Writers 
Goals Must Be Set in the Context of Time
In addition to writing down goals, you should set them in the context of time. A true goal has an end point within a particular time frame. Therefore, goals tend to be of three types: immediate, short-range, and long-range goals.
Immediate Goals
These tend to be daily or weekly goals or perhaps even goals that willtake a month.
I have an immediate goal each week.
“To become more physically fit” might be among your long-range personal goals. That goal, however, needs to be turned into things that you can do daily, such as “exercise today” and “eat right today.”
Every evening, I make a list of things that I believe I should do or that I want to do the following day. Do I get everything done on my daily list?
Oh, I wish I did! I rarely mark off everything on my list. But I refuse to become discouraged. The next evening, I scratch off the things I did and add the things I didn’t do to the next day’s list. A daily list keeps me focused on the things that are truly important for me to accomplish. The list helps me set my schedule and remain true to my priorities, and it reminds me that I want to develop certain habits, cultivate certain relationships, and accomplish certain things in the near future.
Short-Range Goals
These goals usually take a month or three months or even a year.
Not too long ago, I set a short-range goal of taking a photography trip to a wilderness area. I especially enjoy taking photos of nature. These photos are a creative way for me to express my praise to God and to express to others the appreciation and joy I feel about God’s creation. Planning a trip several weeks in advance was a short-range goal.
Long-Range Goals
Long-range goals usually extend beyond a year. They include lifelong goals.
I believe it’s better for most people to keep their long-range goals to themselves, but that in no way should become an excuse for not making long-range goals. We need to have things we had like to do in the years that lie ahead.
I rarely tell people about my long-range goals. I’d rather accomplish them and then look back and say, “I’ve been working on this for several
years.” In keeping with that approach, I am happy to tell you that I recently accomplished one of my long-term goals.
For years, I enjoyed taking photographs, but I had no real goals about photography. I had made a decision that I wanted to excel in photography. I started setting goals, and one was that I wanted to publish some of my photographs in the books I was writing.
For us as Christians, our long-range goals are likely to include the following: win as many souls to Christ as possible, earn the maximum heavenly reward possible for our faithfulness in pursuing Christ’s call on our lives, and fulfill our purpose on this earth as a “good and faithful servant.” Eternal goals are the ultimate long-range goals!
Goals for Every Category of Life
Not only should we have goals that fall into different time frames, but we also should have goals for different areas of our lives. I personally set goals in these six areas:
1. Spiritual
2. Personal
3. Family
4. Vocational
5. Social
6. Financial
Let me give you several examples of goals that might fall into each of these areas:
1. Spiritual. Spend more time reading God’s Word; spend more time in prayer (immediate). Share the gospel with at least five people in the next month; start a Bible study in my home in two months (short-range). Renew my musical skills and play in the church orchestra by this time next year; take a one year course on the gospel of John; teach in vacation Bible school next term (long-range).
2. Personal. Join a gym and start a regular exercise program (immediate). Go on a trip with a group of Christians to concerts next year (short-range).
Finish a graduate degree (long-range).
3. Family. Spend time with my son on the golf course this weekend (immediate). Coach my daughter’s Little League team this coming season (short-range). Put all of my children through college (long-range).
4. Vocational. Make five sales calls today (immediate). Be promoted to district manager (long-range).
5. Social. Invite a friend to dinner this week (immediate). Get involved in an outreach to older members of my church (short-range). Take each of my children on a special vacation trip before they turn eighteen (longrange).
6. Financial. Start tithing (immediate). Save to be able to purchase a car
within twelve months (short-range). Get completely out of any form debt within two years (long-range).