How to create a goals page for your bullet journal

How do you create a goals page for your bullet journal?

To create a goals page in your bullet journal, begin with the goal-setting process. Define specific goals based on the STAR framework, choose a goal tracking system that works best for you, then learn to lay out the corresponding goals page. 

In this article, learn how to step through the process to create a goals page that is organized, helpful, and will have you achieving your goals in no time.

This article may contain affiliate links which pay a commission and support this blog. Thank you for your support!

What should I include in a goal bullet journal?

Goals in your bullet journal should include a description of the goal, steps it will take to reach it, and the time you plan to do it in.

Goals can take up a single page in your bullet journal or multiple spreads, depending on the time it will take to reach your goal and how many steps you want to accomplish it in.

How do I set goals for my bullet journal?

To set goals for your bullet journal, ask yourself some questions. These questions may include:

1. What do you want your life to look like one month from now or one year from now? 
2. What kind of person do you see yourself being by the end of this period? 
3. Why are you setting this goal? What parts of your life can you improve?

Some people use vision boards for their goal-setting process. Clip out photos, quotes, metrics, or drawings that represent goals you want to reach. Paste them to cardstock to hang somewhere visible while planning your goals in your bullet journal. 

You can also create a vision board on Pinterest. Or doodle these dreams directly into a spread in your bullet journal.

If you’re just getting started with goal setting, you may want to focus on a single goal first rather than multiple. Psychologically, you’ll feel amazing once you accomplish one goal, rather than getting overwhelmed. But organizationally, it’s also going to be simpler for you to track one goal in a bullet journal before things get more complicated.

Next, a good way to set specific goals after you’ve gone through the above goal-setting process is to follow the STAR method. STAR stands for specific, timely, action-oriented, and realistic.

1. Specific

Goals should be very specific and defined. Spell out what you want to achieve. For example, rather than saying “lose weight,” you’d write “lose 4 pounds by September 16.” You want the goal to be something attainable rather than abstract. There’s no way to measure “lose weight” if you don’t define how much and by when.

2. Timely

Goals should have a specific time frame assigned to them, yes, but they should also make sense for you right now. What makes a goal timely? It should be something you can accomplish soon. Or, if it’s not something that you can do right now, it should include steps that you can take immediately to begin progressing toward reaching the final goal.

3. Action Oriented

Goals must be action-oriented. This means you’ll define the steps you need to act on to achieve the goal or milestones leading up to it. Make sure there is an action you can take each day, week, or month, to move yourself closer to the goal post.

4. Realistic

Nothing will dash your dreams of achieving something big faster than setting a goal that’s entirely out of reach. You want to challenge yourself with a goal. However, it would be best if you balanced that with realistic expectations. If you don’t meet your milestones because they’re unrealistic, you’re less likely to continue your goal path.

In this weight loss example, don’t disappoint yourself by setting a goal for pounds lost that will not be done without perfect dieting. Leave room for mistakes, but not too much room.

How do you create a goal in a bullet journal?

There are multiple systems to track a goal in a bullet journal, including the Quarter/Month/Week/Day system (QMWD), Goals ; Whys, and using your pre-made Future/Monthly/Daily Logs.

1. QMWD

To use the QMWD system established by Matt Ragland, a YouTuber who makes tutorials on BuJo process, productivity, and time management, take an annual goal, then break it down by quarters.

There are four quarters in a year, each made up of three months. In each quarter, determine how much closer you’ll be toward your goal or any significant milestones you need to hit.

Next, break those quarterly goals down into tasks that you can do daily, weekly, and monthly to reach that goal.

How do I lay out QMWD goals in a bullet journal?

1. To layout, a goal using the Quarter/Month/Week/Day system, begin by writing these four categories vertically down a single page in your bullet journal.
2. Next, to the right of “Quarter,” write down one big goal using the STAR method.
3. Then, to the right of “Month,” write a monthly milestone for each of the three months in that quarter. These milestones should track you to your goal at the end of the quarter.
4. Next to “Week,” you’re going to have four weekly deliverables per month that help you achieve that month’s milestone.
5. Finally, next to “Day,” list the tasks, systems, and actions that you’ll take each day to achieve weekly deliverables.

Each of these four sections can take up space on an entire page, so you may consider assigning two full spreads to layout QMWD goals in your bullet journal.

2. Goals & Whys

If you don’t need to track as many tasks to reach the goals that you’ve set for yourself, or if your goals are more short-term, the Goals & Whys system might work best for you.

For example, if your goal is simply to drink eight glasses of water each day, you don’t need a quarterly, monthly, and weekly system to do this. You may just want a simple reminder to keep you on track.

Goals & Whys pair your short-term goals with the reason why you want to accomplish that goal.

This system also works great as a supplement to place before larger, more involved goals spreads.

It serves as a reminder of why that goal is important to you. It’s especially useful for days that you just don’t have the motivation to complete a certain task. Remembering why you set that goal puts everything into perspective.

How do I layout Goals & Whys in a bullet journal?

1. Turn to the next blank page in your bullet journal to lay out a Goals & Why page. Along the top, title the page “My Why.”
2. Next, break the page into horizontal sections depending on the number of goals you want to track. List goals one, two, and three horizontally across the page if you have three goals. Under each goal number, write your goal. Remember, be specific!
3. Next, create three more horizontal spaces underneath the goals section to track your “why.” 
4. Under each corresponding why section, describe why this goal is important to you in a way that will help you get back on track when motivation is lost. For example, if your goal is to lose five pounds, your “why” might be because you have a summer wedding coming up.
5. Underneath your “why” section, feel free to add a third section titled “How Achieving This Goal Will Make Me Feel.” To achieve our goals, it’s important to visualize ourselves living that future goal. There’s no better way to do this than to write down how that goal will make you feel. For example, losing five pounds will make you feel more energetic and confident.

3. Pre-Made Future/Monthly/Daily Logs

One of the easiest ways to track your goals is to piggyback off the sections that you likely already have in your bullet journal. Your Future, Monthly, and Daily Logs are a great place to insert big goals and break them down into bite-sized, actionable steps.

How do I use Future/Monthly/Daily logs to layout goals in a bullet journal?

1. To use your preexisting Future, Monthly, and Daily logs to layout your goals in your bullet journal, start by heading to your Future log.
2. In your Future Log, under the quarter or month in which you want to accomplish your goal, write down the overarching goal that you want to achieve. For example, you may write “lose five pounds” in the June Future Log.
3. If that goal can be accomplished in a single month, just leave it under the month in which you want to tackle it. If it will take longer, use the months prior to chart out monthly milestones rather than an overall big goal.
4. Next, head to your Monthly log. Break down that month’s milestone or goals into four weeks in your monthly log. In each weekly section, write down the task that you will complete reaching that month’s milestone. For example, if your goal is to lose five pounds in one month, each week would have a milestone of “lose 1.25 pounds.”
5. Finally, under your Daily log, write down the actionable tasks you will complete reaching the weekly goal. For example, make a schedule of exercises you will complete each day. Or track your calorie count.

Conclusion

Learning how to create a goals page for your bullet journal will allow you to achieve your goals in specific, measurable ways. In addition, tracking these small steps toward a larger goal keeps you on track and makes it more likely that you’ll continue as you slowly check milestones off your list.