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Bullet journaling goals: how to watch your goals come to life

The word “goals” is enough to make any of us shudder, as memories of failed New Year’s Resolutions come flooding back to haunt us. But bullet journaling goals are different.

But, goal setting doesn’t have to be as scary as you might think. Your goals are simply your guiding compass, recorded in your bullet journal to remind you where you’re going (and how you hope to get there).

Just because you’ve got a goals page, doesn’t mean that you can’t veer off course and make a detour along the way. But you will, at least, be conscious of the fact that you’ve gone “off piste”. And you’ll know where you need to go to get back on track. 

Woman filling in habit tracker in bullet journal on desk

Bullet journaling your goals

We love bullet journaling goals. Why? The simple fact that it’s just you, your journal and nobody else. When you’re writing out your goalsin your journal, you’re away from digital distractions. There’s no comparison, no looking at what everyone else is doing. Instead, you can fully focus on you.

You can figure out what you actually want to do, rather than what you think you “should” be doing.

Below are some of our favourite ways you can journal about your goals.

Beautiful Aesthetics

@junamy.bujo has created a beautifully designed goals page in their bullet journal, whilst leaving a clear blank space for exploring objectives

Structured and Practical

@blankpagenotes has gone for a more structured style with their bullet journaling, creating categories for each goal. Still beautiful of course, but these could include health and fitness goals, mindset and mental health goals, relationships goals, work goals, school goals and so on...

The Simple List

@studyabel has opted for a listicle style approach to bullet journaling goals, listing out 22 goals for the year. This turns the goals page into a fun challenge for the 12 months ahead!

A Fun and Creative Style

@journalingwithmeema has gone for a fun and creative style for her bullet journaling goals, with a 2021 bookshelf and resolutions for the year ahead. Still Remember, you can name your goals whatever you want - from resolutions to focuses to aims or ideas.

Building a Mind Map in your journal

If mind mapping’s more your style, you could use this beautiful spread from @mlle_bullet’s bullet journal for inspiration. Simply write the year (or your goal) in the centre, and then map out the goals that’ll support you along the way.

Turning your bullet journal goals into tasks

@journalsbysav’s weekly spread breaks down her actions and tasks with creative doodles to bring them to life

At the end of the three months, you’ll review these tasks to mark them as completed, migrate them or bid them farewell as they are deemed no longer relevant. 

Adding a milestones section to your bullet journal goals page

@journalingwithmeema created a bullet journaling spread all around the Pomodoro Technique and how it helps her achieve her goals




Set aside a section of your goals page to break those big goals down into smaller milestones.

All this really means is taking your big goals for the year, and turning them into little goals for the three months ahead. This will give you just enough time to plan and get things done, without setting an impossible schedule for yourself.

They say three’s the magic number… so set yourself three milestones that will move you towards that bigger goal. You can think of these as checkpoints to mark off along your journey.

For each of your three milestones, create three tasks to get you going. These tasks should be clear actions, that will help you achieve your mini milestone goals. We always like to turn these into checkboxes because adding that “tick” is oh-so-satisfying.

Add these tasks into your monthly log, including any relevant dates or deadlines along the way. More immediate tasks can be added into your weekly spread.

What to do when you veer off course

We’re all only human. Even with the most perfectly planned and organised bullet journal, life can still get in the way of achieving your goals. But there are some things you can do to keep on track…

  • Use a habit trackerto monitor your progress every single day
  • Look back at your “tools” collection and find something to help boost your motivation
  • Get really granular and break your goals down into baby steps in your bullet journal
  • Make checking in with your goals part of your daily bullet journaling routine
  • Check back in with your goals page and remember why you wanted to do this. How do you want to feel at the end of the year?
  • Choose a reward for yourself when you achieve your goals (yes, bribery always works!)

@blankpagenotes has organised their habit trackers into categories, with seasonal doodles for each month

Even when bullet journaling goals, you can still benefit from a regular goals check-in. At the end of each quarter, check back in with your goals and review what went well, what didn’t work out and how you can best support yourself on the rest of your journey. You might like to set aside a separate section in your bullet journal just for this exercise.

Good luck!

New to bullet journaling?

This (free) beginner’s guide walks you through how to start bullet journaling. It’ll help you live a more intentional life, with everything you need to get started.

Overflowing with bullet journaling ideas, you’ve got everything you need to start bullet journaling today!

Yop and Tom Beginners Guide to Bullet Journaling Front Cover

Choose a new home for your goals

A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Bee - Charcoal
£19.99
yop & tom moon and star midnight blue bullet journal
yop & tom moon and star midnight blue bullet journal
main image charcoal moon and star journal
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Moon and Stars
main image blush pink moon and star journal
Infographic of the features of the dot grid journal, midnight blue
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Moon and Stars
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Moon and Stars
forest green moon and star journal on a table with accessories
Yop & Tom debossed logo on spine
yop & tom grid guide
Close up of page numbers in Yop & Tom dot grid journal
pre-printed index
pre-printed key page
detail of bookmark ribbon
Pen test page in  Yop & Tom dot grid journal showing pens without bleeding through page
closeup of lay-flat binding
closeup of extra thick paper
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Moon and Stars
£19.99
Hummingbird dot grid journal in deep ocean on white background
Hummingbird dot grid journal in deep ocean on white background
zoom in on humminbird emblem
zoom in on Yop & Tom logo - hummingbird journal
Hummingbird gift journal with colourful pens
bujo charcoal hummingbird extra thick paper
Orange hummingbird bullet journal
bullet journal main image forest green hummingbird
open journal with pens
Hummingbird journal with dark background
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Hummingbird
Yop & Tom Index Page
Yop & Tom Key Page
Yop & Tom Hummingbird journal thick paper
Open journal showing grid guide insert
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Hummingbird
zoom in on yop & tom emblem on spine - burnt orange
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Hummingbird
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Hummingbird
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Hummingbird
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Hummingbird
£19.99
butterfly main image sage green
butterfly main image sage green
burnt orange butterfly main image
burnt orange butterfly zoom in on emblem
burnt orange Yop & Tom logo on spine
Index page
key page
zoom in on the sewn lay-flat binding
another zoom on the binding
page numbers on dot grid journal
pen test page
journal with grid guide inside
sage green yop & tom logo on spine
sage green butterfly zoom on emblem
A5 Dot Grid Journal - Butterfly
£19.99
Goal planner next to pens ruler and coffee

Pssst…want a ready-made goal planner (rather than building your own from scratch)? Check out the Power of 3, our ultimate goal planner. And put your potential in your own hands.

The Power of 3 ® system is a simple continuous process of (1) Goal Setting, (2) Goal Execution and (3) Reflection & Migration.

The aim is to focus your attention on three goals every three months. Each goal has three milestones and each milestone has three tasks. The tasks can then be integrated in your day-to-day activities.Following this process will help you focus, integrate your goals into your busy schedule and reminds you to reflect on the importance of each goal at regular intervals.

DISCOVER YOUR POTENTIAL
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