8 Objective Setting Templates for Making Actual Progress in 2025

Placing your objectives in writing drastically will increase your probabilities of attaining them. Objective setting templates make it simple to not solely write them down, but in addition break them into actionable duties and observe progress in the direction of reaching them.

Whether or not it’s a private purpose, skilled purpose, staff purpose, or a mixture of all three, these templates will make it easier to get off to an organized begin.

monday.com: A quarterly goal purpose setting template

monday.com is a challenge administration platform that’s appropriate for groups of all sizes. It’s good for purpose setting as a result of the collaborative components assist preserve everybody on the identical web page and dealing in the direction of widespread outcomes.

You’ll be able to attempt it totally free with as much as two customers, however most companies should improve to a paid plan to get probably the most out of it.

It might probably additionally work nicely for solo customers — if that’s you, you’ll seemingly have the ability to use it totally free for some time. Nonetheless, its vary of collaboration and team-based options could really feel overwhelming.

Extra on monday.com: monday.com review | monday.com vs Wrike | monday.com vs. Pipedrive.

This goal-setting template is nice for executives, managers, and staff leaders. It’s arrange for quarterly purpose planning, so you possibly can outline key targets at a excessive stage and align them with longer-term enterprise objectives.

After figuring out your objectives, you possibly can break them into smaller duties and assign them to your staff with due dates, precedence ranges, and real-time progress monitoring.

The software program’s versatile nature makes it simple to arrange duties nevertheless you’d like, arrange automated notifications, and group gadgets nevertheless it is sensible.

monday.com additionally has superior options that make it easier to observe time, create automations to spice up productiveness, and even observe your funds because it pertains to your staff’s objectives. Most of those options are on larger tiers although.

Whereas this template is constructed for quarterly purpose planning and monitoring, you possibly can adapt it to longer or shorter time frames should you’d like.

ClickUp: Objective setting templates for brief and long-term planning

ClickUp is a feature-rich challenge administration answer that’s highly effective sufficient to run a complete enterprise. The free plan is nice for private use, however the platform may accommodate collaborative objectives on a staff or company-wide stage.

ClickUp affords goal-setting templates for day by day objectives and fast wins, in addition to big-picture objectives for annual planning.

You need to use both, or doubtlessly each of those templates relying on what you want.

Extra on ClickUp: ClickUp Review | ClickUp vs Asana | ClickUp vs Notion.

Template 1: A easy template for day by day objectives and habits

This template works like a digital guidelines you possibly can reference every day. It’s good for issues like day by day meditations, ingesting water, studying objectives, day by day journaling, and different fast wins or habits you’re working in the direction of.

You may as well add different short-term objectives that will take longer than a day should you’d like.

Whereas this template was supposed for private use, it may be used simply as nicely in an expert setting for creating smooth abilities, celebrating small wins, or encouraging regular development.

Out of the field, it allows you to categorize your objectives, making it simple to arrange by totally different areas of your life. For instance, you’ll have classes for health, household, associates, psychological well being, cash, private, {and professional}.

These classes make it potential to filter, type, and group your objectives nevertheless you’d like. You’ll be able to view all of them or deal with a selected space.

You may as well give every purpose a due date, standing, and remark to go away notes for your self.

Template 2: For monitoring and managing long-term objectives

If you happen to’re trying to plan and handle objectives long term, this template is constructed for simply that. As an alternative of fast day by day wins, it’s set as much as observe high-level objectives you need to obtain all year long.

Just like the final template, this one can be constructed for private use however may be tailored to be used in a enterprise setting as nicely.

The very best half about this template is that it makes it simple to interrupt up a single long-term purpose into three or extra attainable duties that make it easier to transfer in the best path. Moderately than observing one thing that feels intangible and too far off to matter, you possibly can deal with taking actions that’ll straight make it easier to get nearer over time.

You’ll have the ability to prioritize objectives, determine milestones, set due dates, and assign work to others should you’re utilizing it as a staff.

If new objectives or alternatives current themselves alongside the best way, you possibly can simply add them to your record at any time.

It comes with a private profile doc the place you possibly can fill in your identify, age, tackle, and different data. It’s a bit odd to have and you’ll delete it should you really feel prefer it’s getting in your method.

Alternatively, you possibly can tweak the doc for imaginative and prescient planning or different extra related actions should you’d like.

Wrike: A enterprise purpose setting template that focuses on OKRs

Wrike is a inflexible but highly effective answer for companies. It’s simple to arrange and use however has a variety of automation, collaboration, and team-based options that make it versatile sufficient as you scale.

