7 Types of Goals to Help You Organize Your Life

Transform Your Life: Seven Essential Goal Categories for Success and Happiness

Ethane Lebis
New Writers Welcome
5 min readMar 26, 2023

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Photo by Adrian Balasoiu on Unsplash

Goals can be about anything in life as long as it’s something you set yourself up to achieve within a time frame. There are different types of goals you can set to improve your life. For example, you could set a goal to improve your vocabulary by reading 30 books a year. To achieve this goal, you’ll probably need to set smaller goals like reading 30 minutes a day or 4 hours a week and reading 3 books each month.

At that time, you may discover that your private life, like your work life, requires as much attention. You may also find that you need to raise the bar on your income to meet increased expenses. Also, you don’t want to keep your health in the danger zone while chasing your wildest dreams.

Below are the types of goals you should focus on to shape things up and keep your life on track. They will help you increase your productivity, achieve tremendous success and lead a balanced life.

  1. Short-term goals

Short-term goals are goals you set to achieve soon. These goals help you think about what you can do now and in a year to make your dreams come true. You can think of short-term goals as smaller units of larger goals; Smaller steps that connect you to your bigger dreams…

For example, if your long-term goal is to buy a house in 5 years, your short-term goal might be to save a certain amount of your monthly income so you can buy the house at the appointed time.

More examples of short-term goals:

• Lose 10 kilos in a month.
• Increase your income by 20% over the next six months.
• Get 5 online mini-trainings in 1months.
• Read a book every month.

Setting short-term goals will keep you motivated. That feeling that comes with doing things and checking them off your list keeps you motivated to achieve more.

“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” — Fitzhugh Dodson, author and motivational speaker

2. Long-term goals

A long-term goal includes the goals we want to achieve in the future, and we have to take steps now to achieve success in long-term goals. Because it usually requires a wider scope and more time.

Long-term goals, yourself, family, career, work, health, etc. It could be related to things.

Examples of long-term goals:

  • Establish a non-profit organization.
  • Get settled in your dream job.
  • Buy your own house.
  • Save for retirement.
  • Learn to speak another language fluently.
  • Move to another country.

Long-term goals connect you to the greater purpose and give you a sense of direction. Achieving long-term goals also brings lasting results. Imagine being able to buy your dream house, you will have as much fun as you want.

“Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.” — Brian Tracy, author and speaker

3. Lifetime goals

Lifetime goals are big goals that you plan to achieve in your lifetime. They are fundamentally linked to your life dream, vision, and purpose and can appear at any point in life; early adult life, middle age, or old age. There is no limit you can set to achieve a lifetime.

For example, you could set a life goal to have your own family and raise 3 kids, own a private jet at 40, or retire at 50.

Examples of lifetime goals:

• Become the country’s president at age 40.
• Become a TV presenter, and host the best hierarchy in the world of Politics, Economics, Sports, and Entertainment before you turn 35.
• Travel to all countries of the world before age 55.

Setting life goals shouldn’t be a difficult task. If you’re not sure what goals you should set for your life, look at your directional values and passions.

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” — Andrew Carnegie, industrialist and philanthropist

4. Health and fitness goals

Above all, your most important goal in life should be to lead a healthy life. When you are physically and mentally fit, you will find it easier to work well in other areas.

Here are some health goals you can set for yourself:

•Walk 30 minutes a day.
• Avoid high-cholesterol foods.
• Maintain a normal sleep time.
• Quit smoking.
• Drink at least 2 liters of water a day.

5. Career goals

Career goals are roadmaps that help you achieve a more productive and progressive professional life. Regardless of the stage at which you are currently in your career, you need to constantly set goals to grow and achieve more.

Your career goals should reflect your professional vision, and you should also think carefully about what you want to achieve.

Below are some examples of career goals:

•Earn a higher degree or executive certificate.
• Become a consultant in your field.
• Promote senior management within 5 years.
• Increase business performance metrics.

6. Financial goals

Most of us spend as little money as we can and spend more than we should. Setting financial goals will help you control your finances.

To set financial goals, you need to understand what is important to you and what you can meet in the short and long term. Here are some examples of financial goals:

•Prepare a monthly spending plan and stick to it.
• Save a certain amount each month.
• Develop alternative sources of income.
• Increase income by 30%.
• Pay your debt.

7. Personal goals

Personal goals are goals you set to have a better version of yourself in the near or far future. These goals include activities and plans for personal development.

Examples of personal goals:

•Read a book a month, and continue learning for life.
• Develop a habit of gratitude.
• Stop snoozing.
• Wake up early.
• Develop your emotional intelligence.

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” — Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and author

Never let a moment pass in your life without setting a goal or working towards achieving them. Find out what you can do for up to six months to contribute to your progress in life.

Don’t forget to plan for the long term as well. You only have one life to live, so set the goals you want to achieve in your life. Every area of your life is important and you don’t want to neglect any of them. You are only truly successful when your life is in shape.

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Ethane Lebis
New Writers Welcome

Call me the blogging sensation that's sweeping the nation. When I'm not busy cracking bad jokes I like to delve into topics like science.