Short-term goals are measurable goals that help you make progress in the short-term on your long-term goals. Short-term goals bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in the future. Setting short-term goals provide excitement and motivation in the present and give you the confidence to pursue bigger goals in the future.
A short-term goal is something you want to achieve soon. A short-term goal is a goal with measurements that provides greater clarity, direction, and focus. When you set short-term goals, you feel excited and motivated to take action and make progress.
There are many benefits of setting short-term goals. In this article, I will share six benefits of setting short-term goals giving you a framework to use the next time you set goals for your life and business.
What is a short-term goal?
Short-term goals are the connection between where you are now and your vision of where you want to be in the future. Short-term goals are specific, measurable goals that you want to achieve in less than twelve months. Many people often set monthly or quarterly short-term goals.
Setting short-term goals give you the capability and confidence to accomplish goals in the short term while making measurable progress towards achieving your dreams in the future.
Short-term goals are easier to accomplish and help you build confidence and momentum towards achieving your long-term goals. Setting short-term goals give you the ability to make measurable daily and weekly progress towards achieving something that matters.
Setting a small number of short-term goals improves focus and minimises distraction and overwhelm. Achieving short-term goals builds self-confidence and self-esteem, which pushes you to achieve bigger and better goals in the future.
To set better goals, read my guide on Goal setting: how to set and achieve your goals
6 benefits of setting short-term goals
Here are 6 benefits of setting short-term goals.
1. You have a greater focus
Short-term goals give you a clear focus and direction. You know what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it, which increases motivation and productivity. Greater focus gives you a clear plan and path to follow with action steps to take every day.
Weekly and daily planning help you focus on what you need to do to achieve the goal and filter out everything else. Having a greater focus on a small number of goal-orientated activities can stop you feel overwhelmed, reduce your to-do list, and helps you organise your day more effectively.
Organising your day helps you focus on a small number of priorities at a time. These priorities are achievable goals that ensure you feel like you’re making progress.
To increase your focus, read my guides to weekly planning and daily planning.
2. You build self-confidence
Goal setting works when you have a clear, measurable outcome you want to achieve that is exciting and motivating. You have to be emotionally motivated and intellectually engaged in the goal you want to achieve. When you understand the difference achieving the goal will make you are motivated to take action.
Goal achievement becomes more powerful and makes you feel great about achieving your goal. Achieving goals builds self-confidence and self-esteem.
If you want to build your self-confidence and achieve your goals, set yourself up to win. Set quarterly, weekly, and daily goals to ensure you feel like you’re succeeding and making progress.
Read my guide on setting measurable goals.
3. You manage time effectively
Measurable goals give you a clear destination to reach and a path to follow to achieve your goals. Having this plan allows you to simplify your time and focus, which makes you more productive.
Setting a small number of priorities to work on each day helps you make progress on your goals and ensures you manage time effectively.
Rather than wasting time on low-value activities or chasing shiny objects, you focus your time on a small number of tasks that move you closer to goal achievement.
Get my guide to time management to help you manage your time better.
4. You see measurable progress
We all want to make measurable progress each day on achieving something crucially important to us. Short-term goals give us a path to follow each day. When you set goals with measurements and deadlines, you can track your progress.
You can see the gains you’re making towards your goals. As a result, you build confidence and increase motivation and momentum. When you measure your progress backward from where you started, you feel excited and energised to move forward.
5. You build motivation and momentum
When you’re energised and motivated about your goals, you take action. If you see progress and results daily, you feel even more motivated and excited to take action towards achieving your goals.
When you don’t have excitement and energy about your goals, it becomes tough to take action. Energy, excitement, and motivation build momentum.
The best way to build momentum is to ensure you always feel like you’re making progress towards achieving your goal. You build momentum by tracking your progress, celebrating improvements, and getting clear on your daily goals.
Download my free Daily Planner to help you set better daily goals.
6. You overcome procrastination
Procrastination can hold you back from achieving things that are important to you in business and life. Short-term goals help you stop procrastinating because your goals are more achievable.
We often procrastinate when we don’t know what to do or feel like we don’t have the capabilities to take action. When you have a specific target to reach that feels attainable, you are less likely to procrastinate.
Instead of procrastinating and wasting time thinking about what you should do, lay out what to do so you have the plan and path to take action.
Get more tips on how to overcome procrastination.
Summing up
Short-term goals are short for a purpose. Having short-term goals gives you a clear purpose and focus for the achievements and improvements you want to make within a short timeframe.
Short-term goals give you the energy and motivation to achieve something important to you in the near future. Achieving quick win goals gives you the confidence and momentum to achieve bigger and better goals in the future. To get started with your goals, choose five goals you want to achieve in the next week.
If you want support clarifying your goals and creating a plan and path to achieve your goals faster from a proven business coach, book a free 30-minute clarity call with me today.
Relevant articles
SMART goals: how to achieve your goals
The importance of writing down your goals
10 crucial benefits of goal setting
11 goal setting mistakes and how to fix them
How to set goals and achieve them
About the Author
Mark Pettit is a business coach and accountability coach based in Colchester, Essex, UK. He is the Founder of the business coaching company Lucemi Consulting.
Mark provides business coaching programs and accountability coaching programs to entrepreneurs, leaders and small business owners in Essex and Suffolk. He also provides online business coaching and online accountability coaching to business owners and entrepreneurs in the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia.
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