It’s good for outlining firm objectives and utilizing OKRs (targets and key outcomes) to trace progress and outline success.

Not like different challenge administration instruments that solely provide free variations for people or a few individuals, Wrike’s free plan helps a vast variety of customers. It’s restricted on options however allows you to onboard your whole staff for free of charge.

Extra on Wrike: Wrike Review | Wrike vs Asana | Wrike vs Smartsheet.

This template is flexible sufficient for division objectives, staff objectives, company-wide objectives, or any mixture of the three. The best way it’s arrange, you’ll have the ability to tie all of those objectives along with smaller objectives feeding into high-level objectives.

It’s nice for taking a broad purpose, like rising web site visitors or boosting employee engagement, and making it extra particular by creating extra manageable targets.

You’ll be able to add key outcomes to every goal after which assign these tasks to individuals in your staff. From there, all the things ties as much as your foremost objectives, making it simple for everybody to control progress over time.

There are additionally number- based mostly milestones you should utilize.

For instance, it’s possible you’ll need to improve sales by 20% — you possibly can arrange milestones for five%, 10%, and 15% that can assist you have a good time alongside the best way.

Due to Wrike’s structured nature, you don’t should do a ton of tweaking or pondering by means of the right way to set it up. It’s just about able to go proper out of the field.

Teamwork: A purpose setting template for client-based companies

Teamwork is an all-in-one challenge administration platform that features superior options like funds planning, capability administration, and useful resource allocation. It additionally consists of limitless consumer customers and granular permissions, making it nice for client-based companies.

There’s a restricted free plan that helps groups of as much as 5 customers, however most companies might want to improve to get probably the most out of it.

Extra on Teamwork: Teamwork Review | Teamwork vs monday.com | Teamwork Alternatives.

Whereas Teamwork has loads of superior capabilities, this specific template is nice if you wish to preserve purpose administration easy. It affords a clear and intuitive option to put objectives in writing and guarantee everyone seems to be on the identical web page.

Every purpose is a card that may have subtasks, assignees, house owners, time monitoring, and extra. As your objectives progress, you possibly can transfer them to totally different columns.

Alternatively, you possibly can group them by proprietor, class, or another customized discipline you’d like.

If you happen to improve to a premium plan, Teamwork’s capability planning capabilities may help you intend with out burning out your staff. With it, you’ll have the ability to inform if somebody’s overworked. You may as well stability the workload by dragging and dropping duties to a different staff member.

For companies that have to collaborate with their purchasers, you possibly can create separate workspaces for every consumer and handle their objectives as nicely.

When arrange appropriately, you possibly can roll your whole consumer objectives as much as your company-wide objectives, providing you with each element you want at each stage. Though it’s easy, it’s a good way to make sure each challenge — and your staff or enterprise — is on observe.

Notion: A simple option to observe private objectives for the 12 months

Notion is a web based productiveness platform. It’s nice for people and groups who wish to construct out their very own digital workspaces. It may be as easy or advanced as you want, making it an amazing all-around choice for all types of use instances.

It’s simple to overcomplicate issues, particularly with a clean slate.

However making issues too sophisticated usually results in a major drop off in utilization after the primary few weeks. The easier one thing is, the extra seemingly you’re to proceed utilizing it after the novelty has worn off.

Due to that, my favourite Notion purpose monitoring template is extremely easy.

Extra on Notion: Notion Review | Notion vs Asana | Notion vs OneNote.

The very best half about this template is that it combines day by day behavior monitoring with long-term purpose planning in a single place.

You’ll be able to create an inventory of day by day habits you need to follow, and Notion will robotically create a brand new “behavior card” for you every day. Every day, you possibly can mark them off on a weekly or month-to-month calendar, and the template will preserve observe streaks for you.

This easy gamification is commonly all that you must keep it up till it turns into one thing you don’t have to consider doing.

Other than that, you’ll have the ability to set objectives for every quarter and break them down into duties that that you must full each month. You may get as granular as you’d like and even break it down into weeks or days should you want.

There’s additionally an area for taking notes — you should utilize this space to speak about what occurred should you fell out of a behavior so you recognize what went mistaken sooner or later.

Though this template is designed for setting objectives for the brand new 12 months, you should utilize it any time with a number of small tweaks.

Excel, Phrase, and PDF purpose setting templates

Don’t desire a new piece of software program however really feel such as you’ve outgrown the notes app in your phone? A spreadsheet or doc could be a sturdy improve, particularly with the best template.

