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Understanding Short-Term and Long-Term Goals: Definition and Examples
Understanding Short-Term and Long-Term Goals: Definition and Examples
Discover what short-term and long-term goals are, explore practical examples, and learn proven goal-setting frameworks. See how short-term goals can guide you step by step toward long-term career success.
Apr 28, 2025
Study Techniques
8 min read
Table of contents
Short-term career goals are usually not goals at all; they are actionable tasks that help you achieve long-term goals.
Short-term tasks are the milestones that build up your feeling of fulfillment in your job, a solid paycheck, and a role that makes you proud of naming it out loud.
But today, things feel more unstable than ever. Technology is changing fast and may replace many jobs. The global economy is unpredictable, and financial security feels shaky.
So, in a world facing possible wars and economic crises, how can short-term goals still help you reach your long-term career dreams? And how do you even plan your future career in such uncertain times?
One does that by wisely aligning short-term and long-term goals and tasks in their careers. In this article, StudyAgent will provide an overview of the 2025 market requirements and strategic moves to make in your short-term goal setting to stay ahead long-term by 2030.
Set Small Goals, Build a Big Career
Imagine you’re running a long race. Your goal is to cross the finish line.
But you can’t just skip ahead to the end. You have to take every single step to get there. There are no shortcuts or tricks that let you cheat the process.
That’s exactly how short-term goals work. They’re like the steps you take during a long race. If you want to reach a big goal, you need many small steps to guide you along the way.
Each small goal helps you move forward, little by little. And without them, you won’t reach the finish line.
Now, let’s look at how this idea applies to your career with simple examples you can actually use.
What Are Long-Term Goals?
Long-term goals are your bigger career aspirations. It is what you want to achieve in the next 3 to 10+ years. These goals shape your professional vision and self-identification as a professional.
These goals are a compass for your short-term actions.
Key long-term goal characteristics | Description |
|---|---|
Timeframe | From half a year to up to 10 years. |
Scope | Broad, visionary, and impactful. |
Purpose | Provide direction and deep meaning to your occupation. |
Defining components |
|
💡Some long-term goals examples are landing a senior or top-management position, or developing your own startup, achieving a particular lifestyle with a preferred career setting.
What Are Short-Term Goals?
Short-term goals are objectives you aim to achieve in the near future, typically within a few weeks to two years. They are concrete, actionable steps that move you closer to your long-term vision.
Key short-term goal characteristics | Description |
|---|---|
Timeframe | Days, weeks, months. In general - up to half a year. |
Scope | Narrow and focused. |
Purpose | Build momentum, learn new skills, complete milestones. |
Defining components |
|
💡Some short-term goals examples are finishing a course, applying to a particular number of positions daily, attending a number of networking events, etc.
How Do Short-Term Goals Help You Reach Long-Term Career Goals?
According to the Future of Jobs Report 2025, about 170 million new jobs will appear, 1,090 million jobs will continue, and 92 million will disappear in this decade.
So, where does your career goal fall? Is it part of a growing trend or at risk of disappearing? And how do you even focus on long-term goals when your to-do list is already full today? How do you avoid burnout while chasing success?
It may be surprising, but short-term goals can actually help you deal with these challenges. They keep you moving forward and even reduce career anxiety.
Let’s take a look at some common reasons people fail to reach long-term success, and how focusing on short-term goals can help you change that path.
Short-term Goals Reduce Obstacles
A common employee obstacle case:
You wish to develop a career roadmap and achieve your long-term goals more persistently. However, you are overloaded with ongoing urgent tasks and never have a chance to step back and think strategically about your career.
Short-term goal solution:
If a constant work-task jam is your case, resolving that is your first short-term goal that aligns with your global goal. Even though it is not as direct as, for example, “applying for 10 job positions”, it is what you need most to benefit long-term.
