It is understood by goals the objectives that a person, organization or human institution sets for itself for the future, that is, what it wants to do or the steps it intends to take in the future.
These objectives are, fundamentally, the projections We make of who we want to be, what we want to do, or where we want to be in a time to come, so they also govern the steps we take to make those wishes come true. This type of planning is known as a life project.
Short, medium or long term objectives
Depending on the proximity of its realization, or in other words, how far apart in time these objectives that we are considering are, we can talk about:
- Short-term goals. Those closer to the present, whose realization requires less waiting and therefore can (or should) be undertaken first. Typically, the days or weeks to come are considered a “short term”. For instance: write a good poem, write an attractive CV.
- Medium-term goals. Those whose realization is in the near future, but more distant than that of short-term goals, such as the months to come. These are goals to be undertaken promptly, but which require a sustained effort over time, which can in turn be broken down into short-term goals. For instance: paint the main room, win the local soccer tournament.
- Long-term goals. Those whose realization is distant in time, and whose achievement usually depends on the sustained fulfillment of short and medium-term goals over years. It is usually considered the point of arrival of a human endeavor. For instance: save to buy a house, quit smoking.
This classification, however, will depend on the times and the specific perspectives of the company or the individual, so that the same criterion cannot be applied to discern all the short, medium and long-term goals of everyone.
Examples of short-term goals
- Getting up a day or two earlier to run an errand.
- Go to the market and buy what you need for the week.
- Make a specific sale of the company with a specific customer.
- Clean the apartment thoroughly.
- Hire a new secretary.
- Win a soccer game against a difficult opponent.
- Design, program and launch a website for a business.
- Do not smoke more than five cigarettes a day.
- Write a good poem.
- Enroll in college.
- Evaluate ministry projects and prioritize vital ones.
- Stop a drug dealer in a neighborhood.
- Choose clothes that we will no longer wear and give them to charity.
- Choose the name and design the logo of a political party.
- Buy a portable one-liter bottle of water.
- Buy paint, brush and rollers.
- Write an attractive CV.
- Rent a suitable location in a shopping center.
- Deciding to go out to the park for a jog.
- Don’t eat that candy they gave you.
Examples of medium-term goals
- Start getting up earlier than usual, at 8 instead of 9, for example.
- Control what is spent in the monthly market to save monthly.
- Increase the number of sales made by the company in the same month.
- Clean the apartment thoroughly every fortnight and try to maintain it.
- Start a file management in the office.
- Win the local soccer tournament.
- Start an online sales market with a business.
- Control the number of cigarettes smoked per month.
- Publish a book of poetry.
- Attend classes and study for exams.
- Increase the efficiency of the ministry and reduce expenses.
- Dismantle the drug distribution network in the city.
- Buy more colorful and different clothes.
- Meet with the communities of the country and bring a proposal for change.
- Drink a liter of water daily during the month.
- Paint the main room.
- Apply to job applications successively.
- Initiate a series of merchandise imports.
- Jogging regularly every week.
- Eat only one treat a week.
Examples of long-term goals
- Lead a more physically active life.
- Saving to buy a house.
- To be the leader in sales in the company’s field.
- Live in an impeccable house.
- Present an annual report of the work of the office.
- Be a star soccer player.
- Managing a multi-million dollar international sales company.
- Give up smoking.
- Being a poet laureate and read in many countries.
- Obtain a college professional degree.
- Solve the economic crisis of the State.
- End drug trafficking in the country.
- Totally renovate the wardrobe.
- Win the parliamentary elections with a majority of seats.
- Drink more water to lead a healthier life.
- Paint the apartment.
- Getting a job.
- Found an import company.
- Being a marathoner.
- Lose weight.