adaptable. You never know what could happen in your life, so recognize that you might need to adjust your roadmap or tweak your long-term goals.
And your priorities might shift altogether — what you wanted at 15 likely isn’t what you want now. Welcome change and prepare to discard irrelevant long-term targets occasionally.
Short-term goals make up your life’s to-do list. You achieve them typically on a day-to-day or monthly basis, and they can be anything from learning a new skill to shaving a few minutes off your 5K running pace.
Because you accomplish these quickly, short-term goals are excellent at delivering a sense of accomplishment and boosting your motivation. The satisfaction of checking something off your list can propel you forward and provide a quick jolt of dopamine, a happy hormone that boosts your mood.
Taking on challenging, long-term targets is stressful and often overwhelming. Starting your own business or returning to school are daunting undertakings. But you can use less-daunting short-term goals to slowly move toward your scarier objectives.
You might develop the marketing strategy for your new business over the next few weeks or give yourself six months to complete grad-school prerequisites.
These goals are well within your capabilities. And by taking your eyes off the big — scary — picture and focusing on one simple step, you remove some anxiety from the process.
Staying motivated as you create a fulfilling life depends on having the right mix of short and long-term goals. Learning to distinguish one from the other is essential.
Here are some key similarities and differences between these two types of goals.
No matter the type, your objectives should follow the SMART goal template: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Here are some examples:
Short-term goal
Long-term goal
Specific
Save for a down payment on a house
Measurable
Sign up for a 5K race
Save $50,000 for a down payment on a house
Attainable
Train three times a week
Place 10% of weekly earnings into a high-interest savings account
Realistic
Make sure you’re injury-free before starting
Create a budget to accommodate diverting funds into savings
Timely
Run the race in six months
Buy the house in eight years
Long-term goals show you the finish line and short-term goals show you the step-by-step process for getting there. And when short-term targets aren’t connected to far-away objectives, these quick goals offer you daily, weekly, and monthly guidance.
Long and short-term goals are interdependent. Most often, short-term goals are milestones for long-term plans. You need them to see how far you’ve come.
To plan short-term goals, you typically only need to consider a couple factors. And you have more control over the outcome since there’s less time for roadblocks and personal changes. Jotting down a quick to-do list is usually all the strategizing you need.
Long-term goals require more thorough research and consideration. You might need to account for family obligations, financial resources, and physical health — among other things — when planning these objectives.
Because of their nature — fast, uncomplicated, don’t require an extended commitment — short-term goals are often easier to achieve than their counterparts. Use them when you want to quickly build motivation and feel accomplished. They might be stepping stones for long-term goals, meaning achieving these goals sets you up for future success.
Long-term targets are often more complex and lofty, and thus more challenging. Even planning can be difficult as you determine the best way to meet your far-off goals.
You might find shifting gears on a short-term objective difficult. There’s less flexibility because you only have a small amount of time. Long-term targets are more adaptable, offering many opportunities to accommodate surprises and adjust priorities.
Your ability to achieve a short-term goal depends on your current situation, like whether you have the time and resources right now to complete it. If you hope to finish a beginner’s Spanish course, you might find this difficult while caring for a newborn or working full-time.
Reaching a long-term objective depends on how well you structure interim goals. If you’ve done this correctly, accomplishing each step moves you closer to your ultimate goal.
You can fill your days, weeks, and months with short-term goals you quickly check off your list. But because long-term goals are loftier and farther away, you’ll likely only have a few of them.
This is also helpful since you never know where life will take you. It’s better to set a couple long-term goals you can adjust if necessary than commit to a dozen of them when it’s likely you won’t want all those things later on.
You can create targets around every area of your life — be it financial goals, business goals, or objectives that help you pursue your dream career path. They can be personal, too, like cultivating deeper relationships or learning a new language.
So many goals, so little time. Here are a few examples of short and long-term targets to get you started.
Short-term personal goals:
Short-term professional goals:
Short-term team goals:
Long-term personal goals:
Long-term professional goals:
Long-term team goals:
Whether setting a long-term goal or making a list of quick wins, here are some tips for defining effective goals:
Sure, you’ll need to work hard to achieve most goals. But understanding the differences between long-term versus short-term goals means you can leverage both to plan accordingly and rack up wins.
Don’t consider this solo work — there’s always a friend, family member, or coworker who’s reaching for the same target, and you can lend each other a hand, or at least some insight.
And if you’re still feeling uncertain about the road ahead, consider working with a BetterUp life coach . Having someone to support you and keep you motivated makes all the difference.
Understand Yourself Better:
Big 5 Personality Test
Learn how to leverage your natural strengths to determine your next steps and meet your goals faster. Take quiz
Understand Yourself Better:
Big 5 Personality Test
Learn how to leverage your natural strengths to determine your next steps and meet your goals faster. Take quiz
