Goal setting is significant in life. Worth noting is that you can set two types of goals: long-term and short-term. Your long-term goal is your big picture, while your short-term goal is the milestone to achieving the long-term goal. It is also important to note that when set right, short-term goals can be a steppingstone to achieving your big picture.
This article is therefore written to show you how you can use your short-term goals to achieve your big picture.
What are short-term goals?
Short-term goals are developmental activities for creating and achieving objectives you can complete within a short period. You could call them your steppingstone to success. Short-term goals can help you organize and successfully reach your long-term goals.
Tips for setting short-term goals to achieve your long-term goals
Know your long-term goals
What is your vision? Ten years from now, where do you see yourself? Knowing the answers to these questions will give you the knowledge of your long-term goal. With this knowledge, you will be able to break down your goals into smaller ones by researching and finding out the steps needed to achieve your long-term goal.
Set your goals backwards.
After knowing your long-term goals, it is imperative to write a list of all the steps, certifications, and skills needed to achieve your goals according to their time and relevance. Then you set your short-term goals by working that list backwards. This means the last item on that list will be the first one on your short-term goals. So if you want to be a doctor, using that backward working rule, your short-term goals will look like this
i. I will gain admission into medical school
ii. I will ace my examinations e.t.c
Short-term goals are steps to achieving long-term goals, so they must start from the first step.
Set Smart Goals
Your goals must be SMART. Every goal you set must follow the SMART goal rule. The smart goal rule means the goals must be;
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant/Realistic
Time-based
An example of a smart goal is this, “I will read 30 pages of my biology textbook to prepare for my biology examination holding in 16 days.
Track your progress daily
This is to ensure that your efforts in fulfilling your goals are on the right path to achieving the big picture. Tracking your progress allows you to continually check the relevance of your short-term goals to your long-term goals and see how your short-term goals are leading to your vision.
You can track your progress by keeping a journal of all goals you have completed or having an accountability partner,
