The Importance of Short-Term Goals

by The Cooperative
Setting goals is important because they help to identify what we truly value most in life, and they help keep us on track along the way to success. When setting goals, it is recommended to focus on your strengths and values to increase the likelihood of success. Short-term goals are goals you want to achieve in the near future, and they can be accomplished anytime between today and just over a year from now. They are often broken-down steps and shorter actionable tasks drawn from long-term goals. Short-term goals can help you stay on track and create momentum to achieve long-term goals.
 
Follow these tips to set your short-term goals:
  • Use the SMART method when creating short-term goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. It is important to develop SMART goals to improve the chance of success of the goal. Set goals for things you value and want to achieve, so you enjoy working towards them.
  • Determine the next steps you need to take to achieve the goal. Follow those steps to help you stay on track to reaching your goal and to prevent procrastination. Identify barriers to reaching the goal and come up with a plan for how you are going to address them when they arise.
  • Pair the steps you need to take to achieve the goal with an action that you already do regularly. For example, plan to practice your goal every morning right after you wake up, or every night when you get home from work. It helps if you do something that is already structured into your day.
 
Find a way to track your progress so you can see what kind of progress you have made. 
  • Make it a daily habit to track your progress, so you know how far you are from your goal. If you are not seeing progress as you had hoped, consider tweaking your goal to be more achievable.
Achieving short-term goals is important because they are the stepping stones to achieving long-term goals that often align with our values and strengths. Give yourself time and grace while going through the stages to reach your goal. With commitment, achieving short-term goals will become easier the more you practice.
 
By, Coach Mariah

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