Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.
– Tony Robbins

It seems to go without saying that you can’t hit a goal you don’t set. Setting a goal gives you clear direction for deciding how to spend your time and effort.

A clear goal, with designated action steps to get there, gives you a way to track your progress toward getting what you want in life.

Use Your MIY Planner to Track Your Goals

Goals fall under the My Inspired Year category Internal. Even if your goal is something practical, you achieve it because of what happens on the inside. It’s your inner determination that makes the difference between success and failure.

So, if your goal is to “get out of debt,” that’s what you write as your big goal. Then you break it down. Over the year, it might be realistic for you to pay off $2,400. Then your monthly goal would be to pay off $200.

But, paying down what you already owe is only part of getting out of debt. The other part is saving so you never need to rely on credit. So, your weekly goal might be to put $30 in a savings account.

Maybe your big goal is to be a writer. Perhaps you want to finally finish your novel this year. Put those in your big goal and year spots, then set a weekly goal that reflects the number of words or pages you will need to produce to achieve it. You can set a monthly goal to meet with a writers’ group, coach, or someone else who can help you on your journey.

Track Your Goals Every Week

Why are you writing this in your planner every week? Putting your goal front of mind ensures that you remember to take action. Action gets the job done.

When you’re evaluating your progress every week, it gives you feedback as to how well your action plan is working. You can then adjust your steps accordingly.

If you aren’t sure yet what goals you want to track, you can leave this part blank for now. How you use these pages is completely up to you.

Don’t have a planner? Get it here.

Success is the progressive realization of predetermined, worthwhile, personal goals.
– Paul Meyer

Read the first article in this series: Internal: Doing the Mental Work in Order to Succeed

Read the next article in this series: What are your goals?