Not all goals in life take long to achieve. Instead, some types of goals must be achieved in a short period of time, such as a few hours, days, or weeks. These short-term goals can be very important, or they can be part of a process to achieve bigger goals. Generally, short-term goals are simpler than long-term goals, but you may still have a hard time achieving them. To achieve short-term goals, you have to stay focused and act at the right time.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Checking Target
Step 1. Make sure all your goals are specific and clear
The things you have to do to achieve your short-term goals happen in a short amount of time, so don't be confused about what to do. Feeling confused will waste time and reduce motivation.
For example, imagine that you are writing a book. To make the writing process more comfortable, you then break it down into a number of short-term goals, and you hope to complete each one within a month. You can set a short-term goal of "start writing a book" for the first month, but that goal isn't very specific. A clearer goal, such as "finish the first part of the book this month" would be better, because the goal is clearer
Step 2. Make sure the target you want to achieve is realistic
Set a target that you can achieve in the time you specify. Missing goals will demotivate you, and may lead you to neglect long-term goals.
- Our brains love success. Setting goals that are easy to achieve and pursuing them until they are achieved will increase your motivation to achieve new goals. On the other hand, setting a goal that you can't reach within a certain time will frustrate you.
- In the example above, you might not want to set a goal to complete 6 sections of the book in a month, unless the sections are quite short, because you'll have a hard time achieving them. Failure to reach the target will make you lazy to write in the following month, even though you set more human targets.
Step 3. Know the steps you need to take
Most targets can be broken down into small steps. Knowing the steps you need to take will make you feel like you can reach your goals, and will help you create a clear plan for achieving them.
For example, when your friend is coming to your house and your house is dirty, you can break down the house cleaning process into several short-term goals: cleaning the bathroom, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the living room, and so on. These targets can also be broken down into small activities. For example, to clean the kitchen, you may need to wash the dishes, clean the cupboards, clean the refrigerator, and sweep and mop the floors
Step 4. Estimate the time it will take to perform each step
Setting a schedule and time limit for each step will help keep you motivated, and keep you more organized in your work.
For example, when you clean the bathroom, you might estimate that cleaning the bathtub takes 15 minutes, cleaning the toilet takes 15 minutes, cleaning the sink takes 10 minutes, tidying the medicine cabinet takes 10 minutes, and cleaning the floor takes 10 minutes. If you follow this schedule, your bathroom will be clean in 1 hour
Step 5. Make a plan
Once you know the steps needed to reach your goal, make a short plan in a logical sequence that's easy to follow.
- Writing the steps for a simple task like cleaning the house may sound stupid and unnecessary. However, by writing steps, you will clarify your goals, so your motivation will increase.
- Writing down the steps also prevents you from forgetting important things.
Method 2 of 2: Achieving the Target
Step 1. Set priorities
Often, when completing short-term goals, we are faced with several targets at once. Choose the most important targets so you can reach them quickly.
- For example, if your friend is visiting, you need to clean the house, go shopping, and clean the car. Make a plan of things to do when your friends visit. You may also need to do things you can't do when your friends visit. If you try to do multiple things at once, instead of selecting and getting the most important work done, you won't be able to work efficiently. In fact, by trying to do them all at the same time, you may not be able to get a single job done.
- Prioritizing targets will also help you waste time after completing a goal. With a priority list, you'll know what you need to do next.
Step 2. Get to work
Like any goal, short-term goals can only be achieved if you do what needs to be done to achieve them. Once you start working, you'll gain momentum that can help you work through to the end.
If your house is really a mess, you may have a hard time getting started with cleaning. However, pay attention to your plans, and try to start cleaning them as soon as possible. Once a room has been successfully cleaned, the satisfaction that follows will help keep you motivated
Step 3. Focus
To achieve any goal, you must work diligently, especially when you want to achieve short-term goals. Since your time is limited, don't let yourself lose focus. Here are a few things you can do to stay focused:
- Track your work progress. Pay attention to the clock or calendar and your plan to hit the target at the same time. The plan you set can be a motivation to stay focused. Of course, no one likes failure, right?
- Create the right environment for success. Keep things that might prevent success from your environment. For example, if you're trying to clean the house and your dog is constantly following you, you can leave the dog for a few hours to keep it focused. If you're not confident in your ability to resist the temptation to play the game, keep the controller out of your reach, and don't grab the controller until you've completed your target.
Step 4. Be flexible
Sometimes, your efforts to achieve short-term goals don't produce the desired results. After working on a step to reach a target, you may also find a better way to reach the target. If you experience one of these, don't follow your plan rigidly.
- If your short-term goals aren't producing the effect you want, or are taking longer than expected, don't be afraid to revamp your plans. Having a plan is important, but sometimes you need to change the order of the plan, remove steps, or even add new steps. Sometimes, you may even need to ditch certain short-term goals in favor of a longer-term goal.
- For example, when you're about to write a book, you might plan to write the first chapter in a month. However, as you write, you may come across new ideas that you didn't think of before. If the idea is a good one, it's time to examine the design of the book and revise it to add to the idea. By doing so, you may lose time in achieving your planned short-term goals, but if the idea will lead to a better book, don't be afraid to revise your plans!
Step 5. Reward success
Once you've hit your short-term goal, reward yourself. This step is called reinforcement, and it helps your brain associate successful completion of a goal with good consequences, so that it will be easier for you to achieve your goals in the future.
- You can do reinforcement in two ways, namely positive and negative. Positive reinforcement means adding things you like in life (for example, buying a nice snack after finishing a book section), and negative reinforcement means removing things you don't like from life (for example, asking someone else to walk the dog after you've cleaned up). home, if you don't like doing it).
- Rewarding yourself is more effective than punishment. With rewards, you will get more motivation to reach the target.
Tips
- You may be able to engage a third party to check your progress. Accept criticism from third parties. Often, third parties are more aware of the things that are preventing you from achieving your goals, than you are yourself.
- Develop the ability to keep promises. If you're aiming for something for yourself, even for a small affair, no matter what, don't let it drop. Once you cancel a target, you are more likely to do the same in the future.
