Creating goals is something many of us naturally do. We have dreams we want to pursue, ideas we want to carry out, and next steps we want to achieve.
But for most people, those dreams and ideas end up getting stuck at the dreams and ideas stage. How can you actually turn them into goals and act on them?
The first step: write them down in a journal.
Research from the Dominican University of California found that people who write down their goals are 33-42% more likely to achieve them than those who just keep them in their heads. That's nearly double as likely to succeed—just from putting pen to paper!
And the best way to do that? A goal journal.
A goal journal (or just any journal you write your goals down in) is your personal accountability partner, progress tracker, and motivational coach all rolled into one.
The Science: Why Goal Journals Actually Work
You know that feeling when you have a brilliant idea in the shower, but by the time you get dressed, it's completely vanished? That's your brain on overload. When goals live only in our heads, they compete with grocery lists, work deadlines, and everything else swirling around up there.
Writing goals down moves those ideas from the abstract to the concrete. Your brain processes written words differently from thoughts, creating stronger neural pathways and making your goals feel more real and achievable.
Putting pen to paper also cues your brain to encode your goals. Encoding happens when things you perceive travel to your brain, where they’re analyzed and stored. Writing helps your brain encode your goals, making you more likely to remember and act on them.
How to Set Up Your Goal Journal
Grab your journal, planner, or virtually any notebook (even the Notes app on your phone will do). Now, let’s get started with journaling for goal setting!
Step 1: Turn Your Dreams into SMART Goals
Create goals that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. So instead of "exercise more," try "walk 30 minutes, 4 days a week for the next month."
Make sure not to try hitting too many goals at once! Focus on just a few at a time.
Write down your goals on a page you’ll be able to refer to often in your goal journal.
Step 2: Create Weekly Action Plans
Now, break down your goals even further into bite-sized priorities. Planning to walk 4 days a week? Decide where those walks will fit best in your schedule and get them penciled in.
Writing down a plan for the exact steps you need to take each day or week in order to achieve your goals can really increase your chances of following through!
Step 3: Set Up a Progress Tracker
Tracking your daily progress toward your goal can be super motivating, so set up a progress tracker where you’ll be able to see the steps you’re taking each day.
Your progress tracker can be as simple as a column of checkboxes, tally marks, a habit grid, or even fun progress bars that you get to color in. The point is to visually see your momentum building.
Step 4: Reflect
After you’ve been working on your goals for a week or more, take some time to write down a few reflections. How is it going? How are you feeling about your progress? Are you finding it harder than you imagined, or easier? Why? What will you keep or change moving forward?
Goal Journal Ideas to Get You Started
Stuck on what to actually write or track? Here are some concrete examples:
Health Goals
- How many steps you walked
- How much water you drank
- How often you did a workout
- How many miles you went
- How many reps you did
- How you felt after each workout or each day
- How many healthy meals you prepped
Career Goals
- Course modules completed
- Networking emails sent
- LinkedIn posts published
- Applications sent out
- Progress toward learning new skills
Personal Growth
- Minutes spent reading
- Minutes spent practicing a skill
- Number of recipes tried
- Minutes spent journaling
- Gratitude entries written
- Minutes spent meditating or in a mindfulness practice
- Screen-free hours logged
Financial Goals
- Number of dollars saved
- Number of days spent eating in
- Number of dollars invested
- Number of bills paid on time
- Amount of debt paid down
- Number of no-spend days
Simple Prompts to Keep You Going
Weekly check-in: "What are my top 3 priorities this week?"
Daily momentum: "What's one thing I can do today to move closer to my goals?"
Monthly reflection: "How do I feel about my progress? What needs to change?"
The key is consistency, not perfection. Even writing one sentence counts!
Making Goal Journaling Stick
Starting any new habit is hard. Here's how to make goal journaling something you actually stick with:
Start tiny: Just 5 minutes a day. Seriously, that's it. You can always write more if you're feeling inspired, but commit to just five minutes.
Link it to something you already do: Journal while you drink your morning coffee, or spend a few minutes reflecting before bed.
Celebrate the small stuff: Did you meal prep on Sunday? Write it down and give yourself credit! Those small actions are building toward something bigger.
Be flexible: Some weeks you'll write pages, others just a quick bullet point. Both are perfectly fine.
Remember, you don't need a perfect system or notebook. You just need to start. Pick one goal and write it down today. Then tomorrow, jot down one small action you took toward it.
That's it. You're officially goal journaling.
Want to get more visual with your dreams? Check out our guide on how to make a vision board to complement your goal journal practice.
Want to make journaling super easy to stick with? Try our all-in-one undated planner.
Photo by Pixabay.
