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Creating Goal Journals

Hold Your Self Accountable By Tracking Daily Progress and Plans

Jun 29, 2007 Stephanie Salonen

It's easy to slip when working towards difficult, long term goals. A Goal Journal is easy to create and makes gives an objective method to track progress and plans.

Holding Myself Accountable

Creating a Goal Journal is a simple way to hold yourself accountable and kick start flagging motivation.

Step One – Creating a Goal Journal Binder

Choose a nice looking binder that you will want to use. Place section dividers to separate the papers for each of your current goals. Find a pen that you enjoy writing with and keep it in the journal binder.

Add information/references that are relevant to your goals. Include photos, art and stories that motivate you.

Place good quality, blank lined paper into the sections. Jot down your feelings and thoughts as you work towards your goal.

Step Two – Create the Accountability Page for your Goal Journal Binder

Pick your first goal and summarize the goal in a few words on the top of a blank, lined sheet of paper.
Summarize one to three daily actions you must take to reach your goal. Put these small recaps under the written goal, all on one line.
Write the numbers one to thirty-one down the left hand side of the page. Put one number to a line on the paper.
Each day of the month, review this sheet. Go down the sheet until you reach the line of the current day of the month. Place a check mark or cute sticker on that line when you have completed your daily action(s) towards your goal.

Start using the accountability page on the day you start working towards your goal. If you are starting on the 17th of the month, start using that line and continue to the end of the month. Then on the first day of the next calendar month, create a fresh accountability page.

Step Three – Creating the Habit of using your Goal Journal Binder

Find an accessible place for your Goals Journal. Place the journal in a location that you can review it easily and when you are relaxed. You want to develop the habit of using your accountability pages at least once a day.

Keep your calendar close by to the journal so you can plan your days in ways that will not conflict with your objectives.

Step Four

On your one month anniversary of working towards your goals, set a review appointment with yourself and relevant people. If you have met your monthly goal, reward yourself!