Annual Goal Planning Template

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ANNUAL GOAL
PLANNING TEMPLATE
Set big goals. Take action. Track progress.
By Allie K. Miller
Last updated Dec 30, 2021
⭐
This document is not associated with any of my current, past, or future employers nor any of the
companies, platforms, or technologies mentioned in this guide.
Do not reproduce without permission.
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WHO SHOULD USE THIS TEMPLATE?
If you want to create annual goals with more focus and structure, this guide is for you. I have
used this process for the last 6 years and have shared it with friends, coworkers, mentees, and
followers. I (and thousands of others) have found that this process creates more sustainable
and achievable goals than previous attempts.
I am by no means a productivity specialist, but most of my attempts are based on (1) cognitive
science, (2) reading/asking about others, and (3) EPIC FAILURES of things I've tried. This guide
aims to be flexible enough for any role or background—heck, even if it’s your first time setting
goals!
I’ve gotten extremely positive feedback and am excited to share this with more people. Even if
this document only helps one person, I’ll consider the process of writing it up time well spent.
⭐
FIRST, READ THIS GUIDE ONE TIME THROUGH.
This process is not a “one and done” 10-minute project you take on while you’re binging the
latest Netflix series. This is a multi-day or multi-week process and should be taken seriously.
Find a quiet space to meditate on your goals. Create a working environment that lets you focus
and be creative. Wear your favorite sweater. Use your favorite pen. Your actual work on this
may only be a few hours, but taking the time to get it right (or at least, close enough to “right”) is
a great approach.
If you prefer a video tutorial instead of a written template, watch my 10min fireside chat on
Instagram. There’s a bit more of my personal story in the video.
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WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO FOR THE YEAR?
Before I dive into goals, I set out for an overall intention. Pick a motto, saying, or north star to
live your year by. Make it short. Make it memorable. Word choice is important. Be sure to put it
in your voice (ex: if you like gentle words, use them).
Here are mine from the last 6 years, why I picked each one, and how I felt. Feel free to steal
one of mine if it moves you.
You have to get a little vulnerable with yourself. You have to be willing to be brutally honest with
yourself. You should not think about what others will think of your goal. This is just about YOU.
Only pick one motto if you can (to maintain focus). Some people may pick up to 3. Don’t go nuts
with it. For me, I found having one single motto for the entire year works best.
2016: Be Unstoppable
Why did I pick this motto? I had let too many insecure people tell me my dreams were too big
and had started to give up on myself. I would reach out to a company I wanted to work for, and if
I didn’t hear back, I would assume I wasn’t good enough to work there. So, I used 2016 to stop
those voices and go after anything and everything I wanted - even if that meant reaching out to
12 different people at a single company I wanted to work for. My career coach helped me come
up with this motto and its specific word choice. I felt like a bull in a china shop.
2017: Say Yes to Adventure

Why did I pick this motto? I had become too work-focused and career-focused. I kept saying no
to more work, but I said yes to adventure - I said yes to moving to a random city, yes to crazy
hikes, yes to spontaneous drives to waterfalls, yes to a trip to Dubai, and more. I felt like I was
driving in a convertible on an empty highway in the fall.
2018: Make Trivial Decisions in <10 Seconds

Why did I pick this motto? I had become obsessed with optimization and maximization, and
sometimes it became crippling. I wanted to reduce stress and save my brain power for the “big
things”. I wanted to use little to no energy on questions like what to wear or what to eat. So in
2018, I would go to a restaurant, open the menu, pick an item, and close it. I felt like I was the
captain of a fast-moving yacht.
2019: Success Requires Focus

Why did I pick this motto? I stepped into a new role at a new company that required massive
scale. I couldn’t take on everything. I had to drive big results in a few spaces and use that as
leverage to build an entire team. I felt like I was the CEO of a billion-dollar company.
2020: Learn to Say No More Often