Examples of short-term goals for overload work issues:
- Experiment with the Eisenhower Matrix (draw an X and Y axis, creating four quadrants):
X-axis: urgent → not urgent; Y-axis: important → not important. Place your tasks into four categories:
- Important and urgent - do it immediately
- Important and not urgent - schedule it for later
- Not important and urgent - delegate it
- Not important and not urgent - eliminate the task altogether
- Check work priorities. Communicate with your manager about reducing low-priority tasks.
- Evaluate your work effectiveness. Review whether you are doing some work that takes too much time and has no visible results.
Short-Term Goals Build Up Your Path
A common employee obstacle case:
You want to switch to a different career or role, but the possibility seems too unrealistic and complicated. You are not quite familiar with the role responsibilities, objectives, and workflows.
Short-term goal solution:
In the case of switching roles, beating uncertainty is your main-priority short-term goal. You cannot achieve what you don’t know first. Make the task of switching as clear as possible first.
Examples of short-term goals for job switching issues:
- Research and write down job descriptions from currently open positions.
- Research and write down the lists of technologies you will need.
- Find 5 courses that teach necessary skills relevant to the role and choose the one to pass.
In fact, when achieving short-term goals, do not view them as “what do I have to find to reach the goal.” Instead, perceive them as “what do I have to reduce from my way to move easier (uncertainly, lacking, fears).
Short-Term Goals Save Your Efforts
A common employee obstacle case:
You want to build a desired career roadmap but are unsure of the market condition. You fear landing a low-paying job that has no further prospects because the niche is too narrow, and you don’t know how to find a broad and secure enough job title. You fear losing sight of really prospective opportunities.
Short-term goal solution:
Instead of jumping into job hunting blindly, you first need to understand the bigger picture - what roles exist, what’s in demand, and where your skills fit best. This crucial step will save you a lot of time, energy, and possible frustration later.
Examples of short-term goals for job switching issues:
- List 5 job titles you’re considering and research salary, growth potential, and industry trends.
- Talk to 2 professionals already working in those roles to learn about their real experiences.
- Review LinkedIn or job boards weekly to track which job titles are consistently in demand.
How to Sync Short Term and Long Term Goals: Examples
Effective short and long-term goal setting requires checking only two boxes:
- Short-term goals are as actionable and easy as possible
- Long-term goals are as clear and objective as possible
Here are the examples of such goal synching:
Example 1
Long-term goals:
What: Land a senior front-end developer position in top company that pays X amount monthly and has A,B,C work culture features
Where: (list the desired companies list)
How: with good portfolio, open-source projects, and mentor support
When: in half a year
Short-term goals:
- Build and document 1 personal project using React, TypeScript, and a modern UI library
- Contribute to open-source project (research and name the project) or mentor junior devs on GitHub platform
- Complete a senior-level tech interview prep course (name the course)
Example 2
Long-term goals:
What: Earn a $2000 per month in salary
Where: (List companies title and freelance platforms)
How: By improving my personal pitch and applying regularly to relevant opportunities
When: Within the next 4 months
Short-term goals:
- Research and apply for at least 10 job opportunities per week that align with my experience and salary expectations
- Prepare a clear value proposition and collecting industry benchmarks
- Brainstorm on a freelance/side income stream
Example 3
Long-term goals:
What: Get hired into a remote position with a flexible schedule, realistic workload, and supportive team culture
Where: (List ideal companies or job boards)
How: By defining my ideal work conditions, researching company culture, and consulting with a career advisor
When: In the next 6 months
Short-term goals:
- Define my ideal remote work conditions and boundaries
- Research companies known for good work conditions
- Check with career consultant to estimate a job market
- Develop my communication skills
How to Set Long-Term Career Goals: 7 Popular Frameworks
We have collected 7 most common long-term goal setting frameworks and put ourselves in your shoes to detect the points that still cause your frustration even with all the techniques.
