8 Purpose Setting Templates for Making Actual Progress in 2025

Placing your targets in writing drastically will increase your probabilities of reaching them. Purpose setting templates make it straightforward to not solely write them down, but in addition break them into actionable duties and monitor progress in the direction of reaching them.

Whether or not it’s a private objective, skilled objective, workforce objective, or a mix of all three, these templates will show you how to get off to an organized begin.

monday.com: A quarterly goal objective setting template

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

You may attempt it at no cost with as much as two customers, however most companies should improve to a paid plan to get essentially the most out of it.

It could additionally work properly for solo customers — if that’s you, you’ll probably be capable of use it at no cost for some time. Nevertheless, its vary of collaboration and team-based options might really feel overwhelming.

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

Get your workforce aligned to your quarterly targets with this free template for monday.com. Picture: Monday.com

This goal-setting template is nice for executives, managers, and workforce leaders. It’s arrange for quarterly objective planning, so you may outline key goals at a excessive degree and align them with longer-term enterprise targets.

After figuring out your targets, you may break them into smaller duties and assign them to your workforce with due dates, precedence ranges, and real-time progress monitoring.

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

monday.com additionally has superior options that show you how to monitor time, create automations to spice up productiveness, and even monitor your funds because it pertains to your workforce’s targets. Most of those options are on larger tiers although.

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

ClickUp: Purpose 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 also can accommodate collaborative targets on a workforce or company-wide degree.

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

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

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

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

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

You may also add different short-term targets which will take longer than a day should you’d like.

A daily goal template from ClickUp showing a list of goals organized by status and category. 
ClickUp makes it straightforward to trace and handle day by day or short-term targets. Picture: Clickup.com

Whereas this template was meant for private use, it may be used simply as properly in an expert setting for creating mushy expertise, celebrating small wins, or encouraging regular development.

Out of the field, it allows you to categorize your targets, making it straightforward to arrange by completely different areas of your life. For instance, you will have classes for health, household, associates, psychological well being, cash, private, {and professional}.

These classes make it doable to filter, type, and group your targets nevertheless you’d like. You may view all of them or concentrate on a selected space.

You may also give every objective a due date, standing, and remark to go away notes for your self.

Template 2: For monitoring and managing long-term targets

In the event you’re trying to plan and handle targets long run, this template is constructed for simply that. As an alternative of fast day by day wins, it’s set as much as monitor high-level targets you need to obtain all year long.

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

A yearly goal template showing the personal profile of the creator, and an image of a woman in a black blazer smiling with her arms crossed.
Observe progress in the direction of high-level targets with this free ClickUp template.  Picture: Clickup.com

The perfect half about this template is that it makes it straightforward to interrupt up a single long-term objective into three or extra attainable duties that show you how to transfer in the best route. Quite than observing one thing that feels intangible and too far off to matter, you may concentrate on taking actions that’ll immediately show you how to get nearer over time.

You’ll be capable of prioritize targets, determine milestones, set due dates, and assign work to others should you’re utilizing it as a workforce.

If new targets or alternatives current themselves alongside the best way, you may simply add them to your listing at any time.

It comes with a private profile doc the place you may fill in your title, age, deal with, and different info. It’s a bit odd to have and you may delete it should you really feel prefer it’s getting in your method.

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

Wrike: A enterprise objective setting template that focuses on OKRs

Wrike is a inflexible but highly effective answer for companies. It’s straightforward 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 targets and utilizing OKRs (goals and key outcomes) to trace progress and outline success.

In contrast to different challenge administration instruments that solely supply free variations for people or a few folks, Wrike’s free plan helps an infinite variety of customers. It’s restricted on options however allows you to onboard your complete workforce without charge.

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

A business goals template in Wrike, showing an objective with two key results beneath it on a table view. 
Wrike makes it straightforward to handle and monitor firm targets. Picture: Wrike.com

This template is flexible sufficient for division targets, workforce targets, company-wide targets, or any mixture of the three. The way in which it’s arrange, you’ll be capable of tie all of those targets along with smaller targets feeding into high-level targets.

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

You may add key outcomes to every goal after which assign these obligations to folks in your workforce. From there, every little thing ties as much as your primary targets, making it straightforward for everybody to control progress over time.

There are additionally number- based mostly milestones you need to use.

For instance, you might need to enhance gross sales by 20% — you may arrange milestones for five%, 10%, and 15% that will help 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 via easy methods to set it up. It’s just about able to go proper out of the field.

Teamwork: A objective 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 contains limitless shopper 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 essentially the most out of it.

Extra on Teamwork: Teamwork Evaluation | Teamwork vs monday.com | Teamwork Options.

