Short term goals vs long term goals: What’s the difference?

What are long term goals and how can you use them?

A long term goal is something you want to accomplish over the course of multiple years, and requires a bit of planning. The first step to create a long-term goal is to envision the future you desire, whether that’s in your personal life, your work life, or in business. Get specific: what aspirations do you have for yourself, your team, or your business? Write these ideas down and translate them into concrete objectives using the SMART goals framework. SMART is an acronym that stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

Achieve the extraordinary with

Copilot in Microsoft 365

Seamlessly tackle your to-dos and track budgets, projects, and calendars with AI-powered features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.

Learn more

Once you’ve created tangible long-term goals, prioritize them based on order of importance. Which goals make sense to focus on first? Examples of long-term personal goals include the following:

• Writing a book and becoming a published author in five years.
• Attaining fluency in a new language.
• Cultivating a supportive and fulfilling relationship with a partner.
• Achieving financial independence and retiring before 60.
• Earning a PHD.

Keep in mind, not all goals, particularly personal goals, will translate well to the SMART approach. However, using the SMART system a guideline may give you some inspiration for your approach. Once you are secure with your long-term goals, you can break them down into short term ones.

What are short term goals and how do you create them?

A short term goal is something you want to accomplish in the near future. It can be something in the next day, month, or even within the year. Since they’re smaller and more immediate, short term goals may serve as stepping stones to progressing on your long term goals. For example, if your long-term goal is to become fluent in a new language, break down the steps to fluency into smaller, actionable milestones. Some examples of what these could be:

• Learn and use five new words each day.
• Practice speaking for 15 minutes every day.
• Speak with a native speaker at least once a week.
• Write a journal entry in the new language every week.
• Take a self assessment every month.

The point is to set yourself up with a clear and actionable view of your progress toward your dreams, making them easier to achieve and adjust when needed.

How do short term goals differ from long term goals?

As stated earlier, short- and long-term goals help you to achieve desired results. Short-term goals are stepping stones toward achieving long-term aspirations. They typically have a timeline of under a year, ranging from a few months to a few days, and may serve to provide structure for your approach to achieving long-term goals. In contrast, long-term goals encompass future accomplishments and require thorough planning, time, and strategy. Think of long-term goals as your “dreams,” that require meticulous planning, effort, and discipline to actualize.

Long- and short-term goals are indispensable tools in your quest to achieve your larger dreams. By meticulously planning and working toward both, you can make the whole process more doable. To learn more about goal setting, check out our larger collection of organization tools and tricks.