How To Set Short-Term Goals (6 Simple Steps)

Set short-term goals to change your life. They help you stay focused on what is important, keep you on track towards your bigger goals, and moves you closer to achieve your long-term goals. If you don’t know where to start setting your short-term goals, you are not alone.

The process of setting short-term goals is important but it can be complicated too. The good news is that if you are ready to set your goals, I’m ready to help you!

In this post, I’m sharing with you six simple steps to help you identify, plan, and set your short-term goals. If you don’t have time right now, pin this post for later and join the Free Goal Setting Challenge.

This post contains affiliate links. You can read my disclosure for more info.

More than 40% of new year’s resolutions fail by the end of January. It’s a high percentage of failed resolutions in a short period of time.

But, why most resolutions fail?

Resolutions fail for a number of reasons. The most common reasons are because those resolutions are too complicated, don’t have a focus or purpose, doesn’t provide enough motivation, or doesn’t include a clear plan to follow.

When I used to make resolutions, I would create a pretty but long list of things that I wanted to achieve during that year. Print it. Tape it to my bedroom’s door. And review it again at the end of the year. 

Now, when I look back, I can easily see some of the mistakes I made during the process:

• Trying to accomplish too much within a year
• Not setting time aside to work on my list
• Had no focus at all
• Didn’t create an action plan
• Wasn’t tracking my progress

There are differences between resolutions and short-term goals

In order to better understand the process of setting your short-term goals, let’s talk about the similarities as well as the three main differences between resolutions and goals. 

But first, let me go quickly over their definition. The word resolution refers to solid, firm plans that are hard to adjust or change, while a goal focuses on desired results that are more flexible, personal and positive.

There’s one thing that resolutions and short-term goals have in common. When you make resolutions or set goals, you are actually trying to change and improve something that is currently making you unhappy or not fully satisfied.

Three main differences between resolutions and goals:

• Timing
• Details
• Planning 

Let’s start with timing. As you know, resolutions are associated with the New Year. For that reason, your motivation often lasts until the season is over. That’s why, by the end of January, more than 40% of the resolutions have already been forgotten.

Short term goals are different. They are not associated with any season or special holiday. Because of that, your desire to change motivates you to set a short-term goal at any time of the year.

The second major difference is details (or lack of them). Resolutions are vague in nature which creates confusion and difficulty to understand what direction to take. However, short-term goals are specific and provide detailed information on what needs to happen next. It eliminates the guessing part by providing clarity and guidance to the process. Instead of saying “Losing weight”, say something more specific such as “Lose 12 pounds within the next three months”.

Planning is the third major difference. Since resolutions lack details, there’s not much information available to plan. Going back to our previous example of “Losing weight”, it doesn’t specify the number of pounds to lose and doesn’t have a deadline. That makes it difficult to track your progress and you won’t know how close (or far) you really are from your desired result.

As you can see, setting short-term goals have far more benefits to your life than making resolutions. A goal gives you purpose, clarity, and reminds you what you want to achieve. Then, you just need to specify the actions to take.

Six Simple steps to set short-term goals

One important factor when setting short-term goals is to keep the process simple. That will help you stay focused, energized, and motivated.

Let’s discuss the simple steps to set short-term goals. In order to make the process easy to remember, I’m going to use the acronym simple:

Now, let’s go over each step…

Step 1:  Set the right mindset

You definitely need to set the right mindset to achieve your short-term goals. Keep in mind that there are two types of mindsets: fixed mindset and growth mindset.  

People with a growth mindset believe that any person has the opportunity to do anything because the abilities can be developed. They are always looking for something to learn and most importantly, they don’t let failures stop them. Instead, they learn from those mistakes and keep moving forward.

On the other side, those with a fixed mindset believe that they don’t have control of their future. Pretty much, they are who they are and there’s nothing they can do to change it. They even believe that failure defines them.

The good news is that there are ways to develop a growth mindset. To get you started, after step 3, I’ll tell you how you can get a list of 10 Tips to Develop a Growth Mindset.

So, let’s move on…

Before moving to the next step, check out this fixed and growth mindset video about the power of yet from the researcher Dr. Carol Dweck’s.

Step 2: Identify your short-term goals and personal development needs

This second step is pretty much the cornerstone of setting short-term goals.

In order to identify your development needs, you first need to picture your desired life. Notice that I said *your* desired life. Because after all, for this process to be successful, you need to focus on yourself and on the changes that you want to achieve. 

A quick way to identify your short-term goals is to ask yourself the following question:

What changes do I need to make in my life to be happy, or happier?

You can answer that question through a brainstorming session. Don’t worry. It actually sounds more serious than what it takes.

Set aside 15 to 30 minutes to think of all those possible short-term goals you would like to achieve. Since this is just a session and not your final plan, write every single idea that comes to your mind.

While trying to come up with ideas for development, think of all the areas in your life. A great way to start is by focusing on the seven areas of life identified by Zig Ziglar’s Wheel of Life. Those areas of life are family, spiritual, financial, career, social, physical, and intellectual.

With that in mind, start thinking about your desired changes or needs and make a list. Warning: Don’t skip a change just because it seems too big. Challenge yourself! (Come on, I know you can do it 🙂 )

Step 3: Make it a priority by prioritizing your short-term goals

Now, evaluate your list of short-term goals because it’s time to prioritize them.

Which changes would you like to work on first? The answer to that question will give you a better idea of what you should be working on first. But, keep your list short even if you are an overachiever.

Choose your top 5 goals. More than that will probably be too overwhelming and difficult to manage. Assign a number to each of your top goals based on its importance, urgency, and estimated impact in your life. Put them in order from 1 to 5.

