How To Create Your Annual Life Plan - Step by Step
Last week, I shared my vision for New Years Aspirations as a replacement for New Years Resolutions.
To build on that theme, today I’m sharing my personal two-page annual plan template—a simple but powerful tool to help you:
Reflect on what matters to you
Set meaningful goals
Align your actions with your values.
This entrepreneurial annual planning ideally begins with a review of the previous years’ progress at a solo entrepreneur’s annual retreat. I find my annual plans are much more effective when I’ve invested enough time to reflect before planning.
How to Fill In Your Annual Plan
Page One of the Life Plan
The two-page plan starts with the overview of the anchoring beliefs about who I am, then flows through the 3-year goals to this year’s goals. I’ve populated some sample sections to give you a sense of how I fill it out.
1 - Identifiers
Ideally, the first version should be in January or earlier, but it’s also ok to make updates throughout the year. Just remember to change the date to keep track.
2 - Annual Theme
Even though this is at the top, I fill it in only after I’ve settled on the goals for the year. I’ll try to come up with an inspiring or playful phrase that captures the tone of what I want to accomplish this year.
3 - Core Values
There are many opinions about how to write core values. I think of them as characteristics about myself that cause me to make different choices than others might in the same circumstances. They’re the non-negotiable ways of being for me.
4 - Core purpose
This is kind of like a company mission statement—a sentence that hints at the meaning you give to your life. It may change over time and be relevant for a stage of life or evolve as you gain more experience and perspective in life. Mine has changed quite a bit over the years.
5 - BHAG
The Big Hair Audacious Goal concept, created by Jim Collins in “Built to Last”, is also designed for company strategy, but it’s a useful motivator personally too. I think of it as the ultimate mission that will continue to inspire me well into my final productive days.
6 - Three-Year Goals
I’ve created 8 areas of life and usually have 1-3 goals within each area:
Field of work
Finance
Family
Fitness
Friendships
Feelings
Fun
Philanthropy
I tend to state the overarching goal as well as a specific SMART goal or two underneath.
The left side of this section is for 3-year overarching goals, with the right side (section 8) showing 1-year sub-goals that should build toward the 3-year goals.
7 - End dates
These may be months or years that I plan to complete the goals.
8 - One-Year Goals
The specific things I want to accomplish this year that build toward my three-year goals.
9 - Emotions
I’ve found that goals become more real to me when I tie them to the emotions I’ll have when I’m accomplishing or have completed them.
10 - Business and Personal
I’ve included examples of both a career (Field of work) and Personal set of goals. Obviously, these are just examples and yours will be different.
Page Two of the Life Plan
The second page contains supporting information and reminders that help me create the lifestyle I want.
11 - Habits
I believe creating the right habits determines a large majority of the outcomes in life. Each year, I review the habits I’ve committed to, assess how I’ve done, and decide if I want to add or remove some of them. Sometimes habits are for a season of life and it’s important not to overburden yourself with too many if they become robotic.
12 - Intention-Action Statements
These are statements about the kind of person I want to be. I’ve populated some examples here, which should be unique to who you aspire to be.
13 & 14 - Helps & Hindrances
Helps are similar to Opportunities in a SWOT analysis, and Hindrances are like Threats. They may be things I can leverage or try to minimize, but they’re mostly out of my control. This section is an acknowledgement of the situation I’m in, for better or worse.
15 - Notes
This is an uncategorized spot for reminders or clarifications from other parts of the plan.
16 & 17 - Bucket List and Checklist
I have a love hate relationship with bucket lists so I’m not dedicated to this section. I use it more like a gratefulness exercise when I can check off bucket list items and move them over to the completed check list section. I review the check list as an appreciation for all I’ve been able to accomplish so far.
And, again, the examples I’ve populated aren’t necessarily mine. I just put in helpful starters you can use for inspiration.
Annual planning is more than just a routine
Annual planning is not just a productivity exercise—it’s a habit that aligns your actions with your values and aspirations. By investing time to reflect deeply and plan intentionally, you’ll be more likely to not only achieve your goals but also to grow into the person you aspire to be.
This template is a starting point, not a rulebook. Adapt it to fit your temperament, ambitions, and circumstances. What matters is the rhythm of checking in with progress and direction to stay connected to your vision.
If you believe, as I do, that you have the ability to create your future, take this turn of the calendar to design a story you can be proud of.
Here’s to a year of bold goals, meaningful progress, and a life lived fully.
Now it’s your turn—what will your 2025 look like?
