Free Goal Setting Template

Without the right goal setting template you can find yourself setting and then resetting the same goals over and over. That's why you need a process to accompany your template.

Goal setting templates are a good start - putting ink to paper dramatically increases your chances of achieving your goals. But you changes of goal setting success dramatically increases with this four step process:

1. setting the right goals that are aligned with what matters most to you
2. setting SMART goals, 
3. doing a gap analysis, and
4. setting actions that you can do on a daily or weekly basis.

It is interesting, given that setting the right goals is one of the best predictors of success, how few of us do it correct. 

If I was to stand on the street corner and ask a random group of people “Do you set goals and have a clear action plan to achieve them?”, two out of every 100 people would say yes.

Only 2% of the population write down their goals on paper and have a plan to achieve them! Yet goal setting research says that those 2% of people are more likely to achieve success in whatever field they are in.

This is reflected in the often quoted study of Harvard graduates of 1979 in which

• 3% had written goals
• 13% had unwritten goals
• 84% had not goals at all

When questioned 10 years later.....those with an unwritten goal, were making twice as much as those that had not set goals.

However the amazing finding was that 3% of people who wrote down their goals and had a goal setting plan to achieve them were earning 10 times the amount as the rest of the class. 

1. Write your goal down on this goal setting template

Setting goals on paper is important to your success. Download the form that is applicable to your situation.

Download your career goal setting form (PDF file).

Download this personal goal setting form (PDF file).

Download your relationship goal setting form (PDF file).

Step 2: Make a SMART goal

There has been much science around the art of goal setting which has been boiled down to a formula that can be captured in the acronym SMART.

In short, SMART goal setting means:

When the answer is 'Yes' to all of the above then congratulations...you have just set a SMART goal. Using these smart goal setting principles (and examples) maximize your chances of goal setting success. 

3. Do a GAP analysis on your SMART goal

Now that you have identified the gap between where you are and where you want to go, try to identify the short-term goals that will slowly move you towards this dream goal.

Also identify any actions that you need to take to achieve this goal. There may be several of these for each goal that you set. Most importantly make sure that the next actions for the shortest term goals are very specific.

Put these next actions into your your master to do list.

Download your printable master to do list (PDF file).

4. Schedule time for your actions

Now that those next actions are in your master to do list we don't want to leave them there. Take action and schedule time to do them in your calendar or weekly plan. 

The more you can do this in advance the more likely you are to protect your time to achieve your most important goals

Download Achieve Planner's free goal setting software trial. Their software allows you to do all of this with the click of a button.

Based on goal setting theory and my own personal experience with clients, by focusing you on your next actions (rather than what may seem an insurmountable life goal) you are much more focused and motivated achieve.