Template 1: A reusable SMART objectives template

Smart objectives are particular, measurable, achievable, related, and well timed. You’re most likely accustomed to the idea, however you’d be shocked how usually individuals miss one (or extra) of those components and really feel annoyed once they present no seen progress.

Utilizing this framework ensures you possibly can truly transfer ahead, observe progress, and journey that constructive momentum.

This template is accessible totally free for Excel, Phrase, or PDF, so you possibly can obtain and use it with whichever software program you have already got. You may as well convert Excel or Phrase information to Google Sheets and Google Docs if wanted.

Though easy, this template is flexible — it’s nice for each particular person {and professional} customers.

It could really feel cumbersome to fill out the whole web page, but it surely forces you to make clear your targets to set your self up for achievement.

You can also make as many copies of this worksheet as you want and print or fill them out on-line.

Template 2: A simple method for managers to set objectives for his or her workers

This Smartsheet template is free to obtain as a Phrase or PDF file. It’s best for managers who need to handle objectives for every of their workers. Not like company-wide targets, typical challenge administration platforms don’t at all times translate to monitoring objectives for 20 or 30 individuals.

You additionally could not need everybody on the staff to have the ability to see every others’ objectives. This different is easy, but simply as efficient should you want a component of privateness.

The template is simple and concise, maintaining every worker’s objectives, motion plan, and notes to a single web page. Whereas you’ll have to make a duplicate for each worker, it ensures no one else can see what you write down.

It’s printer-friendly should you deal with objectives throughout quarterly or annual opinions that happen in individual.

You need to use this template for efficiency objectives (like gross sales or buyer satisfaction) or smooth abilities (like management and communication). It additionally offers every worker a spot to refer again to in the event that they ever really feel misplaced or uncertain.

Collectively, you’ll have the ability to provide you with an motion plan, set due dates, get forward of roadblocks, and agree on desired outcomes so that you’re at all times on the identical web page.

How to decide on the best purpose setting template

It might probably usually really feel daunting to choose a template and get began. Nonetheless, the longer you bounce round, the longer it’s going to take to start out working in the direction of your objectives.

I strongly encourage you to decide on the only choice that works for you. There’s no have to complicate it. Whether or not that’s the notes part in your cellphone, a clean Google Doc, a bit of paper in a pocket book, or one in all these templates, the necessary factor is to get began.

If you happen to’re nonetheless feeling uncertain, listed below are a number of concerns to bear in mind:

• Private vs enterprise objectives — Are you wanting to trace private objectives (like shedding 15 kilos) or enterprise objectives (like rising lead quantity by 10%)?
• Brief vs long-term objectives — Brief-term purpose planners are nice for fast wins and day by day actions, whereas quarterly or annual goal-setting templates sometimes allow you to dream large and work backwards to an achievable to-do record.
• Particular person vs staff objectives — Some templates are clearly designed for solo customers, whereas others have a collaborative factor for groups working towards widespread objectives.
• On-line vs offline — Do you need to use pen and paper or fill all the things out on-line? Do you want construction (like a desk, spreadsheet, or Kanban board) or do you favor writing all the things down and organizing from there?

On the finish of the day, most objectives have desired outcomes, plans of motion, and due dates. That is true even when they’re for people, groups, companies, or someplace within the center.

So long as you discover one thing you take pleasure in utilizing, you have to be good to go.

Greatest practices for setting objectives (so you possibly can truly obtain them)

Most templates make it easier to get organized and observe progress. Just a few make it easier to truly set objectives, however for probably the most half, that’s as much as you. Listed here are some finest practices to bear in mind:

• High quality over amount.
• Have a transparent definition of success.
• Keep away from broad objectives that may’t be quantified.
• Set deadlines to carry your self accountable.
• Be versatile and provides your self grace for missed deadlines.
• Break massive objectives into milestones that don’t really feel as intimidating.
• Keep away from an all-or-none mentality — lacking one purpose shouldn’t derail all the things else.
• Rejoice wins and successes.

It doesn’t matter what, it’s necessary to stay to one thing quite than leaping round. Up to now, I’ve pressured division heads to set quarterly objectives they’re not allowed to alter till the following quarter.

In the event that they don’t meet them, that’s okay so long as they perceive why and the right way to regulate the purpose to make it extra achievable or aligned with our path.

You don’t should go that excessive, however staying centered is vital.