How to Achieve your Dreams with an Annual Goal Setting Process

I’ve never been into New Year’s Resolutions. I’m much more likely to make random middle-of-the-year resolutions. I have to be properly inspired to make a big change, and I’m typically not struck by a lightning bolt of motivation in January.

However, I’m starting to change my mind. Research shows that you are 40% more likely to achieve a goal just by writing it down. And I like achieving goals. This sounds like an easy hack to me that will reap massive benefits. 

Last year I set yearly goals in February when I started using the Full Focus Planner. I just finished my yearly recap and I did a pretty good job of achieving the goals. Sure, some of them changed due to a global pandemic and an unexpected cross-country move. But I was still able to achieve most of my annual goals. That feels great!

This year, I turn 40 so I have big plans. I just went through my annual goal setting process and I want to share with you how I approached it. Fortunately I have a simple process for setting goals, so this process took me about two hours. I have been mulling over my yearly goals for a couple of weeks already, which helped. 

How can I improve my goal setting?

To achieve your goals, it’s important to have an exciting but realistic annual goal setting process. I’ll give you some simple steps to dream big and then break down your big dreams into manageable steps. This annual goal setting process is a breeze, and will give you the jump start you need. 

What domains should I consider?

There are many different domains you could consider. I like to keep it simple and focus on the areas that are important to me:

• Professional & Career
• Relationships
• Physical Health
• Giving Back

Other domains to consider are:

• Spiritual
• Home
• Skills & Hobbies
• Reading/Personal Development

In past years, I’ve set home and personal development skills. This year, I’m not as focused on home. We just moved and I’m happy with our house, so I’m setting that one aside for now. I think that changes will happen naturally over the course of the year.

I do have some personal development and hobby goals, but they overlap with my big four domains (professional, relationship, physical health, giving back). You can use these domains as a starting point for your own brainstorming.

What if I can’t think of any goals?

When I sat down this morning, I have to admit that my mind was blank at first. It didn’t take me long to get going though. There are a couple ways you can get yourself warmed up if you’re drawing a blank.

You can start by doing a recap of the previous year. Did you set goals last year? How did they go? If you didn’t accomplish everything, what could have gone better? Recapping the year gone by can be fertile ground for this year’s goals. Just don’t dwell on this. I spend a maximum of 30 minutes or so on this but you may choose to spend longer if it’s helpful to you.

Once you’ve done a recap of the previous year, you can start brainstorming. Get a blank sheet of paper or a whiteboard or a blank word document in front of you. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind, from spending more time with your parents to developing a better skincare routine to looking for a new job. There are no limits here! Just let your imagination run wild and don’t be afraid to think big. You have to feel a fire for your goals or you’ll never put in the work, even if they seem crazy.

Yearly Goals

Most people think of goals as annual goals, but that can be a big trap. It’s great to set goals for what you want to accomplish throughout the year but don’t be fooled. These goals won’t happen unless you work toward them consistently – quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily.

The first step, though, is to go ahead and set those annual goals. What do you want to accomplish this year? Remember these should be big goals and dreams. Don’t hold back. Be honest with your deepest self. This is the time to dream. 

I recommend starting with eight to twelve annual goals. That breaks down to 2-3 goals per quarter. This year, I have ten annual goals. They’re frontloaded in the first 3 quarters of the year though. I like to leave space for new goals as the year goes on. For example, last year we moved from NC to CO in August so my Q3 goals were entirely based on executing the move. That wasn’t even on my radar in Q1 of 2020. It was nice to have the margin to pivot and still accomplish many of my existing goals.

Breaking Annual Goals Down into Quarterly Goals

Once you have annual goals, start sorting them into quarters. You can’t focus on everything at once, so be honest with yourself. Think about the best time to work on each goal. For example, if your busy time at work is in Q2, that may not be the time to focus on hobbies or renovating your home. Align your goals with the natural cadence of the year. 

Summer may be a great time to focus on adventure. The month before school starts could be a good chance to get organized for the upcoming school year. Think about the natural ebb and flow of your life, both at work and home. Then align your goals accordingly.

It’s also important to realize that some goals may take up relatively more space in your life and that’s OK. If you’re looking for a new job, for example, that may be the only thing you can really focus on in a particular quarter. Remember – it’s better to focus on one goal and accomplish it than bite off too much and miss all of your goals.

Make it Simpler with Monthly Goals

My planner (The Full Focus Planner) doesn’t have monthly goal pages, but sometimes I do find it helpful to break down a quarterly goal into monthly goals. For example, if I want to make some changes to my website I might break that down into three smaller chunks by month. Sometimes I also choose a month to focus on a particular goal. 

This year I’ve gained some weight during the holiday season and would like to re-establish some of my habits. I’m going to spend the first month of Q1 focused on that. Then I’ll shift my focus to a different goal next month. Break your quarterly goals down in the way that makes the most sense to you and feels manageable! I like to break down goals into the smallest possible chunks so it’s almost impossible not to take those small steps.

Take Small Steps Toward Success with Weekly & Daily Goals

The weekly and daily process is where the magic really happens. Think about how your habits will build on themselves. Let’s say you want to do a Big Thing thing like write a book. If you look at this as “I need to write 50,000 words this year”, it seems daunting. However, if you break this down by week, you’ll realize that you only need to write about 1,000 words a week. That seems totally doable, right?

You should do the weekly goals when you’re doing your weekly planning and same for daily goals. This isn’t a step you need to worry about in your annual goal setting process. However, it is important to think about how you will break down your annual goals into weekly and daily chunks. For example, I plan to write more articles about planning and productivity in this space, so I’ve set a goal to write 500 words per day for the first quarter of the year. This takes an abstract goal and makes it much more concrete. 

This Annual Goal Setting Process is Simple and Achievable

Using this method of setting big annual goals, then breaking them into progressively smaller chunks, you take an abstract dream to something you work toward each day. No matter what domains of life you want to focus on, this approach will really help you stay focused. Don’t be afraid to set big goals for this year, then dedicate some time to thinking about how you will achieve them. Look back at your goals frequently so they’re fresh in your mind and work every day toward your dreams.