A board showing columns of Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4, with goals in each column assigned to team members. 
Handle targets for your small business and your purchasers in a single place with Teamwork. Picture: Teamwork.com

Whereas Teamwork has loads of superior capabilities, this explicit template is nice if you wish to hold objective administration easy. It affords a clear and intuitive technique to put targets in writing and guarantee everyone seems to be on the identical web page.

Every objective is a card that may have subtasks, assignees, house owners, time monitoring, and extra. As your targets progress, you may transfer them to completely different columns.

Alternatively, you may group them by proprietor, class, or every other customized area you’d like.

In the event you improve to a premium plan, Teamwork’s capability planning capabilities may also help you propose with out burning out your workforce. With it, you’ll be capable of inform if somebody’s overworked. You may also stability the workload by dragging and dropping duties to a different workforce member.

For companies that must collaborate with their purchasers, you may create separate workspaces for every shopper and handle their targets as properly.

When arrange accurately, you may roll your whole shopper targets as much as your company-wide targets, supplying you with each element you want at each degree. Though it’s easy, it’s a good way to make sure each challenge — and your workforce or enterprise — is on monitor.

Notion: A simple technique to monitor private targets for the yr

Notion is an internet 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 complicated as you want, making it an awesome all-around choice for all types of use instances.

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

However making issues too difficult typically results in a major drop off in utilization after the primary few weeks. The less complicated one thing is, the extra probably you’re to proceed utilizing it after the novelty has worn off.

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

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

A 2024 yearly goal tracker with cards for each quarter and an image of a desk at the top of the page.
Mix annual, quarterly, and day by day objective planning with this free Notion template. Picture: Notion.com

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

You may create a listing of day by day habits you need to persist with, and Notion will robotically create a brand new “habit card” for you every day. Every day, you may mark them off on a weekly or month-to-month calendar, and the template will hold monitor streaks for you.

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

Apart from that, you’ll be capable of set targets for every quarter and break them down into duties that it’s good to full each month. You will get as granular as you’d like and even break it down into weeks or days should you desire.

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

Though this template is designed for setting targets for the brand new yr, you need to use it any time with just a few small tweaks.

Excel, Phrase, and PDF objective setting templates

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

Template 1: A reusable SMART targets template

Sensible targets are particular, measurable, achievable, related, and well timed. You’re most likely conversant in the idea, however you’d be stunned how typically folks miss one (or extra) of those parts and really feel pissed off after they present no seen progress.

Utilizing this framework ensures you may truly transfer ahead, monitor progress, and trip that optimistic momentum.

A preview of Smartsheet’s smart goal setting template showing boxes for S, M, and A with a space to write or type your answer. 
Set good targets with this easy and reusable template from Smartsheet. Picture: Smartsheet.com

This template is accessible at no cost for Excel, Phrase, or PDF, so you may obtain and use it with whichever software program you have already got. You may also convert Excel or Phrase recordsdata 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 your complete web page, nevertheless it forces you to make clear your goals to set your self up for fulfillment.

You may 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 targets for his or her workers

This Smartsheet template is free to obtain as a Phrase or PDF file. It’s ultimate for managers who need to handle targets for every of their workers. In contrast to company-wide goals, typical challenge administration platforms don’t all the time translate to monitoring targets for 20 or 30 folks.

You additionally might not need everybody on the workforce to have the ability to see every others’ targets. This different is straightforward, but simply as efficient should you want a component of privateness.

Preview of a blank employee goal setting template that includes an evaluation plan, strategic actions, deadlines, and notes.
Create customized targets to your workers utilizing this free template for Phrase, Google Docs, or PDF. Picture: Smartsheet.com

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

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

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

Collectively, you’ll be capable of provide you with an motion plan, set due dates, get forward of roadblocks, and agree on desired outcomes so that you’re all the time on the identical web page.

How to decide on the best objective setting template

It could typically really feel daunting to choose a template and get began. Nevertheless, the longer you bounce round, the longer it should take to begin working in the direction of your targets.

I strongly encourage you to decide on the only choice that works for you. There’s no must 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 certainly one of these templates, the essential factor is to get began.

In the event you’re nonetheless feeling uncertain, listed below are just a few concerns to bear in mind:

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

On the finish of the day, most targets 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 ought to be good to go.

Finest practices for setting targets (so you may truly obtain them)

Most templates show you how to get organized and monitor progress. Just a few show you how to truly set targets, however for essentially the most half, that’s as much as you. Listed here are some greatest practices to bear in mind:

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

It doesn’t matter what, it’s essential to stay to one thing slightly than leaping round. Previously, I’ve pressured division heads to set quarterly targets they’re not allowed to alter till the subsequent quarter.

In the event that they don’t meet them, that’s okay so long as they perceive why and easy methods to regulate the objective to make it extra achievable or aligned with our route.

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

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