Why did I pick this motto? With great power comes great responsibility! I had grown my
following/mentees/community and team at work, I was receiving hundreds of messages a day, a
dozen speaking requests every day, and it was too much. Way too much. I was staying up until
3
4am, forgetting to text friends back. I had gotten so used to losing sleep in favor of helping
others, and it was hurting my mental health. I couldn’t figure out how to still “do it all” and help
everyone that needed it. And then I realized, you’re not supposed to. I felt uneasy at times, but
also like it was the beginning of an important metamorphosis.
Mid-way through the year, I realized this motto wasn’t giving me what I needed. It was too
focused on “no”, so I added an important second motto: “Helping others does not mean helping
everyone.” I still repeat that one in my head when I need it.
2021: Don't Speak Negatively About Yourself to Yourself

Why did I pick this motto? Your biggest supporter should be yourself - after all, you’re stuck with
yourself forever. I started to notice that I would call myself stupid or slow or fat or 100 other
terrible things, and so I vowed to just stop. I also found myself noticing the habit in others,
especially in mentees doubting their abilities, and tried to make it a point to empower others in
that moment and remind them to be kind to themselves as well. I probably reduced my own
negative speak by about 80-90%. And it has made a world of a difference for both my
self-confidence and self-esteem, plus made it easier to ignore online trolls. I felt capable of
anything, like I could bench 400 lbs.
2022: … ;)
⭐
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE YEAR?
This is the meat of the process. This section may take days or weeks. Be patient with yourself.
Document the process if that feels like fun, and feel free to share it with me, with friends, online,
or just yourself.
1) Write out as many goals for the year as you can think of. Whiteboard like a crazy person.
No idea is too wild. Just write it out. I personally like using a freeform medium (a white
sheet of paper, a whiteboard). I do not use a computer for this step–it feels too rigid.
Remember: this is not a list of “things that will make you happy”–happiness does not
come from achieving more or earning more money. And your self worth is not
determined by income or productivity or getting promoted. You need to find happiness,
no matter your achievement. This is much more about the natural human desire for
progress and growth. When writing down goals, ask yourself questions like:
a) What habits do you want to have?
b) How do you want to feel?
c) What do you want to accomplish?
d) What type of person are you trying to become?
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e) What is holding you back?
f) What excites you every day?
g) What is a truth you’re afraid to admit?
h) What is a pattern you’re noticing in the world?
i) Where do you feel blocked in life?
j) What traits do you appreciate in your best friends?
k) What would reduce your stress?
l) When did you feel most alive this year?
m) What is something you do now that you’re willing to give up?
2) Go to sleep.
3) Wake up and write a few more. I may write 10 things, I may write 50 things. Don’t edit
yourself. Don’t tell yourself you’re wrong. This is a time to write it all down.
4) Go to sleep.
5) Repeat this process until you feel you’ve been honest with yourself and truly expressed
yourself in these goals.
6) Go to sleep.
7) Wake up and begin the “grouping” step. Look at all of your goals. Which ones are
similar? What patterns are you noticing? Go ahead and group your goals into common
themes (what I call “pillars” or “buckets”). This act of grouping or pattern matching is a
very common exercise in design thinking. You can also share your list with friends or
family and ask if they see any common themes.
8) Narrow it to a few buckets (I usually do 4-7 buckets). For balance, it’s a good practice to
have buckets in different areas of your life. Not every bucket should be about your
job–remember to add things in for personal growth, friends, family, love, health,
creativity, belonging, relationships, self-care, or continued education.
9) Within each bucket, now rank your top goals and habits you want to build. Make them
habits you can continue for the entire year. You cannot burn out. Make these goals
sustainable. Your habits are the “how” for that specific bucket. You want to gain
momentum with these goals, you can always “raise the bar” mid-year and make the goal
higher/harder if you find you’ve accomplished many of them.
a) Ex: if a bucket is “grow my engineering network”, a goal could be “meet with 2
new developers every month for lunch or a 30min video chat” or “attend 4 crypto
conferences”
b) Ex: if a bucket is “prioritize self-care”, a goal could be “take a bath every week” or
“go on a 20min walk 5 days a week”
c) Ex: if a bucket is “expand my investing portfolio”, a goal could be “close 10 new
angel investments in pre-Series A startups” or “launch a $50MM fund” or
“become a VC scout for Insight Partners”
d) Ex: if a bucket is “start charity and non-profit work”, a goal could be “become an
advisor or board member to a national non-profit” or “apply for, receive, and
complete a national science grant (minimum $5K) aimed at youth STEM
education” or “volunteer at my local food bank 4 times”
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e) Ex: if a bucket is “build community”, a goal could be “hit 10K followers on
Instagram” or “create a mentorship whatsapp group with 30 friends and run
monthly calls”
10) Pick the top few goals you want to do for each bucket. I usually pick a top 2-5 goals in
each bucket. Do not rank the goals within the bucket. I try to pick as few goals as
possible so I can maintain focus. The more difficult the goal, the fewer I pick–you only
have so much time every year and you want to maintain flexibility.
11) Make sure each goal is actionable, measurable, and objective. It needs to be a binary
(i.e. “yes” or “no”) for whether you hit that goal.
a) If your bucket is “Step up my health game”, your goal should not be “lose weight”
or “eat better”. Those are too generic and subjective. Each person has a
completely different definition of what that means. One person might define it as
“lose 50lbs”, another might define it as “eat one more vegetable a week”.
b) You have to remove the guessing. Examples of better goals (i.e. goals that are
actionable, measurable, and objective) in a “Step up my health game” bucket
would be: “lose 2 inches on my waist” or “be able to finish a mile in under 8
minutes” or “finish one pull-up on my own” or “be able to touch my toes for 5
seconds” or “see a therapist every 3 weeks”.
⭐
MAKE IT VISIBLE. MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE.
One of the best books you can read on this topic is Atomic Habits by James Clear. He says that
to really make good habits a permanent part of your life, you need to make them obvious,
easy, attractive, and satisfying.
So you need to do that with these goals. Using Canva (free or pro account) or a designer friend,
make a one-page PDF with your motto, buckets, and goals. At the top, I write my motto for the
year. Then I have the buckets and the 2-5 goals under each one. Then at the bottom, I put
power phrases I can repeat whenever I need extra motivation, like “You are more than capable.”
Here is a redacted version of my 2020 goals pdf with my motto at the

