Notion New Years Resolutions: How to Create a Notion Goal Planner
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Using Notion to set goals is easier than you think! Creating a Notion New Years Resolution planner or page can be life-changing! Whether you buy a Notion goal-setting template or create a Notion goals template on your own, using Notion to set and achieve your goals is powerful. And it only takes a few minutes to set up a Notion goal planner or Notion goals page if you follow a few simple steps!
Ready for a Notion Goal Setting deep dive? Check out my Notion Goal Setting Workshop—It comes with a BONUS Notion Goal Setting Template! And use the code GOALS50 to save 50% on the workshop!
Using Notion to set goals literally changed my life and my business. I’m super passionate about how powerful Notion can be to transform your life and help you achieve your goals! So let’s jump in and create a Notion Goal Setting Template that works for you!
If you’re new to Notion and want an overview on how to get started, click here to read How to Use Notion for Beginners!
Why Use a Notion Goals Planner
Did you know I actually started using Notion to set goals before I used it for anything else? It’s true! I loved it so much I decided to start using Notion in my day to day life. So if you’re on the fence about using Notion for goal setting, never fear! Keep reading and you’ll learn everything you need to know!
A Notion Goals Planner can be as detailed or as simple as you’d like. That’s one of the best things about using Notion for goal setting, you can create or modify templates to perfectly match your brain and work style.
There’s a flexibility with Notion that you can’t find with other planners, especially with a printable or paper planner. If you need to update a goal, add steps, or change something it’s easy to do in Notion.
Embarrassing to admit but I have been known to write down goals in a paper planner and never look at them again. Using Notion gamifies your planning and makes it fun to update and check in on your goals. Enjoying the process of tracking your progress definitely helps move things along!
Notion goals templates are also very easy to customize. When you find a Notion template you like, you can easily customize the settings, formatting, and content to meet your needs. (You can see my goal-setting resources here!)
If you’re not ready to create your own planner, using a template is a game changer! You can use my basic free planner to get started!
New to Notion? No Problem!
If you’re just starting to use Notion and are wondering if using a Notion goals planner is going to be too much to handle, don’t worry! Many people, myself included, get started by using Notion for goal setting.
Goal setting with Notion is a great introduction to the app and all of its features. There’s less pressure because you’re not going to be using this page every day.
You can have fun and just enjoy curating and planning your goals without worrying if databases are connected or if you’re “doing it right”. Goal setting is a low-stakes way to try out Notion for a first-timer!
How to Create a Notion Goals Page
My biggest Notion goal for my business is creating simple templates that work hard for you! Obviously, your Notion goals page or Notion goals planner can be as complicated as you’d like it to be but to get started, you only need a few simple things. If you’re ready for more complicated templates, you can build on from there!
First, I recommend keeping your goals in a database. You can learn all about Notion Databases here! I prefer using a Gallery View for my goals because it also turns them into a bit of a vision board but choose the Database View that works best for you and your brain!
A Notion Database is a collection of Notion pages that can be easily sorted based on the properties you assign to them. Databases are great for organizing content like goals because you can keep them collected in one neat space that you can sort or filter based on how you describe them!
Next, I like to create a template within the database to make the goal-setting process smoother and more streamlined. A template is basically formatting a page that you’ll use again and again. It saves you time later on because the formatting is done, you just need to fill in the blanks!
I would use this template to outline how I like my goals set up. You can include the purpose of the goal, a timeline, next steps, resources, and more. If you like a really detailed goal breakdown, add as many lists and checklists as you’d like to the template to save yourself time next time you set a goal!
To create a new Database Template, hover at the top of your Database until you see the toolbar.
Click the blue arrow next to the “New” button, then click + New Template at the bottom of the menu.
When you’re done, your new Template will appear in the same menu to use.
You can also click the blue New button or add a new item to the Database. Before you type in the section below the properties, select your Template from the list and it will auto-populate.
Finally, I like to include a callout box with my current goal and next steps on the main page of my goals planner. This keeps you focused and makes it easy to find what you should be doing next if you get distracted.
Adding Your Goals to Your Notion Dashboard
The callout boxes I just mentioned are also really helpful when you’re ready to add your goals to your Dashboard. You can easily copy, paste, and sync your goals anywhere else in Notion! This makes updating your goals and crossing off the next steps easy to do.
It also means that when you’re using Notion for more than just goal setting, your goals can be top of mind. It’s important to not sequester your goals into one corner of your Notion, never to be looked at again. You want them to permeate your Dashboard.
After all, your goals are your main focus and what you likely are devoting much of your personal or professional energy to. Notion makes it very easy to keep your goals front and center by syncing things from other parts of your Dashboard. You can also add the database you create housing your goals to another area of your Notion for ease in editing, updating, and tracking!
Customizing a Notion Goals Template
If you purchase or download a Notion Goals Template, it’s super easy to customize and there are a few customizations I strongly recommend before you get started.
Why? You are more likely to use something that you’ve made your own, even in a small way. By customizing even just an icon or font, you’re telling your brain that this is yours now!
The first thing I would change is the formatting and aesthetics. I love the Serif setting in Notion and prefer most of my pages full width. You may have different preferences and that’s wonderful. You can also add a cover photo, change the icons, and add pops of color or even images to the template.
I would also edit any Database Templates that come with your Notion goal setting template. Many templates have way more than you’ll actually use. Rather than deleting things every time you set a new goal, customize the Database Template to meet your needs.
The last thing I would do is decide which parts of the template I wanted to see on my main Notion Dashboard, if I’m using one. It may be a small checklist or the entire database. Modify and sync the template to other parts of your day to day Notion Dashboard to really integrate your new template with your current setup.
My Notion Goal Setting Collection
If you’re looking for Notion goal setting templates or more guidance on using Notion for goal setting, check out my collection of Notion goal setting here! I have multiple templates and workshops to help you set and achieve your goals!
As I’ve mentioned, I like to keep things relatively simple when it comes to teaching Notion! My templates are easy to setup and get started with, even if you’re a new Notion user! And, if you’re more advanced, they’re easy to upgrade and customize how you work best!
Using Notion as a Goal Tracker
One of the most important parts of the goal setting process is tracking your progress. Knowing where you’re at with your goals and interacting with them every day is essential to your success. Fortunately, tracking your goals with Notion is also easy to do!
Using a Board View is a great way to track your progress for multiple goals and see what your progress is on each of your goals. Easily move goals through your progress property and create a visual representation of your achievement!
You can also use Notion’s features like the to-do list checkbox, strikethrough, or even create a formula to create a progress bar in your databases to track your progress.
The most important thing is that your Notion Goal Setting Planner is easy to update and engaging and entertaining for you to use! Watch some tutorials if you’re struggling to make sure you want to use your template and you enjoy checking in!
If you dread something, you’ll avoid it! So make your Notion Goal Setting Template as enjoyable and easy to use as possible to ensure you actually want to track your progress!
Don’t Forget, Your Goals Can Change!
As you go through the goal tracking progress, sometimes you might hit a roadblock. Maybe you’re frequently abandoning a goal or procrastinating your goal work. Maybe something changes in your life and you no longer have time or no longer want to achieve the goal.
That’s ok. Life happens.
Notion makes it very easy to change, modify, and rework your goals. Change dates, add additional steps, and filter out “Someday” goals so you’re only seeing the goals you’re actively working on front and center.
You can save that goal in your database for months or years if you think you’ll want to come back to it. You can set as many goals as you’d like in Notion so don’t worry if your priorities change a bit! You can return to the progress you’ve made another day when you’re ready.
My Goal Setting Process: How I Use Notion for New Years Resolutions
Using Notion for your New Year’s Resolutions is easier than you think. In fact, I think it’s a great way to get started with Notion if you’ve never used it before!
When I started setting goals in Notion, I had no idea it would completely change my life. But that was well over a year and a half ago and my entire life and business has been transformed and I sometimes can’t believe how much progress I’ve made this year!
So let’s dive into just exactly how I set goals in Notion!
Make a List
I actually do this one on paper still, there’s something about holding a paper and pen that helps me daydream. You can easily do this in Notion a few different ways! You can create a text block and just start writing. Or you can use your Goals Database and create a new card for each goal you brainstorm.
Regardless of the method you choose, I want you to make a list of all the possible goals you could want to achieve in the time period you have in mind. Month, quarter, year, five years…whatever works best for you!
Don’t worry about editing this list down right now. Just let your brain flow and write down anything and everything that comes to mind!
Pick ONE Goal
Once you have your list, you’re going to narrow it down to one goal. Look at all the different facets of your life: professional, leisure, romantic, home. What goal will make the biggest impact on your life right now? That’s the goal we’re going to work on!
Now you may want to set multiple goals. I think unless you have a more passive goal, you should really devote as much of your energy and focus as possible to one goal.
I know our New Year’s Resolution energy wants us to set 10 goals for the year. But when your time isn’t split between multiple goals, you’re more likely to actually achieve the goal and you’ll probably do it a lot faster.
If you want to set more than one goal, rank them in order of importance and follow the next two steps for each but wait to start goal number 2 until you’ve achieved goal number one!
Break It Down
Once you have your focus goal, you’re going to break this bad boy all the way down. Chunk your goal into itty bitty steps, ideally, one you can take every day or a task that you can do every day.
The most important part of this process is to create one step you can check off the list before you even stand up from your goal setting session.
Why?
Because it gives you momentum. Often, we set the goal and break it down into a few steps and think, yes I’ve done it. And then we close our notebooks and never open them again. The goal sits on the shelf and isn’t thought about until November when you start feeling guilty about the goals you didn’t receive.
For example, maybe your goal is to run a marathon. You know what marathon you want to run and found a few links to a training schedule. Your goal is to run every morning. But it’s not morning right now so you’re going to start tomorrow.
Will you? No. Because you haven’t even looked for running shoes yet. You don’t have the right socks for the running shoes. You have no idea where your headphones are. And it’s going to be very cold in the morning and you only own a giant knee-length coat.
My point isn’t to discourage you. It’s to encourage you to look for all of the little pieces of the puzzle that need to be in place that will make achieving your goal easy and enjoyable to achieve.
Build in Rewards or Use Pairing
Once you have your goals broken down into very small, achievable steps, it’s time for the fun part! Building in rewards or pairing tasks with more desirable activities to motivate and celebrate!
A word of caution before we talk about rewards and pairing. These two strategies can help you get through the tough parts of your goal achieving. But if you’re using these strategies to achieve a goal that you really dislike, please reconsider why you’re doing it!
Do you really want to achieve the goal or are you taking in pressure from society to add it to your New Year’s Resolutions? If you moan and groan every time you think about your goal, is it really adding to your life in any way?
The high of achieving a goal only lasts so long but the steps you take to get there can last months. Is achieving this goal worth being miserable for months on end? Or could there be something that would bring you more joy and satisfaction that you could focus on instead?
Rewards
Let’s talk about rewards first. I really think some goals are rewarding in and of themselves. If your goal is to create a new stream of income, your reward is the money you’ll make. If your goal is to read 30 books this year, the enjoyment you get from the books you read will likely be enough.
But sometimes we need little treats. I like to tie rewards to the tough part of goals. Maybe you want to go to yoga 3 times a week this year. And you’re loving it and you feel so good. And then you don’t sleep so well and you’re tired and you think…maybe I can skip just this one.
This is when a reward would come in handy! Maybe you let yourself buy a new yoga outfit after you make it through three classes you really didn’t want to go to. Or you get a new fancy tea when you start one of the classics you know you’ll enjoy but is a bit more challenging to read through than the romance novels you normally consume.
You can build in as many rewards to your goals as you want. If you want to do them at regular intervals, great. But also consider what your sticking points are going to be and add some rewards for when you make it through the tough parts!
Pairing
Pairing is similar to a reward, it’s a bit like an ongoing reward. When you use pairing, you pair an undesirable task with a desirable one. But you can only do the desirable thing when you’re doing the undesirable thing.
For example, I only watch Real Housewives when I use my mini Stepper. Although I do love the mini Stepper, I don’t always want to do it. But the idea of terrible television is very motivating and I want to know what happens next on the show as I’ve never watched before. So I press on!
Perhaps you hate budgeting. Maybe you can have a special drink in the fridge you only drink when you work on your budget. If you’re writing a book, you can only go to your favorite cafe if you’re there to write.
Pairing is really great for tasks you mostly enjoy but can feel like a chore or require a bit more discipline. There’s nothing wrong with making tasks more enjoyable, as long as you feel good overall when you’re done!
You’ve made it to the end! I hope you learned quite a bit about setting goals in Notion and how to create your own Notion goal planner! Goal setting with Notion is a great way for beginner Notion users to test the waters and features with Notion. But using Notion for goal setting will always have a special place in my technological heart. Notion is a powerful tool that can really take your goal setting and goal achieving to the next level! I hope you try it out and, as always, reach out with any questions you may have!
If your goal is to get up and running with Notion, check out Notion Dashboard Bootcamp! It’s a 5-day program that gets you up and running with Notion in a week! And it only costs $9!
