NEW for 2024

grace@grace-clarke.com

Start with this 1-minute how-to video

2024 PERSONAL ANNUAL PLAN

Hi! Here’s what other planning methods didn’t do - and how this one will help you

First: if you like this, share it! Post about it, share the link.

It’s the best “thank you” I can get : )

2

INSTRUCTIONS

1. They jump right to goals. Instead: You need a why, or a vision of who you want to be.

Other methods start by listing your goals without getting anchored in the bigger picture of your life. On days you’re feeling less motivated, you’ll need to have a why. You need to define and practice being your future self.

​

2. They don’t teach you how to change beliefs about yourself. Instead: You need to learn that language shapes your reality.

What we focus on is what we end up creating more of. If we don’t catch negative self talk and replace it with much more resourceful language, it gets reinforced and we start to believe it. Shifting the words we use may feel silly and small, but it is a very important shift. If you’re not willing to do it, this isn’t for you.

​

3. They skip the power of micro-progress. You need to acknowledge tiny daily progress.

A habit or goal is going to be uncomfortable until it creates results, so it’s easy to abandon before it can work. But there are payoffs every day single day. If you don’t acknowledge the tiny ways your reality is changing, it’s hard to change your views.

​

4. They assume you’re a static, unchanging being. You need a process to review, not a one-time plan.

We don’t need one worksheet. We need a system. All the energy you invest in doing this now should set the stage for the next time you do it.

Reading and thanks to: Josh Kaufman’s Creating a Personal Masterplan; Michael Karnjanaprakorn’s How to Plan Your Ideal Year; James McAulay’s Setting Personal OKRs Tweet; Darren Hardy’s Design Your Best Year Ever, A Proven Formula for Achieving Big Goals; James Clear’s Atomic Habits; Graham Weaver

2

Here’s how to do it

This whole thing takes about 2 or 3 hours. I split it up over 4 days. It is not that daunting.

3

INSTRUCTIONS

Reading and thanks to: Josh Kaufman’s Creating a Personal Masterplan; Michael Karnjanaprakorn’s How to Plan Your Ideal Year; James McAulay’s Setting Personal OKRs Tweet; Darren Hardy’s Design Your Best Year Ever, A Proven Formula for Achieving Big Goals; James Clear’s Atomic Habits; Graham Weaver

Big caveat: This is what works for me. It’s long, and it’s not easy.

There are over 8,000 hours in a year.

What is a better use of just 6 of them than actually making a plan to get what you want?

​

If that isn’t interesting to you, that’s okay! You can also skip whatever you don’t want to do. I do this over a few days (30 minutes eaech day) and focus on one sort of section each day.

​

How to do this:

• On day 1: Review the last year
• On day 2: Imagine the year ahead
• On day 3: Focus on the next 90 days
• On day 4: make a step-by-step plan

​

Every three months, do a quick check-in and make the next three-month plan. There are templates for everything, so all you have to do is create a copy of this

3

Last, my principles for this (and mostly everything) for the coming year

4

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Just get it done. “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
2. Consistency is everything - along with gratitude.
3. Identity shapes our behavior - not willpower or hope.
4. Everything compounds. To establish a new habit or belief, try not to skip more than one day in a row.
5. Keep it simple. If something is too complex, I won’t do it. (This document might seem complex, but it is what works for me this year.)
6. Cultivate integrity and honesty. No “I’m happy to xyz” if you’re not. No “I’m so happy for you” if you’re not. No “I can’t come” if you just don’t want to.
7. Positive, specific language only. The language we use informs what see, what we look for, and what we create.

Decide what you want to move toward, not away from.

“I want to lose ten pounds” → “I am in better shape (objective), with X% lean muscle mass (key result)”

“I want to get out of debt” → “I have financial freedom (objective), and loans paid off by x date (key result)”

• Resourceful language only.

“I have to” → “Doing X will get me outcome Y” or “this matters because” or “I don’t know” → “what I know about xyz is.” See more below.

• Instead of material rewards (because I don’t want to build deprivation into my life), I feel the reward of seeing small progress.
• Acknowledge every single time you notice yourself making a new choice or practicing a new habit or behavior. Reinforcing makes it feel like magic.

Huge thanks to my coach Ben Easter - our work has changed my life, Ben. Grateful every single second.

4

Change the first date

2024 PERSONAL ANNUAL PLAN

Created: Friday, 12/15/2023

Q2 plan: Friday, 3/29/2024

Q3 plan: Friday, 6/28/2024

Q4 plan: Friday, 9/27/2024

2025 plan: Friday 12/6/2024

1. Gratitude
2. Reflection and acknowledgement
3. Lessons you learned
4. Life area assessment
5. Farewell

Day 1: Review the last year

6

Gratitude: Put yourself in a positive headspace before reflecting.

