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Subtitle: A free Google doc template for the system I actually use

This template was made by Peter Wildeford and Caroline Jeanmaire.

It’s almost a new year and that often calls for some sort of annual planning.

But in my opinion, annual planning operates on too long a timescale. Annual planning and goal setting is too infrequent, so it’s easy to lose track. You don’t get fast enough feedback and you risk derailing.

Instead, I suggest adopting a quarterly planning cadence (e.g., set goals for 2026 Jan-Mar). I wanted to provide a template that I’ve used many times before and that many people seem to like.

Here’s my template in a Google Doc: 

There are a lot of different templates out there to try and I don’t know if this one is better. It works well for me, but I’m not you. But here’s some principles I was interested in, and maybe that resonates with you:

• Optimized for something quarterly – rather than something monthly (too frequent, too time consuming) or something annual (too infrequent, easy to lose track, not fast enough feedback).
• Forces you into relentless focus on the most important things (three major rocks and two optional minor pebbles) and encourages you (via anti-rocks) to not do too much.
• Designed to be very achievable. The template is somewhat minimal and much of it focuses on building systems and making sure your goals will happen.
• Designed to be very customizable. You can make the template your own!

What’s actually in this thing?

The template walks you through five steps. The fast-track version takes about three hours (seven 25-minute pomodoros), though you can spend longer if you want to go deeper.

Step 1: Reflection. You start by looking back at the prior quarter—key successes, key mistakes, how you did against prior rocks. There’s also a quick 1-5 rating across eight areas: work, sleep, exercise, nutrition, routines, finances, relationships, and environment. The point isn’t to obsess over numbers but to notice patterns and identify 1-2 problem areas that deserve focus.

Step 2: Vision. A quick check on your values and mission (or just jot keywords if you don’t have one), plus a 90-day visualization. What do you want to have/be/feel in three months?

Step 3: Combine and Refine. Take everything from Steps 1-2 and distill it into a raw list of potential priorities, then filter down to 3-5 candidate themes. The template also asks you to identify the “effort type”—is each item a project, a learning goal, or a habit change? This matters because habit changes require different strategies.

Step 4: Set Rocks and Pebbles. The core of the template. You get three major rocks and two optional pebbles. For each rock, you define SMART goals (both input goals for what you’ll put in and output goals for what you’ll achieve), plus IF-THEN planning. You identify one key obstacle and write out “IF [obstacle occurs], THEN I will [specific response].” Each rock also asks: “Who could you share this rock with for support/accountability?” External commitment helps.

Step 5: Sanity Checking. Reality-check your plan: Is there enough time? Do you have slack for the unexpected? What’s your system for weekly/monthly review? Will travel or environment changes derail you?

The template includes a 7-pomodoro fast-track guide if you want structure for completing it in a single ~3 hour session.

Tips Before You Start

• You really shouldn’t try to do too much. This is the most common mistake. Three rocks. Maybe two pebbles. That’s it. If you find yourself wanting more, that’s a sign you need to prioritize harder.
• Habits take a lot of time to build. Be very careful about adopting a new quarterly review, new monthly review, new giant list of 20 habits, new morning + evening routine, etc. all in one go. Ideally build these gradually over 1-2 years. If you’re new to this kind of planning, make “establish a quarterly review habit” one of your rocks.
• Do this somewhere other than your usual workspace. It helps you think outside the box.
• Don’t do it all in one sitting. Important thoughts and connections emerge in between sessions.
• Make it your own. I went through a bunch of materials and distilled it down to one template that works well for me. The true power comes from customizing it to meet your own needs. Want to track books? Add that. Want fewer questions? Remove stuff. Appendix B has a bank of additional reflection questions if you want more.

If you’re interested, make a copy of the template and get to work!

This template was made by Peter Wildeford and Caroline Jeanmaire. It is based on Gustin’s annual review, the Quarterly Productivity Planner, Ben Todd’s Personal annual review process (2020), Ultraworking’s monthly template, the Beyond Goals workshop, the Forcing Function annual review, Ben Kuhn’s weekly review habit, Alex Beal’s “2022 OKRs”, Eric Barker’s “What’s the best way to set a goal?”, Konrad Seifert’s “Life Review, Planning & Organization”, and Jan’s “Review, reflection, goal-setting prompts”. Intend.do and Zen to Done also serve as inspiration.