There is no better way to kick off a new year than with some planning. In this blog post, I’d like to share with you some tips on how to plan some big annual goals with the help of my free Notion template.

If you’ve never used Notion, you should definitely check it out. It gives you the freedom to create any process and system you want. It can be used to collect notes, create to-do lists, or even build an entire project management system.

Free “Yearly Planner” Notion Template

Click here to get a copy of my super simple “Yearly Planner Template” in Notion.

Here’s a quick preview of what it looks like:

Follow my notes inside the template. Feel free to edit it and adjust it to your own needs.

Choosing the right goals

I love setting up some big goals every year, because it helps me to stay focused and have something to look forward to achieving.

My biggest challenge every year is choosing the right goals, so here are a couple of things I always keep in mind when setting my goals:

1. Never choose a goal based on what someone else is doing. Play your own game and choose your own rules. Don’t compete with anyone but yourself.
   
2. Never choose a goal just to achieve another level. Growing a business is addictive and it’s easy to fall into a trap of wanting to earn more, hire more people, get more clients, etc. But is it what you really want? Stop for a minute and think about what you really want and choose your goal wisely so it truly brings you closer to your dream.
   
3. Choose a goal that has a measurable result. I avoid too-generic goals like “become a better designer” – that would be nearly impossible to measure at the end of the year. You can choose “design 20 website projects,” which will help you to learn a lot as well as  become a better designer for sure! You can also easily track your progress throughout the year by checking off a box every time you design a new project.
   
4. Choose a goal that can be easily broken down into smaller goals that can be further broken down into very specific tasks. My Notion template will help you with that as it encourages you to think through each quarter (smaller goals) and plan a specific to-do list for each month (your action plan).
   
5. Always think about the “why” behind each of your annual goals. As designers, we often do this exercise to plan a better user experience. We keep asking “why” to better understand the problem and find the best solution. Apply the same design thinking into your year planning.
   
6. Imagine yourself achieving the chosen goal by the end of the year. How will it feel? How will it change your life? Practice visualizing your future as it can help you test the desired outcome before it happens and help you decide if it’s something you really want. Again, by applying design thinking, we’re just “prototyping” and testing possible solutions here.
   

What are some big goals you have for this year? What’s your process to track the progress and stay focused? Share your comment below!