Your top three goals are your final short-term goals. The goals that you will work on. Refer to them for the rest of these goal setting process.

Having only three final goals lets you direct all your energy, time, and attention to your most desired changes. Just by doing that, you are increasing the probability of achieving your goals. Don’t forget to keep those goals clear and specific. 

Step 4: Prepare an action plan based on your short-term goals

The fourth step is all about commitment. It sounds pretty easy but it has a domino effect. If you don’t commit to your short-term goals, you start missing deadlines, getting off track, and not achieving your goals. After failing several times, I can assure you that just taping the list of goals to the door is not a commitment.

Set a deadline to complete each of your top three short-term goals. Make sure your deadline is realistic, achievable, and challenging at the same time. Keep in mind that not all changes or needs are the same.

Some changes may need simple steps while others may require more time and dedication. For example, a goal related to “quit smoking”, may require extra time, effort, and involvement from a doctor, or even joining a specialized program.

To avoid future frustrations, take all those aspects into consideration while setting a deadline. When you look at your short-term goals from different angles, you are able to make a detailed list of action steps required to achieve those goals.

Going over the action steps for your top three goals will help you visualize the whole picture, plan better by not overlooking important steps, establish a time frame for each action step, and set a more realistic deadline to commit to.

Focus on one main goal at a time

When you start working on setting deadlines, make sure to set aside enough time to focus on one goal. For example, work on your:

• goal #1 during the 1st quarter
• then, goal #2 during the 2nd quarter
• and last, goal #3 during the 3rd quarter

Another scenario may be to work on:

• the first goal during the 1st quarter
• your second goal during the 2nd and 3rd quarter {a complex goal that requires more time}
• the third goal during the 4th quarter

Work on one short-term goal at a time so you can give it your full attention. Don’t move on to the next goal until you complete the goal that you are working on.

Focusing on one goal at a time increases your chances to achieve it. That being said, whenever you feel the need to multi-task, step back and continue with your original plan.

Related resource: The book The One Thing shows how important it is to stop multi-tasking and the benefits of focusing on one thing at a time.

Step 5: Let your actions speak loudly

Do you know what’s the secret to achieving your short-term goals? Taking action.

To see any positive change in your life or to achieve any goal, you have to take action. And the faster you start taking action, the better.

The first step in taking action is to get organized. No matter how good you are at remembering things, don’t rely on your memory skills. Add the dates of your action plan to your calendar. Go even further by setting alerts and notifications, too.

Follow a tracking system to help you remember your top goals, the action steps you need to take, and when to complete them. There are different options to use such as planners, desktop calendars, wall calendars, computer software, and even apps.

The key here is to use a system that you like and works for you. That will make it easier for you to use on a regular basis. For example, in addition to my paper planner, I like to use Google calendar where I set alerts, reminders, and organize my responsibilities by color.

Be prepared for the unexpected.

Getting prepared and organized ahead of time will always help you. You can have the perfect plan and the best motivation but unexpected things will still occur and might even get you off track. I agree that’s life. But when you have a plan, it helps you get back on track faster because you know exactly what to do next. Stay focused on your short-term goals and continue working to achieve them.

In the process, be flexible enough to make adjustments to your action plan (step 4) whenever those unexpected situations occur. After adjusting your plan, regain focus and keep moving forward.

Step 6: Evaluate your progress

Evaluating your progress is as crucial as taking action. That’s the only way to know how close you are to achieving your short-term goals.

Decide how often you should evaluate your progress. Take into consideration your personality, type of goal, and action steps. For example, if my main goal is to lose 12 pounds by the end of the first quarter, I can think of few options to evaluate my progress such as to check my weight:

   a) at the end of each month to make sure I lost 4 pounds

   b) every two Saturdays to make sure I lost 2 pounds

   c) every Saturday to make sure I lost 1 pound

In my case, I prefer the option “c”. Because if for some reason, I do not lose any weight that week, it will be easier for me to make adjustments to my plan for the following week.

Evaluating your progress on a regular basis will keep you on track to complete your short-term goals.

Bonus step: Reward yourself for achieving your short-term goals

Rewarding yourself is as important as the previous steps. Unfortunately, this step is frequently overlooked or forgotten for different reasons. Some people perceive it as a selfish act while others feel it’s a waste of time.

After all your effort, time, and energy invested to achieve your goals, it is perfectly fine to celebrate your accomplishments. It helps you feel more positive about your life and about yourself, increasing your motivation to achieve more dreams.

How should you celebrate?

Well, that’s a question that only you can answer. What motivates me would not necessarily motivate you. There are no right or wrong answers here. But, your reward has to be good enough to motivate you towards achieving your short-term goal.

Some ideas to reward yourself would be going to the movie theater, buying your favorite dessert, getting a massage, or something as simple as staying at home watching Netflix.

It’s also important to mention that you don’t always have to leave the reward for last. Let me explain it. After setting your quarterly goals, you don’t have to wait until the end of the three months to get your reward. Getting smaller rewards after successfully completing your weekly action steps, may motivate you more than waiting until the end of the month or even the quarter.

It’s your turn to set your short-term goals

That’s it! You have learned the benefits of setting detailed goals than vague resolutions. Now you have six simple steps to set your short-term goals. 

Easy and doable steps that helped you set the right mindset, identify what changes to focus on, prioritize short-term goals, establish realistic deadlines, prepare an action plan with their required steps, take action, track your progress…and why not, celebrate your achievements too!

Take a deep breath and let’s work on your goals. You already have all you need to succeed. Remember that you can also join the free goal setting challenge if you prefer.

Now, it’s your turn. What short-term goals do you have in mind? And, which one do you want to achieve first?