7

DAY 1: REVIEW

Thanks to: YearCompass

What are four amazing things that happened so far this year?

What are four times you felt “lucky”?

What are four great gifts or unique talent and skill you’ve been given?

Who are four people have positively influenced you the most, whether you know each other personally or not?

7

Reflection and acknowledgment

8

DAY 1: REVIEW

What are times you responded in a new and better way and noticed and thought, “wow, I really am growing”?

What are traits or skills you’ve been cultivating that are helping you?

Thanks to: YearCompass, Darren Hardy’s Design Your Best Year Ever, A Proven Formula for Achieving Big Goals

What are you most proud of?

What helped you - routines, habits, ideas, boundaries?

What now feels unimportant that previously felt important to you?

What now feels more important than it used to?

What gave you energy, made you feel like yourself?

What patterns kept popping up that you want to let go of?

What’s the most courageous decision you made?

What are times you figured out something difficult or uncertain?

What drained your energy?

What is the best thing you have discovered about yourself?

8

Lessons: what are three lessons you might forget if you don’t put into words?

9

DAY 1: REVIEW

Thanks to: YearCompass, Darren Hardy’s Design Your Best Year Ever, A Proven Formula for Achieving Big Goals

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

9

Life areas: what was the last year like?

10

DAY 1: REVIEW

Thanks to: YearCompass

Relationship with myself (qualities, who I am)

Leisure, knowledge, and creativity

Career

Personal life and family

Physical health and fitness

Friends and community

Mental health

Romantic relationship(s)

10

Farewell

11

DAY 1: REVIEW

Thanks to: YearCompass

Choose three words to define your last year.

Is there anyone or anything you’d like to say goodbye to?

Did anything happen that you want to move past? Words, things that happened, decisions others made, people? Did you do something that produced an outcome you didn’t like?

What are three lessons that you’re done learning?

11

• A theme for the year
• Explore your values
• Life areas assessment
• Define your alter ego and their mindsets

Day 2: Visualize the best - BEST - next year

12

What’s the theme for your next year?

13

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: YearCompass

Choose three words to define it.

What is your secret wish for the next year? “By the end of the year, I will….”

What era will you be in? It can be a word, a mantra, a prase, a sentence, an idea, a feeling.

13

Exploring your values

14

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

What can you absolutely not stand in other people?

Thanks to: YearCompass

Give your year some themes. They’ll change as the year goes on and you grow, achieve things, and move onto goals you didn’t even have before. But start now - This will be the year of….

What’s important to you about this, why does it matter, how will your life be different if these things were true?

Who is the person you respect most? What are their values?

What do you think the world could use more of?

If you could instantly have more of one quality, what would it be?

What feelings or qualities do you want to be your “default” state?

What can you absolutely not stand at work?

14

Get a visual snapshot for motivation

15

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: Tim Urban, Bryan Braun

Make your own here.

15

What gifts do you need for the chapter ahead?

16

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Self-trust!! (Why: PRACTICE this, constantly check in with your own instinct. It gets easier over time to confidently take ownership of outcomes too. This is becoming a leader.)

Thanks to: Leah DeBerry, @chameleahn

“What got you here won’t get you there.” To grow and get through things, you had certain ways to cope, or relied on certain skills to succeed. As you grow, you may not need them anymore. And in fact, you may need other things to reach new heights. What will you put down, and what will you pick up instead? Some examples are below.

Old gift

New gift

Getting others’ approval to validate your decisions and feel approved of. This helped you feel secure and guided. But you’ve grown experienced and found your own taste. This hinders your ability to decisions and practice self-trust.

​

​

Old gift

Extensive micromanagement to ensure team success as you build a new division

The leadership of delegation and trust to empower your team - and free yourself up

New gift

Old gift

New gift

Old gift

New gift

Old gift

New gift

16

Life areas: describe the perfect next year. Be “unrealistic.”

17

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: YearCompass

Relationship with myself (qualities, who I am)

Leisure, knowledge, and creativity

Career

Personal life and family

Physical health and fitness

Friends and community

Mental health

Romantic relationship(s)

Here's where you can list specific goals, things you want to learn or do. Push yourself to go beyond the abstract and get detailed. Think about WHY you want this thing, emotion, or reality.

17

Define your alter ego

18

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

How do people describe them?

What qualities and feelings and states do they feel?

What is their morning routine like?

What does personal growth mean for them? How do they show up for themselvse?

What’s their attitude towards money?