bottom.
For 2021, I moved the motto to the top and added motivational
phrases at the bottom. You don’t have to do the “personal” and
“professional” split, but I like to.
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Print out the PDF and put it everywhere. Put it in your purse, on your bathroom mirror, at your
office desk, on your computer background, or your lock screen on your phone. You don’t need
to memorize your buckets and goals, just make them obvious and visible!
⭐
HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE.
Track your progress.
If you really want to nail this, buy the Best Self journal. Everyone I know is obsessed with it. The
CEO is one of my favorite founders (her company is based in Austin, Texas).
Check in at least monthly.

I used to do a deep dive of my goals weekly, but it became hard for me to keep up, so I changed
the “big reviews” to monthly. Check in on each goal on your list. What score would you give?
1) GREEN: I am on track, and I am confident I will hit this goal by the end of year (or
whatever date I set it at).
2) YELLOW: I am slightly behind where I should be, but I know how to catch up and I will
take that action.
3) RED: I am super behind, and I have no idea how I’m going to hit this goal.
Be honest with yourself.

Check in with how you’re doing and feeling. Feel free to use these questions to start:
1) Is the goal working for you?
2) Do you want to edit the goal?
3) What do you have to change to get it done?
4) Do you have the resources to make that change?
5) How are you feeling about that change?
6) Are you ready to make that change?
7) What would help you feel more motivated, confident, or capable to make that change?
8) How are you feeling in general?
It's easier with a friend.

Don’t go solo, especially if you haven’t hit your goals in years past. Grab an accountability
buddy to really make it work. Share your goals with them. If they want to go through this process
as well, have them share their goals with you too. Ask for what you need–do you need someone
to yell at you to get something done? Do you want a monthly call? Do you just need someone
you can be vulnerable with? Talk through your action plan with them. They are an extra hand to
lean on to give you support as you head into the new year. Accountability buddies are an
incredible life hack!
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⭐
FAQ
What do you prioritize more–work related goals or personal goals?

