My Favorite Tools for Goal Setting + a Free Template!

Here are my top 10 must have tools when it comes to goal setting plus a free printable template you can use to get started today!

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TOOLS FOR GOAL SETTING

I’m an organizer at heart, so my home is filled with labels, baskets and schedules. So when it comes to goals, I have a few favorite tools for goal setting that I always go to in helping me organize my thoughts and execute a plan.

1. A SIMPLE TO DO LIST PAD

These are by far my favorite. Simple, to the point and ready to rock and roll. Plus I love the old-school design.

2. A GOOD SET OF HIGHLIGHTERS

I always come back to these Sharpies. They are the brightest, last a long time, and I probably own more highlighters than pens. Every time I finish a task, I get a nerdy rush highlighting it off my list.

3. A SMOOTH PEN TO GET THE JOB DONE

Lately, I’ve found that pens with that weird squishy thing on the end (I guess it’s used for a stylus) write the smoothest. I jump back and forth on which pens are my favorite, but currently, these are the front-runners.

4. POST-ITS FOR YOUR TOP 3 GOALS

I know this is so basic, but seriously, I can’t live without my Post-its. I use them mostly to write my top 3 of the day. Each morning, I take 2 Post-its, write:

WORK 1. 2. 3.
PERSONAL 1. 2. 3.

Then I fill out the 3 main tasks in each category I want to accomplish that day.

5. DRY ERASE MARKERS FOR YOUR BATHROOM MIRROR

I write on my mirror all the time for reminders, motivational quotes, and habit tracking. Write 1-21 on your mirror and cross off each day you meet your goal. They say it takes 21 days in a row to develop a good habit, but feel free to set your own number or goal parameters. (Who are “they” anyway?)

6. A PRETTY WALL CALENDAR

Maybe you like dry erase calendars, or a simple yearly overview, but have something on the wall to refer to when you need to track something. Having everything digital can be a pain especially when you just want to look up the date and end up jumping over to Facebook.

7. TRELLO APP FOR A BRAIN DUMP

Speaking of digital, I fight the urge to use a digital calendar, because I am always drawn back to good old pencil and paper. However, my office is littered with bits of paper, scraps of ideas and jumbled lists. Last month, I discovered Trello boards (Ok I know I’m behind the times on this one) and spent two days straight organizing these amazing little boards. I use them for meal planning, cleaning checklists, editorial calendars, medical information—you name it. Consider it your brain organized in an app.

8. MONTHLY PLANNER

I can’t seem to get on board with updating a daily calendar, but monthly calendars are my jam. I use a planner that simply contains two years of monthly calendars and write down everything I can think of, and for day to day tasks, refer to my to do list pad that I add to as needed.

9. SPECIFIC GOAL PLANNERS

Every once in awhile I need a little help in organizing my thoughts when it comes to goal setting and about twice a year, I re-evaluate where I’m at and where I want to go. These are great motivational tools for getting the job done.

10. WHITE BOARD FOR INSPIRATION

I use my white board in my office to write out my goals and the progress I’m making on them. Some days I feel like I’m doing great, others I don’t feel like I’ve gone backwards. Having a board or even a piece of paper that tracks your progress on a long term goal can be the perfect motivator to help you see small milestones you’ve reached along the way to help you power through.

GRAB MY FREE GOAL SETTING TEMPLATES!

I have over 100 pages of free printables for subscribers in my printable library including goal setting templates on creating routine, a brain dump, goal breakdown worksheets and more! Just tell me where to send them: