Goals vs Habits And a Check In on Both

Reality Check: How are you doing on your goals and habits as January comes to a close?

They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. I don't know if I agree with that - certainly three weeks is a good start to get a new habit rolling, but I know I personally need a lot longer to make changes that really stick.

Goals and habits seem very similar, and both certainly are aimed at driving personal progress, but they play different roles: 

Goals are specific achievements you aim for within a set timeframe, for example, "I will lose 10 pounds in 3 months" or "I will save up $5,000 by the end of 2025". Goals provide direction and motivation, serving as the what and why of your progress. Goals are results-oriented and time-bound.

Habits, on the other hand, are behaviors or routines that you incorporate into your daily life, like exercising each day or saving a portion of each paycheck. Habits focus on the how, helping you build a sustainable process that supports long-term success. Habits are process-driven and ongoing.

The most effective approach is to set clear goals and then break them down into bite-sized, actionable habits, and of course to track your progress in your planner so you can make adjustments as needed. 

My main goals this year are health-related. Midway through 2024 I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic so one of my big goals is to get my blood sugar under control by the time I'm due for my next lab tests. Habits which support that goal consist of all kinds of lifestyle changes. I've been using a few of the newer Filofax Lifestyle refills to track these changes, particularly the Wellness Tracker and Meal Planner inserts.

My tabs, including "Wellness"

Weekly Menu Planner

Back of Menu Planner has Shopping List, Wellness Tracker on Right

What goals did you set for yourself for 2025? Were there any habits that you decided to break? Any new habits that you've set out to incorporate into your life? 

How do you track your goals and habits in your planner? 

Setting Goals with your Filofax by Laurie

Reader Robbiegirl recently posted a comment asking for tips on using a Filofax for goal setting and time management. Since goal setting is one of my favorite topics, I thought I'd write a post about how to specifically use your Filofax for setting and tracking goals.

Awhile back on Plannerisms I wrote a post about using your planner to set and track goals, and mentioned some ways to use Filofax for this. (Click here to see the post.) I found the article linked in that post very enlightening.

So, the thing about goals is it's not enough just to set them. Don't get me wrong, goal setting is extremely important. But it's just the beginning.

1. Goal or Resolution? First, let's talk about the difference between a goal and a resolution. In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin cleared up the whole issue for me by pointing out that a Goal has a definitive end. Her example was, your goal might be to run a marathon. You train for the marathon, then on race day you run it, and it's finished. But if your goal is to exercise regularly for health and fitness, that's a Resolution.  That's never going to end. It will be a life-long endeavor. But you can create goals from your resolutions. For example, a goal could be to exercise 4 times per week.

2. Set your goals.  This means, really think about what you want your goals to be. What do you want the end result to be?  Write down what you want to accomplish, and crucially, by WHEN. Give yourself a deadline, whether actual or artificial.

3. Set milestones. Milestones are steps along the way to allow you to monitor your progress. Most goals are big, multi-faceted things that need to be broken down into tasks. Look at your Goal, and think about all the steps that need to happen to reach the end. Write down each step, and think about how long it will take you to reach that step.  From this timeline you can set your monthly and weekly goals and tasks. What do you need to do each week to continue your progress toward your goals?

*4. Record your progress.  This is a step many people miss when working toward their goals. In the article I linked above, one of the most important points was to record your progress. Did you complete your weekly and monthly goals? Have you done those tasks related to your goals?  Make sure you write down what you accomplished, and what you didn't, so that at all times you know what you still need to do to reach your goal.

*5. Evaluate your progress!  This is a step very few people do! Yet, it is crucial for successfully reaching your goals. After you record your progress toward your goals, evaluate what worked well and what didn't. If you didn't reach your weekly or monthly milestones, why not? Did something unexpected come up that took up your time (such as an illness or urgent project?)  If you did reach your milestones, celebrate! Make sure you write down what worked well so you can replicate it!

6. Adjust your goals. This is yet another step that many people don't do. As you work through your goals, continue to adjust them to suit your needs. You may find as you go along that a goal may need a longer timeline than you have allotted, so you can adjust your timeline accordingly. You may discover that there are things that need to happen first before you can progress, so you can work those tasks into your timeline. You may find that some of your milestones need to be changed. You might even find that a goal you set awhile back is no longer relevant and can be eliminated.

7. Celebrate your success!  Reward yourself along the way for reaching your milestones, and make sure to celebrate the completion of your goal!

A Filofax is an excellent tool to help you reach your goals. You can use a Filofax in almost endless ways to help you along the way.  Here are some ideas:

Create a GOAL section.  Whatever your goal is, dedicate a section to it. Here you can list your monthly and weekly goals, and evaluate them.  You can collect information that will help you reach your goal.  You can even write inspirational quotes to help keep you motivated.  Or, you could even dedicate an entire Filofax to your goal. This works well for exercise or specific projects.  If you do use a separate, designated Filofax, make sure you open the book often! You may find you look at goals more often in your everyday, constant-use Filofax.

Visual reminders everywhere.  Put reminders of your goals everywhere you look. Have a page you like to look at in the very front of your Filofax so you see your goal every time you open your binder. This can be a photo (like Femke's photo of herself running a 5k, which she would like to do again), a motivational statement, or a countdown ("only 5 more pounds to go!").  I like to write my goals on my weekly diary pages so they are in front of me all the time.  Write or stick reminders of your goals on your pagemarker. Your goals will stay at the front of your mind if you see them frequently.

Record your progress.  This is where a Filofax can be especially useful in goal setting and achievement, because of the ability to add in any pages you want. You can use your Filofax to record your progress toward your goal in numerous ways.  Use graph paper to make charts or total up figures (such as money saved, miles run, pounds lost, etc).  Use notes paper to write lists of accomplishments. On your diary pages, write your daily and weekly goals and check them off as you finish them to get a real sense of accomplishment!

Write evaluations in your Filofax!  These can go in your Goals section, or you can put pages into your weekly or monthly section to keep a chronological record of your progress. You might designate a specific color of paper to write your goals progress and evaluations on so you can find and reference them easily.  Write reminders in your diary pages of when it's time to write your weekly, mid-month and/ or monthly reviews. Then on your designated pages write what worked well and what didn't, what needs to be continued and what, if anything, can be eliminated.  Remember to record your successes and your pitfalls! Both will help you work out a plan forward.

Rewards in your Filofax. How will you reward yourself when you reach your goal? Will you take a trip? Have a party? Buy yourself a new wardrobe of clothes in your new smaller size?  Write your reward, plan your party or list your dream clothes in your Filofax. Don't forget to give yourself smaller rewards for reaching benchmarks along the way: after you've consistently completed your weekly goals you might buy yourself a new book, go see a movie or even splurge on a new Filofax! ;D

Your Filofax can be a wonderful motivational tool. How do you use your Filofax to help you reach your goals?

2017 starts here......

Happy New Year... We start a New Year today, hopefully one that brings us all joy and happiness..

So what do you do on New Years day? Apart from get over the over indulgence of Christmas and New Year Eve? 😎

You could sit there with a blank sheet of paper and create your Top 10 New Year's resolutions? Well you could, I don't think I will be though... I'm not big on New Years resolutions myself.  By the time you are about 2-3 weeks in to the year you have either broken them or forgotten them, or why you even set them.

You could sit and set up your planner for the new year? Well yes but by New Years day I will have already done mine. Yes I'm that annoying person who has all his inserts printed out in September and can't wait for the last week of the year.

Or you could sit down and set your self some personal goals for the coming year, unless you have some from last year?

Again I'm not very good at setting those either. Strange as this might sound I was very good at setting objectives (another word for goal?) for my 10 engineers that I managed up until 2004. I was very good at setting their work objectives, but useless at doing my own!

OK you have got this far in to this post and you still we have no idea what we are doing. So let's cut the funny stuff and get down to serious business. If I help you I'm sure it will help me... deal? OK done.

So let us assume that New Years resolutions are similar if not the same as goals or personal objectives? That should make things a bit easier. You can put what you want at the top of the page, it is what is in the meat of the page that matters.

To get you started on what you should be considering for your goals for the year or years to come, these are your own personal goals, they might go towards meeting your goals at work, but you should consider work goals/objectives as a separate list.

When doing work goals you should discuss them with your line manager so they have a measure of what you are aiming to achieve and they can help you achieve them and report your progress accurately.

When setting your personal goals don't just think of them as just being 12 month goals. Some things will take much longer to achieve. If you have any that are say more than 2 years then consider them as long term goals and have some short term goals that contribute to you achieving your long term goals. To use an old cliché 'Rome wasn't built in a day'

If you haven't set yourself any goals before, or you have not been successful in doing this, start with some simple goals for the coming year, some simple ones that you can complete in say 3-6 months. This will ease you in to the process much better compared to tackling a list that might appear impossible to complete. We all have to build up to these things whether it is becoming an astronaut or just losing a few kilograms of weight or learning a foreign language.

Unless you have to, try to avoid having a hard fixed deadline by when you have to have completed one of your personal goals, this will only add to your stress levels. Although in certain circumstances you will not be able to avoid having a deadline, for example 'Lose 5 kgs in weight to be able to fit a wedding dress/suit for your wedding day' and the date is firmly fixed on the calendar... better give me/away all those Christmas chocolates then?

If you fail to achieve any of your goals, don't fret over it, try to analyse why you missed a target or why things didn't work out as you wanted. Quite often we might miss a target or goal because of things that are outside of our control, ok it might have been good to anticipate this when setting the goal, but that isn't always possible when you don't know what steps you are going to have to take to get to your goal. This is were breaking down a goal in to smaller steps pays off.

As well as setting your goals it is important to track them in some way. I try to journal each day and record what I've been doing, even if it is something simple like going to the shops, or writing this blog post or doing preparation for another post. It gives me something to look back on and see what I was doing, what I achieved etc.

If you want more detailed information or some examples on what personal goals to set Google is your  friend, just search for Setting personal goals  There are also dozens of templates on line that will help you record them, although you only need a blank sheet of paper and a pen really. I found mindtools.com had lots of information and useful templates.

I hope you have a successful and happy 2017.

Goals and Achievements Record

We have mentioned Goals and Achievements many times in the Podcast, but the main idea for this insert came from Rose during our recent monthly Philofaxy Skype chat.

So I've created a simple insert that will help you record your monthly goals and achievements on a monthly basis with spaces for 3 or 5 years.

I'm sure this will help you in your career reviews and your own personal development.

It is also available as an Personal size insert but with just 3 years per month.

I'm making the files available in Word and PDF format. There's no complicated merging to do if you want to update your own version just edit the Word file to suit your own requirements/tastes. 

• A5 size - Word file or PDF
• Personal size - Word file or PDF

The A5 size can be 'Booklet Printed' on A4 paper, or scaled by 70% on to A5 paper. The Personal size can be printed on personal size paper.  For more information on printing please see this previous post.

This work by Philofaxy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. Please download, adapt, use, share, but don't charge or use commercially.

Long Term Tasks/Goals

Talking on a regular basis with a fellow paper organiser/planner user is really good for the soul. It helps you break out of your own comfort zone and gets you thinking about doing things in a different way.

As you know I've been chatting and discussing some of our favourite planner topics with Karine Tovmassian on 'The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Plannerverse' podcast.

A few times Karine has shared with us how she has all of her goals and tasks listed and how she adds them to her weekly task lists.

Personally I have tended to only plan on a weekly basis, with some things (mainly appointments) planned further ahead than that.

With the changes to the seasons finally happening here it gets me shifting gear in to what I should be doing or I need to do outside, and what was a fairly steady winter weekly routine has to be massaged to include new tasks like lawn mowing and other jobs outside etc.

Hearing Karine explain how she has all of her tasks and goals recorded in her organiser has 'kicked my butt' in to thinking I need to start thinking in a similar way, otherwise I am still going to have lots and lots of unfinished jobs and projects that will never in a million years get on to my weekly task list.

So starting this next week I'm going to try and decide how to record all of these miscellaneous tasks/jobs/goals and put them in to some form of order and then prioritise them and start adding them to my weekly list of things to do and start getting some of them crossed off the list.

So how do you plan your long term goals/tasks? Do you have any hints and tips you can share. Please leave them in the comments.

Year Goals

When I worked a few years ago I used to be terrible at setting my own work goals for the forthcoming year, I could do them for the members of my team that I managed, but not myself... odd! I think my approach was wrong... anyway too late to worry about it now!... or is it....

As we are getting very close to the New Year, so may be it is time to sit down and plan out your goals for the forthcoming year, yes me included.

These goals can be anything such as lose 30 lbs or kgs in weight, learn to speak a new language, sort out your digital photo collection. Anything that is personal to you.

Having them in a chart in your planner helps you tackle these goals and helps you achieve them without exhausting yourself!

To help you chart your goals Amanda sent us her own templates to help you chart them. She says:

I like to write maybe just one or two big goals in each quarter-year, then use the month and week bits to 'project-manage'.

The weekly goals then get slotted into the diary/planner (so they have half a chance of getting done!).

It's not foolproof, but it might help some. I have found that just writing my goals down isn't enough for me - I then need to do a bit more to make them happen!

The files are now on-line in the Files page:

• Year Goals - .pdf,  .xlsx 

The files are set for A4 but they will 'Z fold' in to an A5 without any problems.  Thank you to Amanda for sharing the files.

Setting Goals with your Filofax

Reader Robbiegirl recently posted a comment asking for tips on using a Filofax for goal setting and time management. Since goal setting is one of my favorite topics, I thought I'd write a post about how to specifically use your Filofax for setting and tracking goals.

Awhile back on Plannerisms I wrote a post about using your planner to set and track goals, and mentioned some ways to use Filofax for this. (Click here to see the post.) I found the article linked in that post very enlightening.

So, the thing about goals is it's not enough just to set them. Don't get me wrong, goal setting is extremely important. But it's just the beginning.

1. Goal or Resolution? First, let's talk about the difference between a goal and a resolution. In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin cleared up the whole issue for me by pointing out that a Goal has a definitive end. Her example was, your goal might be to run a marathon. You train for the marathon, then on race day you run it, and it's finished. But if your goal is to exercise regularly for health and fitness, that's a Resolution.  That's never going to end. It will be a life-long endeavor. But you can create goals from your resolutions. For example, a goal could be to exercise 4 times per week.

2. Set your goals.  This means, really think about what you want your goals to be. What do you want the end result to be?  Write down what you want to accomplish, and crucially, by WHEN. Give yourself a deadline, whether actual or artificial.

3. Set milestones. Milestones are steps along the way to allow you to monitor your progress. Most goals are big, multi-faceted things that need to be broken down into tasks. Look at your Goal, and think about all the steps that need to happen to reach the end. Write down each step, and think about how long it will take you to reach that step.  From this timeline you can set your monthly and weekly goals and tasks. What do you need to do each week to continue your progress toward your goals?

*4. Record your progress.  This is a step many people miss when working toward their goals. In the article I linked above, one of the most important points was to record your progress. Did you complete your weekly and monthly goals? Have you done those tasks related to your goals?  Make sure you write down what you accomplished, and what you didn't, so that at all times you know what you still need to do to reach your goal.

*5. Evaluate your progress!  This is a step very few people do! Yet, it is crucial for successfully reaching your goals. After you record your progress toward your goals, evaluate what worked well and what didn't. If you didn't reach your weekly or monthly milestones, why not? Did something unexpected come up that took up your time (such as an illness or urgent project?)  If you did reach your milestones, celebrate! Make sure you write down what worked well so you can replicate it!

6. Adjust your goals. This is yet another step that many people don't do. As you work through your goals, continue to adjust them to suit your needs. You may find as you go along that a goal may need a longer timeline than you have allotted, so you can adjust your timeline accordingly. You may discover that there are things that need to happen first before you can progress, so you can work those tasks into your timeline. You may find that some of your milestones need to be changed. You might even find that a goal you set awhile back is no longer relevant and can be eliminated.

7. Celebrate your success!  Reward yourself along the way for reaching your milestones, and make sure to celebrate the completion of your goal!

A Filofax is an excellent tool to help you reach your goals. You can use a Filofax in almost endless ways to help you along the way.  Here are some ideas:

Create a GOAL section.  Whatever your goal is, dedicate a section to it. Here you can list your monthly and weekly goals, and evaluate them.  You can collect information that will help you reach your goal.  You can even write inspirational quotes to help keep you motivated.  Or, you could even dedicate an entire Filofax to your goal. This works well for exercise or specific projects.  If you do use a separate, designated Filofax, make sure you open the book often! You may find you look at goals more often in your everyday, constant-use Filofax.

Visual reminders everywhere.  Put reminders of your goals everywhere you look. Have a page you like to look at in the very front of your Filofax so you see your goal every time you open your binder. This can be a photo (like Femke's photo of herself running a 5k, which she would like to do again), a motivational statement, or a countdown ("only 5 more pounds to go!").  I like to write my goals on my weekly diary pages so they are in front of me all the time.  Write or stick reminders of your goals on your pagemarker. Your goals will stay at the front of your mind if you see them frequently.

Record your progress.  This is where a Filofax can be especially useful in goal setting and achievement, because of the ability to add in any pages you want. You can use your Filofax to record your progress toward your goal in numerous ways.  Use graph paper to make charts or total up figures (such as money saved, miles run, pounds lost, etc).  Use notes paper to write lists of accomplishments. On your diary pages, write your daily and weekly goals and check them off as you finish them to get a real sense of accomplishment!

Write evaluations in your Filofax!  These can go in your Goals section, or you can put pages into your weekly or monthly section to keep a chronological record of your progress. You might designate a specific color of paper to write your goals progress and evaluations on so you can find and reference them easily.  Write reminders in your diary pages of when it's time to write your weekly, mid-month and/ or monthly reviews. Then on your designated pages write what worked well and what didn't, what needs to be continued and what, if anything, can be eliminated.  Remember to record your successes and your pitfalls! Both will help you work out a plan forward.

Rewards in your Filofax. How will you reward yourself when you reach your goal? Will you take a trip? Have a party? Buy yourself a new wardrobe of clothes in your new smaller size?  Write your reward, plan your party or list your dream clothes in your Filofax. Don't forget to give yourself smaller rewards for reaching benchmarks along the way: after you've consistently completed your weekly goals you might buy yourself a new book, go see a movie or even splurge on a new Filofax! ;D

Your Filofax can be a wonderful motivational tool. How do you use your Filofax to help you reach your goals?

Year Goals

We are getting very close to the New Year, so may be it is time to sit down and plan out your goals for the forthcoming year.

These goals can be anything such as lose 30 lbs or kgs in weight, learn to speak a new language, sort out your digital photo collection. Anything that is personal to you.

Having them in a chart in your planner helps you tackle these goals and helps you achieve them without exhausting yourself!

To help you chart your goals Amanda sent us her own templates to help you chart them. She says:

I like to write maybe just one or two big goals in each quarter-year, then use the month and week bits to 'project-manage'.

The weekly goals then get slotted into the diary/planner (so they have half a chance of getting done!).

It's not foolproof, but it might help some. I have found that just writing my goals down isn't enough for me - I then need to do a bit more to make them happen!

The files are now on-line in the Files page:

• Year Goals - .pdf,  blank .pdf .xlsx 

The files are set for A4 but they will 'Z fold' in to an A5 without any problems.  Thank you to Amanda for sharing the files.

Goals and Tasks

This is a topic that I like to revisit every now and then, because I love to hear how people use their Filofaxes to accomplish their goals, complete their tasks, run their lives and rule the universe.

So today the topic is, goals and tasks. When do goals become tasks?

For example, your goal might be to be healthier. In order to do that, you need to generate some tasks. That might be, keeping a food journal to monitor your eating, or following an exercise plan. I usually have to schedule my exercise, so that I will actually do it instead of another week going by and I realize I haven't worked out at all. I also have to get specific about what I need to do that week, such as 3 strength training sessions and 3 cardio sessions. And I have to write them on my weekly page or again, I will forget to make time for them.

Another example of a goal that generates tasks is preparing the house for a move. We will be moving next summer, and I need to pare down and organize the household contents before moving. So I have a task list of things I need to go through and get rid of whatever I don't want to take with us: clothes, shoes, kids' toys, books (I never normally get rid of books but we have a lot of nonfiction that is outdated, books from university etc that I don't need to drag around anymore!), etc. It's a huge chore, and the only way I can face it is a little bit at a time.

In addition to the tasks generated by goals are those millions of little day to day tasks that build up because they aren't terribly urgent, but if I don't do them then I wind up having to write them over and over again from week to week. Before I know it, it's been a month since I promised my friend that I would burn that CD for her and I still haven't done it!

My problem is, I am terribly "out of sight, out of mind." So if my tasks are behind a tab somewhere, they are forgotten indefinitely. But if I write everything on my weekly pages that I want to do, the low-priority tasks mingle with the more urgent ones, my page fills up with tasks, and I get overwhelmed and don't know what to do next.

I need a more efficient system! Maybe I need to use a prioritization system to rank urgency of tasks on my weekly page. Maybe I need to write categorized Goals and Tasks lists and look at them every day to schedule tasks so that longer-range things don't get put off too long.

How do YOU use your Filofax to handle day to day tasks, longer-range/ non-urgent tasks, and tasks related to larger goals?? Do you have categorized lists like Home, Work, School, etc? How do you decide what to do when?