Setting goals is an essential part of one’s personal development. Whether you are trying to cover a syllabus a week before the exam, or you have a project deadline to meet up with at short notice, knowing how to set and achieve a short time goal is vital to one’s success.
Short-term goals refer to those realistic objectives that can be achieved in a short period. They can be challenging to set sometimes, but with the help of some of the tips discussed below, you should no longer worry about how to achieve your short-time goal.
1. Have a plan
To achieve a short-term goal, it is important that you have a plan that will serve as a roadmap to achieve your goal. You should write your plan in a logical way, which will make it much easier for you to follow. Having a plan will help guide your actions and inactions as well as help you track your success.Â
2. Be flexible
In as much as it is good to set a plan and stick to it, it is equally germane to be flexible to change. If your short-term goal is not working out as expected or not yielding the result you want, don’t be afraid to revisit your plan and change your strategy. You should be willing to remove, add, or make other corrections to your initial plan if the need arises.
3. Stay focusedÂ
Although no goal doesn’t require focus, be it a short or long-term goal. But staying focused is more germane to short-term goals due to the limited time available to accomplish the task. Your priority must be on the goal, and all forms of distraction must be avoided.
4. Do not procrastinate
Procrastination is one of the greatest challenges that impedes progress. Not only will procrastination delay your goal, but sometimes it will also make it impossible to achieve such a goal. If your goal is a short-term one, then you will be doing yourself a favour by letting go of any form of procrastination. You should get to work as soon as possible rather than postponing it till the next day.
5. Encourage yourself with a reward
Rewarding yourself is another powerful way you can improve your chances of achieving your short-term goal. After accomplishing a task in the course of achieving your goal, reward yourself with something. It may be a dinner treat, a gift item, etc. This will help to motivate you to stay on track and fully achieve your short-term goal.
6. Ensure the goal is SMART
SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. To achieve a short term goal, the goal needs to be SMART.
- Specific
This means your short-term goal must be clearly defined.
- MeasurableÂ
This means there must be a yardstick to measure the goal.Â
- Achievable
Your short-term goal be attainable and workable.Â
- Realistic
This means your short-term goal must be something feasible and within your reach of accomplishment.
- Time-boundÂ
The goal must be achievable within the short period available for it.
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