Short term goals allow you to break down long term goals into manageable steps. There is even another level underneath short term goals that will maximize your potential personal success. Find out what they are.

1. http://www.wiggmanscoaching.com/short-term-goals/ June 6, 2013
Setting Short Term Goals
People are always asking me what the difference is
between a short term goal and a to do list goal. Maybe
you have never even heard of a to do list goal. There is
distinct differences between the two and we are going to
cover that today to ensure you are set up to achieve
your personal goals. They may be different but it is
important to remember that they need to be married
together for success. can’t have one without the other.
Before I break down the two different types of goals we
are discussing today I want to show you how the cycle of goals works so you
have a great understanding of how the marriage looks. I guess it is like a marriage
plus one because we also have long term goals in there.
The Cycle Of Goal Setting
The cycle of goal setting basically looks like this:
1. You set a 10 year vision which breaks down into your yearly goals (long term
goals). Setting them at 1, 5 and 10 is common but you can set one for every
year if that is what works for you.
2. Yearly goals are then broken down into short term goals of a month or say
quarterly.
3. Short term goals are then broken down into your to do list goals which are the
daily actions you take.
That is the planning phase of the cycle. In order to achieve your goals you need to
reverse the cycle.
Starting with the to do list goals leads to short term goals and eventually you have
achieved your long term goals. Without following this cycle you may find you are
approaching the deadline of a long term goal and haven’t even started yet.
Short Term Goals
A short term goal by my definition is anything that
takes one month or longer to complete but less than
a year. The reason for this is because it isn’t

2. something you can wake up tomorrow and do. Your
to do list goals come into play each morning when
you wake up and we will define those next.
I usually try to set them for no longer than a month
to ensure maximum focus and success. I find it
motivating to see progress and I am sure many of
you are the same.
It is important to have short term goals for numerous reasons:
Sets milestones giving you small manageable goals.
Boosts confidence with less time between achievements.
Act as a staircase with each month being one more step closer towards a
long term goal.
Allows you to practice delayed gratification but not for so long you lose hope.
Gives you the ability to reassess your goal often and avoid wasting precise
time.
Let’s use saving money as an example. If you want to save $3600 a year that is
the long term goal. To make it more manageable and not seem so daunting you
break it down into $300 a month. This gives us a clear short term goal we can
start to plan to achieve in our daily life.
Some people can handle focusing on that goal but again for others it seems to
scary of a goal. For those people to do list goals come in real handy.
To Do List Goals
These are vitally important to your goal setting success and cannot be
overlooked. These are not the to do list tasks you write out the day before with
no intention of completing like mow the lawn, dishes or scrub the floor. To do list
goals are the daily actions specifically planned to support your other goals.
If you look at short term goals as the stairs on a staircase then to do list goals are
the nails holding those stairs down.
It is important to have to do list goals for these reasons:
Provide daily motivation to get out of bed and get doing.
Gives you instant gratification when you can check off what you

3. accomplished at the end of the day knowing you are one day closer to your
short term goals.
Provides clear action to take daily because without daily action you will not
achieve your goals
Let’s use our example from above in setting a goal to save $300 a month. How do
we apply our to do list goals? When you break it down into a daily amount it is
approximately $10 a day. Now you can plan out your day on how you can save
that much money by buying two coffees not three. Maybe you have the career
where it is possible to earn that extra $10 a day or $1.25 and hour by making one
more phone call for a commission or that sale to hit the team bonus.
The point is you are constant action and that equals success.
Your long term goals are the ultimate achievement but the daily and monthly
milestones you achieve will keep adding fuel to that internal motivation furnace.
Take the time to really plan out your to do list goals, those daily actions you take
and all of your short term goals will just fall into place.
Then get ready because your success comes so fast some people actually
freeze up not knowing what to do next. Prepare for it!
Take Action Request:
If you have been struggling making progress toward a long term goal take the
time today to break it down into some short term goals. Success will then be just
some daily action away.
Your Life Your Choice Your Design
Darrin Wiggins
“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which
we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act.
There is no other route to success.” – Stephen A. Brennan
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