8 Different Types of Goals You Can Pursue (With Examples)

Professionals often set goals to challenge themselves personally and professionally. There are many different types of goals that professionals can set to help them develop skills or accept new responsibilities. If you want to advance in your career or achieve other objectives, it may be helpful to learn about the types of goals that can help you accomplish those milestones. In this article, we list eight kinds of goals you can set and provide examples of each type.

8 types of goals

Here’s a list of eight kinds of goals that you can use and examples of how you might apply them:

1. SMART goals

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based, making them goals you can set with nearly total assurance of completing them. They may help you build confidence and develop skills so you can pursue more challenging goals in the future. Here are some SMART goals you might set and pursue in your personal or professional life:

• Meet a regular quota: Professionals whose employers tasked them with meeting quotas may use the SMART goals strategy to ensure that their responsibilities are approachable. Pursuing your work with this framework may help you divide each task into attainable portions to more efficiently achieve it.

• Finish a puzzle: This may be a personal goal or a group activity for workplace bonding. Since there are limited pieces and you can set a time limit to finish it, you can likely achieve this goal, making it one that meets all the criteria of a SMART goal.

• Read a book: Whether you complete this goal for work or personal enjoyment, you might set a goal to finish reading a book by a certain date. Because there are a limited number of pages and a visible goal, you may use the SMART approach.

2. Short-term goals

These are goals you can set for more immediate outcomes. The length of time you give yourself to pursue a short-term goal may depend on many factors, such as the amount of effort it might take and what resources you have to pursue it. It could be a goal you want to reach by the end of the day, the week, or the month. They may also be parts of a long-term goal to help you break it into smaller and more accessible steps. Here are some short-term goals you might set:

• Write a daily diary entry: You may enter the events, thoughts, and feelings you experienced in a diary or journal at the end of each day. Your goal might be to write at least one sentence by the end of each night for a month.

• Attend a skill-building course: To build a professional or hobby-related skill, you might attend a class. You can set a goal to research options and register for one by the end of the week.

• Drink more water: It’s important to drink water to maintain your physical health. You can set a daily goal for yourself to drink a set amount of water.

3. Long-term goals

These are goals that you can set for extended outcomes. They may be goals that take a significant amount of work to achieve. They may be months, years, or even decades away. Here are some examples of long-term goals you might set:

• Complete a fitness routine: It’s important to exercise to maintain your physical health. You might set a goal to complete a months-long fitness program or lift a certain amount of weight.

• Start a small business: You might make a plan to start your own company. This can require an investment of money, time, and effort.

• Become proficient at a skill: Whether it’s for work or a hobby, you can set a goal to successfully learn a new skill. This may take significant time and practice.

4. Interpersonal goals

These are goals that focus on your social skills and relationships. These relationships could include acquaintances, close friendships, family relationships or professional connections. Here are some interpersonal goals that you might set:

• Spend more time with loved ones: It’s important to spend time with loved ones to make them feel valued. You might set a goal to commit a certain amount of time each day or week when you spend quality time with a friend or family member.

• Have an important conversation: You can set a goal to talk to someone about something important, such as how much they mean to you. This might include finding the right words and building confidence.

• Become a more confident communicator: This goal may help you in your personal and professional life. You might read a book on how to improve communication skills or take a relevant class.

5. Career goals

These are goals that focus on your professional life. They might include collective workplace goals or individual professional aspirations. Here are some examples of career goals that you might set and pursue:

• Gain a promotion: If you want to change your salary and responsibilities, you might pursue a promotion. To do this, you might create a portfolio of your achievements to prevent to a manager and let them know you’re ready for the challenges of the role you want.

• Excel a sales quota: For sales professionals, a professional goal might be to sell more than they’re required to sell. They might do this by adapting or improving their sales tactics or talking to more clients.

• Improve workplace relationships: It’s important to have healthy workplace relationships so that everyone feels comfortable and valued at work. You might do this by identifying colleagues you want to get to know better and making plans to go to lunch together.

6. Academic goals

These are goals that focus on your education and academic career. You can use them at various stages of your academic career, including high school, undergraduate, graduate, and teaching. Here are some academic goals that you might set:

• Earn a degree: Whether it’s an undergraduate, graduate, or duplicate degree, you can set a goal to earn one in a field relevant to your ambitions. You can start this goal by researching programs and preparing your application materials.

• Maintain good grades: If you want a high GPA or to graduate with honors, you might aim to earn good grades. You can do this by completing your work and thoroughly researching any class projects.

• Win a scholarship: Scholarships can help you pay for tuition and school materials. You can pursue them by visiting the financial aid office at the university you attend to find out which ones you’re eligible for before applying.

• Conduct research: Students in certain fields may conduct research as part of their studies or to qualify for graduation. You can set this goal by deciding what topic interests you and reviewing current publications about that subject matter.

• Publish your work: Professors may conduct and publish research to help them qualify for tenure. You can pursue this goal by researching your area of study, reading other publications on those topics, and staying updated on trends in your field.

7. Stretch goals

This is the kind of goal that takes significant effort and risk to achieve. These goals are often beyond what you’ve achieved before. The ideal outcome of setting one of these goals is that it encourages you to expand your abilities. Here are some examples of stretch goals you might set:

• Finish a triathlon: This is an athletic challenge where you run, ride a bike, and swim a certain distance within a certain period of time. This goal may require extensive training and determination.

• Learn a non-native language: Learning another language can take years of study and practice. You may set a stretch goal for yourself to become fluent in that language.

• Pursue another job: If you want to change your work environment and responsibilities, you can pursue another career. You might choose a field that requires you to learn new skills and industry standards.

• Triple your yearly sales quota: For sales professionals who work toward a quota, working to triple their quota might not necessarily be achievable, but they can work to get as close as possible. This may help them improve their overall sales tactics and motivation.

8. Financial goals

These are goals you can make that focus on your financial situation. This may include personal or professional finances. Here are some examples of financial goals you might make:

• Save more money: You might make a goal to put more money in your savings account. One way to achieve this goal is by spending less of each paycheck.

• Make a purchase: Another financial goal might be to buy something that’s outside of your usual budget. For example, you might have a goal to buy a new car.

• Eliminate a debt: Whether it’s a credit card or loan debt, you can set a goal to pay the full amount. You might do this by creating a budget and designating a certain amount toward the balance each month.

I hope you find this article helpful.