90-Day Goals Examples: 36 Goals for the Next Quarter
Ninety days is long enough to finish something you would be proud of and short enough that the end is always in sight. A year goal can wait until spring. A weekly goal is gone before it builds anything. A quarter sits between them: about 13 weeks, three monthly milestones, and one clear finish date.
Below are 36 90-day goals examples in six areas. Each has a finish line you can check on day 90 and a step for week one, so the quarter starts now and not in week five. After the list, three of them are cut into monthly milestones.
Pick one to three. A quarter with one finished goal beats a quarter with five half-done ones.
What makes a good 90-day goal
A good 90-day goal passes three tests:
- It needs most of the quarter. If you could finish it in two weeks, it is a weekly goal or a monthly goal. A 90-day goal should need steady work across all three months.
- You can check it on day 90. "Get better at Spanish" can't be checked. "Hold a 10-minute conversation in Spanish" can.
- It splits into three monthly milestones. If you can't name where you should be at day 30 and day 60, the goal is still a wish. The milestones are what you check, not the goal.
Health and fitness
| # | 90-day goal | Week-one step |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Run 5 km without stopping | Run-walk for 20 minutes, three times |
| 2 | Do 10 full push-ups in a row | Test how many you can do today and write it down |
| 3 | Go to the gym 36 times (3 a week) | Pick the three days and put them in your calendar |
| 4 | Walk 8,000 steps a day on average | Check your average for last week and add 1,000 |
| 5 | Cook dinner at home 5 nights a week | Plan five dinners and shop for them |
| 6 | Be asleep by 11pm on 6 nights out of 7 | Set a 10:30pm phone alarm labelled "bed" |
Money
| # | 90-day goal | Week-one step |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Save one month of expenses | Work out what one month costs you |
| 8 | Pay off one credit card | List every card with its balance and rate |
| 9 | Cut monthly spending by 10% | Write down every expense for seven days |
| 10 | Earn your first $500 from a side project | Write down three things people already ask you for |
| 11 | Set up a budget you keep for three months | Sort last month's spending into five categories |
| 12 | Cancel or renegotiate every bill you can | Collect your bills in one folder |
Career and work
| # | 90-day goal | Week-one step |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Get a new job offer | Update your CV and pick ten openings |
| 14 | Ship one project your manager will mention in your review | Agree the finish line with your manager in writing |
| 15 | Get one professional certificate | Book the exam date, then work back from it |
| 16 | Build a portfolio of 3 finished pieces | Choose the three pieces and outline the first |
| 17 | Have a one-to-one with 12 people in your field | List 20 names and message the first three |
| 18 | Clear the backlog you inherited | Count it and sort it into keep, hand off and close |
Learning and skills
| # | 90-day goal | Week-one step |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Hold a 10-minute conversation in a new language | Do 15 minutes a day of a beginner course |
| 20 | Finish an online course you paid for | Find where you stopped and do one lesson |
| 21 | Read 6 books | Pick the first two and put one by your bed |
| 22 | Play one full song on an instrument | Choose the song and learn the first four bars |
| 23 | Build and publish a small app or website | Write down what it does in one sentence |
| 24 | Learn to touch-type at 50 words per minute | Test your speed today and practise 10 minutes |
Home and life admin
| # | 90-day goal | Week-one step |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Declutter every room in the house | List the rooms and do the smallest one |
| 26 | Finish the home project you started last year | Write the remaining steps and buy what step one needs |
| 27 | Put every important document in one place | Find your passport, contracts and policies |
| 28 | Make a will or update it | Book the appointment or open a template |
| 29 | Plan and book next year's main holiday | Agree the dates with everyone going |
| 30 | Grow something you can eat | Pick one easy plant for this season |
Relationships and personal life
| # | 90-day goal | Week-one step |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Have a planned evening out with your partner every two weeks | Book the first one |
| 32 | Call a parent or grandparent every week | Set a weekly reminder for the same time |
| 33 | Make one new friend in your area | Join one club, class or group that meets weekly |
| 34 | Volunteer 12 times | Find one place near you and sign up |
| 35 | Keep a journal on 60 of the 90 days | Write five lines tonight |
| 36 | Spend one weekend a month without your phone | Pick the first weekend and tell people |
Three 90-day goals cut into months
The goal is only as clear as its milestones. Here are three from the list, each with a day-30 and day-60 checkpoint.
Run 5 km without stopping (goal 1)
| By | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Day 30 | Run 10 minutes without stopping |
| Day 60 | Run 3 km without stopping |
| Day 90 | Run 5 km without stopping |
Save one month of expenses (goal 7)
| By | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Day 30 | Automatic transfer set up, first third saved |
| Day 60 | Two thirds saved, one expense cut for good |
| Day 90 | One month of expenses in a separate account |
Hold a 10-minute conversation in a new language (goal 19)
| By | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Day 30 | Introduce yourself and talk about your day for 2 minutes |
| Day 60 | One 20-minute session with a tutor or language partner each week |
| Day 90 | A 10-minute conversation on everyday topics |
The quarterly goal planner has a box for each of these: one 90-day goal, a milestone for each month and the first steps. Fill it in and print it or download it.
How many 90-day goals to set
One to three. More than three and they compete for the same evenings, so none of them gets the steady work a quarter needs. If you pick three, take them from different parts of life (for example one for health, one for money and one for work) so they don't all need the same hours.
If your goal is larger than a quarter, like changing career or paying off a loan, the 90-day goal is the first piece of it. Long-term goals examples shows how a one- to ten-year goal breaks into pieces this size, and how to break down a big goal into subgoals walks through the method.
Check in weekly, review at day 30 and day 60
- Every week, 10 minutes. Are you on pace for this month's milestone? What got in the way? What is the next smallest step? The weekly review page asks these questions and lets you print the answers.
- Day 30 and day 60, 20 minutes. Did you hit the milestone? If yes, keep going. If you are far behind, change the plan now, not in week 12: lower the target, add a session a week, or drop a second goal to make room.
- Day 90. Mark the goal done or not, write one line on what you learned, and choose the next quarter's goal while the lesson is fresh.
Track the quarter in your browser
GoalTracker fits a 90-day goal. Add the goal, add each monthly milestone as a subgoal with its due date, and break the current month into weekly steps. The progress bar fills as you check them off. It is free, needs no account, and keeps your goals in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 90-day goal?
A goal you plan to finish in about three months, with a clear finish line on day 90 and a milestone at the end of each month. It is long enough for real progress and short enough to keep the end in sight.
Why set goals for 90 days instead of a year?
A year is long enough to put things off for months. In 90 days the deadline is always close, you get four chances a year to start again, and you find out much sooner whether the plan works.
How do I write a 90-day goal?
Write the result you want on day 90 so that anyone could check it. Then write where you need to be on day 30 and day 60, and one step for this week. If you can't name the milestones, make the goal smaller.
What if I fall behind on a 90-day goal?
Check at day 30. If you are behind, change the plan then: lower the target, add time each week, or drop another goal. Changing the plan in week four is normal; finding out in week twelve leaves no time to recover.
Related reading
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