Skip to main content

Planning

Goal Setting Template

Most goal templates are a page you fill in once in January. This one is a chain: a few life goals, three for the year, one milestone each per quarter, and three weekly goals that move them. Copy it whole, or use only the level you need today.

Updated 2026-10-27

Copy and adapt

The template

Goal settingTemplate

Goals, {{date}}

Direction: [one or two sentences about the life or work you are building over 3 to 5 years] Related: [[Goals 2027]]

Life areas (3 to 5 years)

  • Work: [where you want to be]
  • Health: [...]
  • Money: [...]
  • People: [...]
  • [Your area]: [...]

This year (no more than 3)

1. [Goal]

  • Why: [what changes in your life if this happens]
  • Finish line: [measurable result] by [date]
  • Obstacle plan: If [likely obstacle], then [what you will do].

2. [Goal]

  • ...

This quarter ([Q1, Jan 1 to Mar 31])

  • Goal 1: [milestone] @due(YYYY-MM-DD)
  • Goal 2: [milestone] @due(YYYY-MM-DD)

This month ([month])

  • [Step toward goal 1] @due(YYYY-MM-DD)
  • [Step toward goal 2] @due(YYYY-MM-DD)

This week ([week of date])

  • [Weekly goal, names which yearly goal it serves]
  • [...]
  • [...]

Not this year

  • [Things you are choosing not to pursue, so they stop competing]

Review rhythm

  • Weekly (15 min): tick the week, write next week's three.
  • Monthly (30 min): check each goal against its quarter milestone.
  • Quarterly (1 hour): keep, change or drop each goal, and write why.

5 examples

Examples for different situations

The same structure, filled in for the situations people actually bring to it. Copy the one closest to yours.

1.Life goals for a five-year change

When it fits: Use this when a big decision (a move, a career switch, a family) is shaping the next few years and the yearly goals only make sense once the long view is written down.

Life goals for a five-year changeExample 1

Goals, 2026-12-28

Direction: By 2031, work in corporate finance instead of audit, live within 30 minutes of Jo's family in Cincinnati, and have enough saved that a bad year is not a crisis. Related: [[Goals 2027]]

Life areas (3 to 5 years)

  • Work: FP&A manager role at a mid-size company. Out of audit season for good.
  • Health: Back to running a half marathon under 2:00. Sleep 7 hours in March as well as in July.
  • Money: Six months of expenses ($27,000) in savings. Down payment for a house in Cincinnati by 2029.
  • People: Sunday dinners with Jo's parents most weeks once we move. Call my brother every two weeks, not twice a year.
  • Learning: Comfortable building a three-statement model from scratch.

This year (no more than 3)

1. Get an FP&A role

  • Why: Busy season costs me January to April every year, and Jo carries the house alone for those months.
  • Finish line: Signed offer for an FP&A analyst or senior analyst role, Cincinnati or remote, by 2027-09-30.
  • Obstacle plan: If interviews stall on modeling, then I take the evening modeling course in the spring instead of applying blind.

2. Emergency fund to $15,000

  • Why: A job change with $4,000 in savings is a gamble.
  • Finish line: $15,000 in the high-yield account by 2027-12-31 ($920 per month).
  • Obstacle plan: If a month is short, then I skip the next restaurant week, not the transfer.

3. Run a half marathon in October

  • Finish line: Finish a half marathon on 2027-10-17 (registered in January), any time.

This quarter (Q1 2027)

  • Goal 1: Modeling course enrolled, LinkedIn rewritten, five conversations with people in FP&A @due(2027-03-31)
  • Goal 2: $2,760 saved @due(2027-03-31)
  • Goal 3: Running three times a week, even in busy season

Not this year

  • The CPA review course refresh. Not needed for FP&A.
  • House hunting. That is a 2029 goal; looking now just makes us unhappy with the apartment.

Review rhythm

  • Quarterly with Jo, first Saturday of April, July and October.

2.Quarterly goals for a freelancer

When it fits: Use this when your year is too uncertain to plan in detail, so the quarter is the real planning unit and each month needs one concrete step.

