The Essential Planning Goal-Setting Method
Goal setting doesn’t need to be overwhelming.
In this blog, I break down my annual goal-setting method (The Essential Planning Method) for you to use if it suits you.
I have been goal-setting using different methods for over 14 years. I’ve tried so many different goal-setting methods, but I’ve really perfected my goal-setting method over the years, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
The essential annual goal-setting method is inspired by Danielle Laporte’s book Desire Map, a Values Reset retreat I went on hosted by Allison Villa, Chalene Johnson’s book Push and a decade of my own (Robyn Pineault) planning experience.
In 2024, I finally took the plunge to create my own planner that uses this goal-setting method, and the rest is history.
The 10-Step Essential Goal-Setting Method
Let me walk you through how I annually set goals…
Step 1: Choose Your Core Desired Feelings
How do you want to feel as you move through the year?
How do you want to feel as you achieve or go after different goals?
Take some time to write down all your desired feelings for next year and then pick 3 – 4 which will be your Core Desired Feelings. And if you need some help, here is a Pinterest Library for you to scroll through.
If you’re having trouble deciding on these, pause, go to Step 2 and then come back to this section.
Step 2: Value Statements
What matters most to you? What brings meaning to your life?
Write out your value statements to provide you with guardrails as you set goals in different areas of your life.
Here is an example of a Travel Value Statement below in the image.
![]()
Step 3: Life Category Audit
While I’m a fan of perpetual motion, sometimes we have to glance back in the rearview mirror. In this step, you’ll take a look back at the last year and do a life category audit. Take a look at everything from relationships to health to career and more, and rank them from 1 (not going so well) to 10 (I’ve got this figured out).
Step 4: Lowest Scoring Life Category Goals
Take a look at which life categories didn’t score well.
How do you wish you felt in that area of your life?
If you struggled to narrow your CDFs down to 3 – 4, go back to that section and decide how you’d like to feel to improve those lowest-scoring areas of your life.
Based on your CDFs, I'm going to guess that some of them have to do with areas of your life that you didn't score very highly. Set goals in your lowest-scoring life category areas first. These can also be called PUSH goals. Because when you start to go after these goals and accomplish them you'll be surprised how other goals tend to fall into place more easily.
Step 5: Goals/Intentions In Alignment With Your Core Desired Feelings
Your next step is to map out what goals/intentions are in alignment with your CDFs
Step 6: Annual Goals By Life Category
Now it’s time to map out annual goals for each of your life categories. Starting with the categories where you scored the lowest.
Step 7: Goals By Calendar Months
From there, map out time-based annual goals for specific months.
Step 8: Schedule Non-Time-Based Goals
Then you’ll map out non-time-based annual goals in and around those that have to happen at specific times, so you give yourself enough time to achieve them. Remember to schedule your lowest-scored category goals first. When you focus on optimizing your life, other goals just seem to fall into place more easily.
Step 9: 3 Monthly Goals, 3 Weekly Goals, 3 Daily Goals
You can either do this at the beginning of the year or the start of a new month. I write down my goals for the month on the monthly spread calendar page of my Essential Planner. Then on the weekly spread pages, I love to write down 1-3 weekly goals and then reverse engineer those goals to have at least 3 daily goals to work towards the weekly goals.
At the end of the month, I love reflecting on what went well, recognizing the good in the month and the achievements and then recharging energy for the next month.
And then rinse and repeat the monthly process throughout the year.