I don't stack rank my goals against each other—that's basically setting yourself up for ditching
the bottom ones mid-year. In 2019, I did *star* one goal that was a non-negotiable. I usually
include personal goals (last year, I had 4 buckets) and professional goals (last year, I had 2
buckets). This year, I have 2 buckets in personal and 4 buckets in professional. Next year, it’s 3
and 3.
How many buckets do you usually create? I'm just wondering if I should create very
general buckets (e.g., health, work, career, family, etc) or a bit more specific (e.g., mental
health, physical health, etc).
Bucketing is to avoid the trap of having too many goals for one aspect of my life. I love being
well-rounded. My 7 buckets from this past year were more specific than your second set. Under
physical health, for example, you may have a desire to "become more flexible". So call your
bucket “become more flexible” and your goal underneath that can be "stretch for 5min 5x a
week, after I brush my teeth".
What keeps you pushing towards attaining your goals with the right timeline?
The default in life is to coast. To go about your days…work, sleep, eat, breathe. Laugh a few
times, maybe cry a few times. Scroll Facebook. Repeat. Setting goals is proactive progress. It's
how my team succeeds year over year. And it's how I raise the bar on myself. It's how I
accomplish more in less time. And don't get me wrong, I still watch Netflix and just lay on the
floor sometimes to think and relax, but accomplishing your goals is VERY FUN. It's insane when
you get to realize your capabilities and potential. As my coworker A.B. once said, “ Life isn't a
dress rehearsal. This is it.”
How do you stay motivated the whole year to reach your goals ?
I think a terrible answer to that is "you have to want it". A medium answer is "you have to want it
more than the voice of laziness in your head". And a better answer is "visualize/write out what
hitting that goal GETS you". We get so consumed by the GOAL that we forget the WHY. Never
forget the positive impact your goals can have on you and others. If your bucket is “read more”
and your goal is “start a monthly book club with 5 people”, your "why" might be to constantly be
inspired or to ask deeper questions to your friends or to write a book of your own in 10 years.
Never forget your “why”.
What are other tips to do some “soul-searching” and set these goals?
Be sure to put away your phone for a few hours/go on airplane mode or maybe try going on a
walk. My leadership group also holds sessions for each of us to get feedback on our goals. It
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might be worth it for you to get 3 friends together for a Zoom in January to share goals and keep
each other accountable.
Every time I set hard unreachable goals and stress myself only to stop the progress
midway. How do I fix that?
I'm not advocating you set easy goals, but I would advocate for clarity in milestones. I've found
that when I break things down into potential steps to get there (including micro first steps so I
can gain momentum), I can get a better sense of timeline and balance.
Do my goals have to be perfect?

No! Absolutely not. Your first time setting goals can be hard, so give yourself some leeway. MVP
everything in your life. Perfection is EVIL. I still judge myself, and I'm trying to get better at
accepting my best efforts. Applying an iterative cycle and growth mindset to everything has
been a big help. You can only control what you can control, you can only do so much. And most
people do NOTHING out of fear paralysis. So do SOMETHING. Learn from it. Literally write
down what you learn or say it out loud to yourself (with a smile!), and even though it sounds
weird, it will make failure something you look forward to.
Do you have more examples of professional goals?

Sure. Here are some examples of career-related goals:
● Complete the Andrew Ng ML Coursera class before June 15
● Network with 2 new people every month over a 30min Zoom and ask the same 5 career
questions to each person
● Start and maintain achievement tracking system for promotion documents and resumé
(3rd Friday of every month, email yourself your biggest accomplishments and save in a
folder titled "Accomplishments")
● Launch 4 new mechanisms to increase engineering velocity by 40% YoY
● Read one article about quantum computing every week
● Read two books about enterprise sales every quarter
● Create a virtual women in blockchain conference with at least 100 attendees
How do you go about incorporating goals that maybe you don't know how to make them
actionable yet?
When I'm writing goals, here are some questions I ask myself:
● What would knocking it out of the park look like?
● When did I feel my happiest this year?
● When did I feel my lowest this year?
● If no one told me no, what would I be brave enough to do?
● What do I regret NOT doing this year?
Then when you get the answer, no joke, just Google: “How do I _______?”
⭐
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2017: Say Yes to Adventure

2018: Make Trivial Decisions in <10 Seconds

2019: Success Requires Focus

2020: Learn to Say No More Often

2021: Don't Speak Negatively About Yourself to Yourself

Here is a redacted version of my 2020 goals pdf with my motto at the

Check in at least monthly.

Be honest with yourself.

It's easier with a friend.

What do you prioritize more–work related goals or personal goals?

Do my goals have to be perfect?

Do you have more examples of professional goals?

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