How do they handle challenges, how do they solve conflict? (Do they even view it as conflict?)

If they got their dream job, what would be the reason why - what qualities make them stand out?

What is their evening routine like?

How do they feel about relationships (partner, friends, family, colleagues, etc)?

What boundaries do they have and protect?

Thanks to: Khe Hy, HBR’s Peter Bregman, Ali Abdaal, Brianna Thompson’s The Alice Experiment, Ziggy Stardust, Sasha Fierce

18

What are your alter ego’s mindsets, mantras, and phrases?

19

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

19

Moodboarding your dream life: What is your relationship with yourself like?

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

20

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

What are some words to describe how you show up for yourself? What are some things you’ll consistently do and say no to?

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

20

Moodboarding your dream life: What are your family relationships like?

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

21

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

What words describe your personal relationships? What goals do you have, what do you want to be part of your reality?

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

21

Moodboarding your dream life: What are your friendships like?

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

22

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

What words describe your personal relationships?

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

22

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

23

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

Your dream life: What’s personal growth like? Leisure, knowledge, and creativity?

Words or actions to describe how you want to evolve

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

23

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

24

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

Your dream life: What’s your physical health and fitness like?

What words, actions, ideas, beliefs describe how you feel and take care of your self? What are your morning and evening routines?

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

24

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

25

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

Your dream life: What’s your mental health like?

What words, actions, ideas, beliefs describe how you feel and take care of your self? What are your morning and evening routines?

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

25

Moodboarding your dream life: What is your career about, what’s it like?

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

26

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

Words to describe it, goals you want to achieve. Think about why it’s important to you - what what that mean for your life?

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

26

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

27

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

Your dream life: What are your finances like, how does that happen?

Words or actions to describe how it will feel, what it will involve

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

27

Skip if you’re vision board or visual collage isn’t for you

28

DAY 2: VISUALIZE

Thanks to: My Best Life

Your dream life: What’s your romantic life like, how does it feel, what happens?

Words or actions to describe how it will feel, what it will involve

Photos that illustrate how it feels and looks:

Here's another good place to list specific goals, things you want to learn or do.

28

• Goals for the year
• Year Bingo Card
• Choose your focus for the next 90 days

29

Day 3: Focus your vision into specific goals

Big goal sheet for the year - it’s nice to see on one page (it’s okay if it changes)

30

DAY 3: GOALS

30

Big goal sheet for the year - it’s nice to see on one page (it’s okay if it changes)

An alternate format, some people don’t like tables

31

DAY 3: GOALS

Relationship with yourself

Family

Friends and community

Leisure, creativity, personal growth

Physical health and fitness

Career

Finances

Romantic life / relationships

Mental health

Living situation

31

The Year Bingo Card

32

DAY 3: GOALS

Thanks to: Erin Jones

Fill in each square with something that would be incredible to happen in the coming year - no specific order, just write them all out.

THIS IS NOT MINE:

32

What you’ll achieve in the next 90 days

33

DAY 3: GOALS

Planning in quarters = significantly more likely to accomplish what you want. Pick three areas and the most important things that can happen in three months, given the bigger picture of life you’re wanting to build.

If your physical fitness goal is to run a half marathon, that might be your only goal in the physical health section.

If your goal is to feel like you have a more of a life outside work, you may have a bunch of goals like, month 1: start Duolingo daily. month 2: go to one book club. month 3: do a baking class and join a running club. Your career goal might be, get a promotion, so your actions are, “train the team on xyz AI tools; start documenting my progress each week.”

33

• The next 90 days
• Regular check-ins (and how to reinforce your growth)
• Q2 template
• Q3 template
• Q4 template

Step 4: Make a plan

34

Goals, plan, and review: Q1

Add rows if needed

35

DAY 4: PLAN

35

The easy way to check in, and the most important daily habit I’ve ever adopted

If you do nothing else, do this!

36

Pre-schedule your quarterly plannings. It takes a few hours.

​

1. Did you accomplish your goals? Why or why not?
2. What worked really well? What was challenging?
3. What did you love about how you spent your time or felt, that you want more of?
4. Revisit your life area brainstorms, if you did them. Are there life areas you want to give more attention to?
5. Build your quarterly sheet.

What to do every day

What you can do every week

What to do every quarter

Each evening, make a quick list of the things you accomplished, decisions you made, behaviors you changed, anything that reinforces who you want to be - and is proof of your growth.

​

I do this in my iPhone and create a new note each month. I am SO nice to myself in this list - nothing is too small to celebrate, because everything compounds.

​

Small reinforcement is much easier for our brains to believe in and build on.

