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Goal tracker template

Updated on October 28, 2026

Most New Year goals are forgotten by February, not for lack of will, but because nobody looks at them again. This template asks for a few goals, each with a reason, a way to measure it and steps for the quarter, plus a quick review every month.

Goals for 2027


Health: run 5 km without stopping

Why: more energy and better sleep
How to measure: finish a 5 km run by June
Steps this quarter:
  • Walk and run 3 times a week
  • Run 3 km without stopping by March

Money: emergency fund

Why: stop relying on the credit card for surprises
How to measure: 3 months of expenses saved by December
Steps this quarter:
  • Set aside a fixed amount every month

Learning: read 12 books

Why: get back to reading for fun
How to measure: one book per month
Steps this quarter:
  • Read 3 books by March

Monthly review

  • January:
  • February:

How to use it

  1. At the end of the year or the start of the next, create the note with "Use this template" and pick three to five goals at most, from different areas of life.
  2. For each goal, write why it matters and how you will know you got there. Without a way to measure it, you cannot track it.
  3. Break each goal into steps for the next three months. A step is something you can do this week.
  4. Create a monthly calendar reminder (⋮ menu › Create reminder) and, every month, write one line under "Monthly review" and update the steps.

Tips

  • Prefer goals that depend on you. "Run 3 times a week" does; "win the race" does not.
  • The reason is what keeps a goal alive in the hard months. Write the real reason, not the one that sounds nice.
  • Reviewing is not about guilt. If a goal stopped making sense, change it or delete it, and write down why.
  • Celebrate finished steps. A yearly goal is made of many small months.

Big goals, small steps

A goal like "save three months of expenses" can feel far away in January. Split into twelve parts, it becomes an amount per month, and that amount becomes a task: set the money aside on payday. That path, from goal to this week’s step, is what the template organizes. For money goals, also use the savings tracker template; for daily habits, the habit tracker works better than this note.

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