Monthly Goals and Review Sheet

Who this is for

One month, set up and then looked back on. The top table holds a few goals for the month with why each matters and its first step; a single row halfway down is the mid-month check; and the prompts at the foot are the end-of-month review, written on the same page as the intentions it is reviewing.

Anyone who sets intentions at the start of a month and has noticed that they are rarely looked at again — and anyone who wants the review to sit on the same sheet as the plan, so the two can be compared honestly.

What this helps you track

• A short list of goals for this month, each with a reason and a first step
• A dated mid-month check on what is moving and what is not
• An end-of-month review in your own words: done, not done, learned, carried forward
• A stack of these, one per month, that shows what you keep meaning to do

How to use it

1. Write the month, your name and, in a phrase, what this month is for.
2. Add a goal per row — few enough to remember — with why it matters to you and the very first step, something you could do this week.
3. Halfway through the month, date the check row and write what is going well, what has not moved and what you will change.
4. Tick each goal as it is done. A goal that is not ticked is information, not a failure.
5. At the end of the month, answer the review prompts on the same sheet, then start next month's from the carried-forward line.
6. Print one per month, or fill it in on screen and save it in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How is this different from the personal goals planner?

The goals planner is for a year, a season or a project, with milestones along the way. This sheet is one month, set and reviewed on a single page, and is meant to be used up and replaced twelve times a year.

How many goals should I set?

There are four rows and no rule. The mid-month check tends to show fairly quickly whether the list was too long.

What if I miss the mid-month check?

Do it whenever you notice. The point is a dated pause before the month is over, not a precise date, and a late check is far more use than none.

Do I have to fill in the review?

It is the most useful part of the sheet and takes a few minutes. Even one line under each prompt makes next month's goals better informed than this month's were.