​

This has had the largest and most outsized impact

​

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”

Every Sunday night or Monday morning, do a bigger version of the nightly acknowledgment list.

​

First, review your calendar. I plan my week, cancel any meetings I can, etc.

​

1. Review your nightly acknowledgments to reinforce them.
2. Look at the upcoming week’s actions. Does anything need clarifying for you to get started?
3. What’s a moment you anticipate motivation dipping, and what will you do or tell yourself?

36

Goals, plan, and review: Q2

37

DO THIS ON FRIDAY 3/29/2024

37

Goals, plan, and review: Q3

38

DO THIS ON FRIDAY 6/28/2024

38

Goals, plan, and review: Q4

39

DO THIS ON FRIDAY 9/27/2024

39

grace@grace-clarke.com

Enjoy!

December 2023

​

you

Frameworks and methods I tried, studied, and learned from to create mine

Let’s give credit where credit is due!

41

Thank you to:

1. Darren Hardy: Compound Effect Association Evaluator, Compound Effect (book), Compound Effect Association Evaluator, (vault@darrenhardy.com, @DARRENHARDY)
2. Brian P. Moran: The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months (book), (jmoran@12weekyear.com, @brianpmoran, Linkedin)
3. Stephanie Cowan: Golden Era life audit (Notion template), (stephanie@goldtoast.co, @stephaniecowan, Linkedin)
4. Christy Lee: 12 week year Notion template, (christyix777@gmail.com, @christy.ix)
5. Sahil Bloom: annual planning and Dropbox file, (media@sahilbloom.com, @SahilBloom)
6. Shari Hatch Jones / Sightline Coaching (shari@sharihatchjones.com, Linkedin)
7. YearCompass: planning packet, (hello@yearcompass.com, @yearcompass)
8. DonYe Taylor: previous year reflection, 2023 goals categories, (hello@donyetaylor.com, @donyetaylor, Linkedin)
9. Brianna Thompson: The Alice Experiment, (mydimdiarybusiness@gmail.com, @mydimdiary)
10. Brooks Welch: My Best Life deck, (soulsugarjoint@gmail.com, @thebrookswelch, Linkedin)
11. Mel Robbins, The Leisured Life: 30 Day Mindset Reset, (hello@melrobbins.com, @melrobbins)
12. Josh Kaufman: Creating a Personal Masterplan, (inquiries@worldlywisdomventures.com, @joshkaufman, Linkedin)
13. Michael Karnjanaprakorn: How to Plan Your Ideal Year, (@mikekarnj, Linkedin)
14. James McAulay: Setting Personal OKRs, (hello@jamesmcaulay.co.uk, @thejamesmcaulay, Linkedin)
15. Graham Weaver: Set 5 Goals and Supercharge Your Life, (grahamweaverblog@gmail.com, @GrahamCWeaver, Linkedin)
16. Montelle Bee: How I actually plan on achieving my goals (video), (montellebee@gmail.com, @montellebee, Linkedin)
17. Stephanie Bishop: 1 action a day for a year board, (emma@aitkenalexander.co.uk, @this_stephanie_bishop)
18. Rachel Reine: daily healthy habits dry erase board, (rachel.r.vick@gmail.com, @rach_reine)
19. Cass Leach: new identity video (worksheet), (cassidyleach@icloud.com, @cassleach)
20. Laura Galebe: Writing your next year as a memoir (lauragalebe@gmail.com, @lauragalebe)
21. Ellie-Jean Rayden: The “Impossible” List, (info@bodyandstyle.com, @elliejeanroyden)
22. Julianna Salguero: The Year in 12 Acts visual board (julianna.salguero@gmail.com, @juliannasalguero)
23. Kevin Lee: Annual Review Template (@kevinleeme)
24. Leah DeBerry (@chameleahn, (deberryle.scc@gmail.com)
25. Laurel Pantin (Your Mom newsletter, lp@laurel-pantin.com)
26. Jay Acunzo (Don’t Be The Best, Be Their Favorite, jay@unthinkablemedia.com)

41

Frameworks and methods I tried, studied, and learned from to create mine

Let’s give credit where credit is due!

42

Thank you to:

• Tim Urban: Your Life in Weeks (Tim@waitbutwhy.com, @waitbutwhy, Linkedin)
• Bryan Braun: Personal website (bbraun7@gmail.com, @bryanebraun, Linkedin)

42

Frameworks and methods I tried, studied, and learned from to create mine

Let’s give credit where credit is due!

43

Thank you to:

• Lexi Merritt: Big Paper Planning Day: 11 things we want. Then a diary entry in present tense as that person.

43