So let’s start with common framework overview:
Framework | Main components |
|---|---|
SMART framework | Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve. Measurable: Include criteria to track progress. Achievable: Set a realistic, attainable goal. Relevant: Align the goal with your broader objectives. Time-bound: Set a deadline or timeframe. |
OKRs (objectives and key results) | Objective: Set a clear, inspiring goal. Key Results: Define 2–5 specific, measurable outcomes that indicate progress toward the objective. |
WOOP (wish, outcome, obstacle, plan) | Wish: Identify something you deeply want to achieve. Outcome: Visualize the best possible result. Obstacle: Recognize what could hold you back. Plan: Create an "if-then" strategy to handle the obstacle. |
HARD goals (heartfelt,animated, required, difficult) | Heartfelt: The goal matters emotionally to you. Animated: You can vividly picture achieving it. Required: It feels urgent and necessary. Difficult: It challenges you and pushes your limits. |
Reverse goal setting | Step 1: Set the final-end goal, the absolute perfect scenario you want to achieve. Step 2: Trace back the goal building blocks, then divide these into smaller steps. Repeat until you track back to your current point. |
GROW model (goal, reality, options, will) | Goal: Define what you want to achieve. Reality: Understand where you are now. Options: Explore possible strategies or paths. Will: Choose actions and commit to them. |
Goal holarchy approach | Purpose: Your life purpose, what makes your existence meaningful Vision: Your aspirations of the best version of yourself Mission: What you want to offer/bring to this world, ways you serve others and create value Strategic goals: Your lighthouse, a direction for achieving your mission. Tactical goals and objectives: Middle-term “Hows?”. Particular hypotheses to try for achieving strategic goals. Action plans: Objectives, the plan of what you will do and by when. Tasks and activities: Smallest-scope actions, your gaily to-do-lists. |
Simple Goal-Setting Tips
Even when life feels confusing or unpredictable, you can stay motivated with the right approach to setting goals. Here are some practical tips that work:
- Choose goals that match your values. External rewards like money or popularity might not feel as motivating anymore. Instead, think about what really matters to you. What gives your life a sense of purpose, even in small ways?
- Focus on what you can control. You can’t control everything, but you can manage your daily habits. That might mean sticking to a morning routine, working on a hobby, or improving your sleep schedule. Even small goals are important if they help you feel better and more focused.
- Know the difference between process and result goals. Not every goal needs to be about achieving something big. Sometimes, the goal is just to stay consistent. For example, “walking every day” is a process goal, while “losing 5 pounds” is a result goal. Both have value.
Final Thoughts
Long-term goals are the big things you want to achieve in the next 3 to 10 years, like getting a degree, landing a dream job, or changing careers.
Short-term goals are the smaller steps that help you get there, things you can do in the next few weeks or months.
Some proven methods to help you stay on track include:
- SMART goals;
- OKRs (Objectives and Key Results);
- WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan);
- HARD goals;
- Reverse goal setting;
- GROW method;
- Goal hierarchy.
You don’t have to stick to just one method. Mix them together to build a clear plan. Short-term goals help you move forward, clear obstacles, and stay motivated while working toward your big dreams.
Frequently asked questions
Short-term goals provide immediate focus and measurable progress in your professional life. They are your stepping stones toward your desired career. In particular, short-term goals help to reduce all obstacles preventing you from the next achievable steps.
Long-term goals are the objectives that define your professional development within the next 3 to 10 years. These goals reflect your vision for yourself, values, and ideal working environment.
Short-term goals are specific, actionable objectives that you aim to achieve within a relatively short period. These goals are practical, measurable, specific, and actionable.
Sources:
- Murphy, M. (2010). Hard goals. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing.
- Pearson, G. (2025, April 10). Goals and goal-setting insights. polgovpro.blog. https://polgovpro.blog/2025/04/10/goals-and-goal-setting-insights/
- Clear, J. (2022, August 31). Goal setting: A scientific guide to setting and achieving goals. James Clear. https://jamesclear.com/goal-setting