Quarterly goals for a freelancerExample 2

Goals, Q1 2027 (Jan 1 to Mar 31)

Direction: A design practice that pays $120,000 a year from fewer, better clients. Related: [[Goals 2027]], [[Pricing]]

This quarter

1. Raise the day rate from $550 to $700

  • Why: At $550 I need 18 billable days a month to hit target. At $700, 14.
  • Finish line: Every new proposal sent after Jan 15 quotes $700. One existing client moved to $700 by Mar 31.
  • Obstacle plan: If Harbor Coffee (40% of last year's income, still at $450) says no to $600, then I keep them through June and replace the hours, not the client, by then.

2. Two retainer clients at $3,000 a month

  • Finish line: Two signed retainers by 2027-03-31.
  • Obstacle plan: If no retainer by Feb 28, then I offer a three-month trial at $2,500 to the two warmest leads.

3. Portfolio rebuilt with three new case studies

  • Finish line: Three case studies live on the site by 2027-02-15, including the Fernhill rebrand.

This month (January)

  • Write the new rate card and proposal template @due(2027-01-12)
  • Rate conversation with Harbor Coffee, ask for $600 from April @due(2027-01-20)
  • Draft two case studies @due(2027-01-31)
  • Retainer pitch to Fernhill and Ostrander Books @due(2027-01-29)

Not this quarter

  • New website design. The case studies matter; the layout does not.
  • Any project under three days.

Review rhythm

  • Monthly, last Friday: invoiced vs target ($10,000), rate on every proposal, retainer pipeline.

3.Monthly goals for a small business in peak season

When it fits: Use this when one month carries a big share of the year's revenue, and the goal sheet has to protect something other than revenue too.

Monthly goals for a small business in peak seasonExample 3

Goals, December 2026

Direction: A bakery that does not need me behind the counter seven days a week by 2028. Related: [[Goals 2026]], [[Holiday season]]

This month

1. 180 holiday cake preorders

  • Why: Last December was 132 preorders and 31% of Q4 revenue. Preorders also tell me how much to bake, which cuts waste.
  • Finish line: 180 paid preorders by 2026-12-20.
  • Obstacle plan: If we are under 100 by Dec 10, then I email the 412 customers from last year's list a second time and put the order form at the register.

2. Hire one seasonal counter person

  • Finish line: Trained and working Saturday shifts by 2026-12-05.

3. Closed every Sunday

  • Why: Last year I worked 26 days straight in December and missed Leila's recital. Her recital is Dec 13 this year.
  • Finish line: Shop closed all four Sundays, posted on the door and the website by Nov 30.

Weekly steps

  • Week of Nov 23: post the Sunday closures, preorder form live (done 11-28)
  • Week of Nov 30: interview three applicants, offer by Wednesday, first Saturday shift Dec 5 @due(2026-12-02)
  • Week of Dec 7: preorder count check, second email if under 100 @due(2026-12-10)
  • Week of Dec 14: final bake schedule from the preorder list @due(2026-12-19)

Not this month

  • The new sourdough line. January.
  • Wholesale conversations with the two cafes. Revisit 2027-01-15.

Review rhythm

  • Every Monday morning with Farah: preorder count, hours worked, anything that threatens a Sunday.

5.Quarter reset when the year goal is slipping

When it fits: Use this when a yearly goal is clearly behind in October, and the honest move is to drop or shrink goals so the one that matters can still land.

Quarter reset when the year goal is slippingExample 5

Goals, Q4 2026 reset, 2026-10-05

Direction: Fund the after-school reading program for three schools without depending on one grant. Related: [[Goals 2026]], [[Fundraising]]

Where the year stands

  • Raise $250,000 in 2026: $141,000 at Oct 1 (56%). Last year Q4 brought 38% of annual giving, so on trend we land near $227,000.
  • Redesign the donor newsletter: two drafts, not shipped.
  • Second gala in the spring: venue held, no committee yet.

Decisions

  • Keep: $250,000. It is the one that funds the third school.
  • Drop: the newsletter redesign. The current one is fine and the board did not ask for it. Freed time: about 6 hours a week.
  • Drop: the spring gala. One gala a year is what the team can run well. Released the venue hold on Oct 3.

This quarter

  • Goal: $109,000 raised by 2026-12-31
    • Year-end appeal mailed to 1,850 donors @due(2026-11-24)
    • 12 major-donor meetings, at least 4 asks over $5,000 @due(2026-12-15)
    • Board giving at 100% (currently 9 of 13) @due(2026-12-31)

This month (October)

  • Major-donor list ranked with Darnell @due(2026-10-09)
  • First 4 meetings booked @due(2026-10-16)
  • Appeal letter draft to the ED @due(2026-10-23)

Not this year

  • Newsletter redesign and spring gala, both written up in [[2027 ideas]] so they are not lost.

Review rhythm

  • Every Monday: dollars raised, meetings held. Board update on Nov 17.

How the levels connect

The usual goal setting template is a single page: goal, why, steps, deadline. It works for one goal. It stops working when you have a life, a year and a busy Tuesday, because nothing connects the big goal to what you do this week. By March the goal sheet is in a drawer and the weeks are full of other things.

The template above is a chain. Each level points to the one above:

  1. Life areas (3 to 5 years). Direction, not deadlines. A few lines per area.
  2. The year. No more than three goals, each with a measurable finish line and a date.
  3. The quarter. One milestone per yearly goal. Ninety days is long enough to make real progress and short enough to see when you are behind.
  4. The month. The steps that make the milestone likely, as checkboxes with due dates.
  5. The week. Three goals you control, each naming the yearly goal it serves.

If a weekly goal cannot name a yearly one, it is a task. That one check keeps the week tied to the year.

Weekly goals are not a to-do list

A to-do list holds everything that needs doing. Weekly goals are the two or three things that would make the week count even if nothing else got done. "Answer emails" is a task. "Send the case study to the two recruiters I met in October" is a weekly goal, because it moves the job search.

Write weekly goals in terms of effort you control: applications sent, calls made, drafts finished. Outcomes (offers, sales, approvals) depend on other people. Check those monthly, as the job search example does, and adjust the effort if the outcomes are not following.

The review rhythm

Goals decay without review. Not dramatically: they just stop being read, and the week fills up with whatever is loudest. A short rhythm prevents that.

  • Weekly, 15 minutes. Tick last week, write next week's three. Friday afternoon works better than Monday morning, because you go into the weekend with the plan made.
  • Monthly, 30 minutes. Check each goal against its quarter milestone. On track, behind, or done.
  • Quarterly, 1 hour. For each goal, decide: keep, change or drop. Write the reason.

Changing or dropping a goal

Most goal templates have nowhere to record that a goal changed. So goals are either kept out of guilt or abandoned silently, and either way the goal sheet stops being trusted.

Treat a change like a decision. At the quarterly review, write what changed, what you are doing instead and why. The nonprofit reset above drops two goals in October so the fundraising goal can still land, and moves the dropped ideas to a next-year note so they are not lost. A goal you consciously drop is a good decision. A goal you forget about is a leak.

Common mistakes

  • Nine goals for the year. They compete for the same evenings and the urgent ones win.
  • No finish line. "Get healthier" cannot be finished. "Finish the October half marathon" can.
  • Writing goals once, in January. Without a weekly and quarterly review, the goal sheet is a record of good intentions.
  • Weekly goals that are outcomes. You cannot control whether you get the offer this week. You can control the eight applications.
  • Hiding changes. If a goal moved, say so in the note. Next year you will want to know why.

When to use a different template

To turn one vague goal into a measurable one, start with the SMART goals examples worksheet. For team goals with measurable key results and quarterly scoring, use the OKR template. If the goal is really a set of daily behaviors, track them with the habit tracker template. For the end-of-year look back that feeds next year's goals, the year in review template is the companion to this one.

Customization tips

  • Use only the level you need

    The template is a chain, but you do not have to fill in every link at once. Planning next week? Use the weekly section. Planning a year? Fill in life areas and the year, and leave the quarter for its first day.

  • Three goals per level, at most

    Three yearly goals, one milestone each per quarter, three weekly goals. The limit is the feature. A goal sheet with nine items is a wish list, and the items quietly compete for the same evenings.

  • Say which goal each weekly item serves

    Add the yearly goal in brackets after each weekly goal. If a weekly item serves none of them, it is a task, not a goal, and belongs on your to-do list.

  • Write the obstacle plan as if-then

    "If Harbor Coffee says no to $600, then I keep them through June" is a plan you can follow on a bad day. "Stay positive" is not. One if-then per goal is enough.

  • Keep a not-this-year list

    Writing down what you are not doing is what frees the time for what you are. It also keeps good ideas from getting lost; move them to a next-year note.

