A recurring goal is one that starts again on a schedule — the same target, every month or every quarter, rather than one long run at a single number.

Each period starts fresh. That is the whole reason to use one: a poor month does not drag the next one down, and a strong month does not let you coast through the one after it. Both are what happens when an ongoing commitment is tracked as a single never-ending goal.

Use it for anything that is a habit rather than a destination. "Ship twelve articles this quarter, every quarter" recurs; "launch the new site" does not.