Vision Planning and SMART Goals to Optimize your Life!


When was the last time you sat down and mapped out a vision for your life?

If you are like a lot of us, it’s really hard to sit down and write it out on paper. You get busy wrapped up in the day-to-day and don’t even have time to know what your vision actually is. 

Or maybe you are a big dreamer and by not writing it down, it’s easy to forget the things you dream about for yourself.

That’s why we created the Vision planning section of our planners. We wanted you to have a space to sit down and map out your vision for your life at least a couple of times a year, as a good exercise in figuring out where your focus should be over the coming months.

Maybe your goal is to take a trip to Paris. Or maybe you want to buy a new home for you and your family. The fact is, it’s one thing to want something, but it’s entirely another to actually make it happen. If you aren’t focused on achieving that big goal and taking action steps toward it, it will likely never happen.

There is power in writing down your goals and visions. It helps them become more than just an idea in your brain. 

We have compiled a few tips for setting goals below:

  1. Set a SMART Goal. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Bound. Make sure when you are setting a goal for yourself, it has these qualities to it so that you are setting yourself up for success.
  2. Put it in writing. This should be fairly obvious based on what we’ve already talked about above, but putting them in writing makes them more real. When you do this, use action words like “I will do x” instead of “I’d like to do x” or “might.” Additionally, be very, very clear on what the actual goal is.
  3. Make sure your goal is motivating. Your goal should be something you are excited about! It’s no fun to work towards a goal that doesn’t motivate you.
  4. Make an action plan. You have your goal. Now, what do you need to do to make it happen? Write out the steps and figure out where you want to start.
  5. Stick with it! Figure out how you are going to stick with your action plan. What do you need to make sure you keep going? 
  6. Start small. Sometimes achieving goals can take a while, so maybe starting with a smaller goal can help you have more success in the long run. Once you are successful once or twice, it becomes even more motivating to work up to those bigger goals.

So now that you have these tips, we recommend you take a look at the vision planning pages of our planners. Map out your next 3 months, 1 year, and 5 years. Set SMART goals for each and think about what you need to do to get there.

You are also called to think about what your limiting beliefs are surrounding your visions and how you can overcome them to be more successful.

This is a good exercise to do every 6 months or so. It helps you figure out how to stay on track, see your progress, or reassess your goals. We find this super helpful, and it has allowed our team to achieve some pretty awesome things together.

We know it will for you too. 

Get your copy of the Vision Planner PDF here, or snag a physical copy of one of our daily planners here and start changing your life today!