  • Count what you control in the weekly goals

    Applications sent, calls made and drafts finished are weekly goals. Offers, sales and approvals are outcomes; check them monthly, as the job search example does.

In the app

How to do this in Scribelet

  1. Open Desk Settings, then Templates, tap Add Template, paste the template above and set the category to Planning. Keep {{date}} in the title so each new goals note is dated.

  2. Write monthly and weekly steps as checkboxes with @due(2026-12-10). They appear in the Tasks view and on today's daily note until ticked, so the weekly review starts with what is still open.

  3. Link each weekly or quarterly note to one note with [[Goals 2027]]. Its backlinks panel lists every review in order, which is how you see whether a goal moved over the year.

  4. Put - [ ] Weekly goals review @remind(2026-11-13 16:00) in the note and Scribelet sends a push reminder at that time, in your local time zone.

  5. Before a quarterly review, ask the AI chat "what did I write about the retainer goal in my weekly notes since January?" It answers from your notes with citations.

Templates, template variables and AI generation are documented in Note templates.

Frequently asked questions

What are some examples of goal setting?

Goal setting is turning a direction into a finish line and a next step. Examples: a five-year plan to move into corporate finance, a freelancer raising their day rate in one quarter, a bakery owner protecting Sundays in December, a job seeker setting weekly application targets. Each is filled in above.

What are 10 good life goals?

Good life goals are specific to you, but common ones span the same areas: work you are proud of, a health baseline (sleep, movement), money (an emergency fund, no high-interest debt), close relationships kept up on purpose, a skill you keep learning, somewhere you want to live, something you give back. Write them in the Life areas section, then pick no more than three to act on this year.

How do I organize my goals?

By time horizon, top to bottom: life areas, the year, the quarter, the month, the week. Each level should point to the one above it. Then review on a rhythm: weekly for steps, monthly against the quarter, quarterly to keep, change or drop goals.

How many goals should I set?

Three for the year is a good ceiling. One milestone per goal per quarter, and three weekly goals. More than that and the goals compete for the same time, so the urgent ones win and the important ones slip.

What is the difference between weekly, monthly and quarterly goals?

Quarterly goals are milestones: results you can check at the end of 90 days. Monthly goals are the steps that make the milestone likely. Weekly goals are the actions you control this week. If a weekly goal does not trace back to a quarterly one, it is a task.

Should my goals be SMART?

The finish line should be: specific, measurable and dated. The direction and life areas do not need to be. For help rewriting a vague goal, see these SMART goals examples, and for team goals with measurable results, the OKR examples.

Goals that are still on your mind in March

Save this goal setting template in Scribelet, turn the monthly and weekly steps into tracked tasks with due dates, and link every review to one goals note. At the quarter, ask your notes what moved. Encrypted, free to start.

Start your goal sheet
or get the app
Download on theApp Store

Free plan, no credit card. See pricing

Planning

SMART Goals Examples

A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. The quickest way to write one is to see a vague goal rewritten next to it. Below are five, for very different lives, each with the baseline, checkpoints and a plan for when it slips. The worksheet walks you through your own.

Work

OKR Examples and Template

An OKR is one qualitative objective and three to five key results with a baseline and a target. Most examples stop at the first day of the quarter. These five go further: weekly check-ins, a personal OKR, and a quarter scored honestly at the end. The template keeps all of it in one note.

Planning

Habit Tracker Template

A grid of checkmarks only works until the first bad week. This habit tracker template adds the two things most printables leave out: a minimum version of each habit for hard days, and a rule for what happens after a miss. Copy it, or start from the example closest to your week.

Planning

Weekly Review Template

A weekly review is 45 minutes that stops small things from going stale: clear the inboxes, look back honestly, check every project has a next step, then choose three priorities for next week. Copy the template, or start from the weekly review example closest to your week.

Journals

Year in Review Template

A personal year in review is built from evidence, not memory: read the year back month by month, then write what went well, what did not, who mattered and what changes next year. Copy the template, or start from the example closest to the year you had.

Work

Personal Development Plan Template

A personal development plan names where you are, where you want to be in a year or so, and no more than three things you will work on to get there. This template adds what most plans skip: a monthly check, a quarterly rewrite, and a rule for plans that stall. Copy it, or start from the example closest to your situation.

We use cookies for analytics to improve your experience. Learn more