The Best Goal Setting Templates to Help You Crush It This Year

If you’re anything like me (ESFJ, Enneagram 3, and definitely Type A), you love a good plan. January presents the perfect clean slate and opportunity to dream of what you will conquer in the coming twelve months. But sometimes it’s tough to know where to start and in what format to put down your hopes, dreams, and goals for the future.

Look no further. I’ve compiled a few tried-and-true goal setting templates to help you plan your year—from simple to broad and with prompts to think BIG. Here are my favorite options for printing out and writing down my plans from some of my favorite experts in the field.

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal. – Earl Nightingale

Reflect and Refocus Worksheets from The Well Summit

First up, my friend Jenn Jett Barrett over at the Well Summit gives hope and purpose to “dreamers and doers” and inspires us to be “dream defenders.” For some, dreaming is easy but doing is tough, for others (like me) I can “do” ALL DAY, but I often forget to put the time into dreaming! One of my favorite parts about Jenn’s worksheets is reflecting on the past. Often the monotony of day-to-day life can make you forget how much you accomplish. Reflecting on the past year is helpful to give yourself a pat on the back, maybe set some stretch goals going forward, and remove what isn’t working.

Gretchen Rubin’s “22 for 2022” List

Gretchen’s Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast is one of my favorites. She’s an expert on helping people be “happier, healthier, more productive, or more creative” and is constantly creating content to help us do just that. I used her “21 for 2021” list last year—it was simple and helped me frame up my year, from important work goals, to fitness, to potty-training my youngest child. If you like a simple list, this one is for you.

Kendra Adachi’s Lazy Genius Goal Setting Worksheet

Kendra says her definition of a goal is “a purposeful direction, not a destination.” I appreciate this because sometimes things happen—I’ve been injured while pursuing a half-marathon, a pandemic hit while I was trying to find a new job, and sometimes things just don’t go my way. I try to keep in mind that a goal helps guide where I’m headed but may not actually be the end result in my pursuit of progress. What I love about Kendra’s worksheets is that they are month to month. If setting TWELVE WHOLE MONTHS of goals is overwhelming, check this one out and just focus on the next 31 days, my friend. Kendra’s podcast (The Lazy Genius) is also super helpful, especially this one on goals. Check her out!

The 2021 Dream Guide by Jennie Allen

This is “a tool to help you celebrate what is, grieve what was, and look for what could be.”  When you want to do some intense work—and year three of a pandemic might be the time— this is the one. Maybe you need to work through grief while you look to the future. Jennie’s thoughtful guide is a great option for digging in and doing some processing. And, if you feel like you need to share your goals with a friend or spouse, it has conversation cards to do so. Remember, dreams and goals are more likely to come true when we verbalize them to others! Also, check out her podcast episode with Lara Casey about “How to Dream Bigger in 2020.” (About setbacks…who would have known what 2020 held. But we all perfected our banana bread, right?)

And speaking of Lara Casey, have you heard of Power Sheets?

While these aren’t free to download, they are beautifully designed for the long haul and for consistent use throughout the year. The Cultivate What Matters site notes: “Building an intentional life happens little by little, and your small steps will add up faster than you think.” If you’re looking for a planner to keep you on task day to day, this is a great option. It also includes monthly planning and quarterly refreshes to keep your goals in mind all year long.

Bonus Guides:

Not sure you’re into writing things down in template form, but want to do some prayer or meditation and need a guideline? My sister-in-law created an amazing prayer guide.

Looking for some help with a template that will help get you moving? Check out #hardCORE On the Floor and download their exercise calendar. This has taken the guesswork out of planning my workouts.

Or if you’re looking to get crafty and visualize your goals—make a vision board. Last year I took my “21 in 2021” list and turned it into a poster with visual elements of all the goals I wanted to meet or things that were important to me. Pinterest has tons of ideas.

I’m excited to tackle the new year and see what it brings. How do you plan for your dreams and goals? Leave your tips in the comments!