Free tool
Free goal setting worksheet: from a big goal to this week's tasks
Type a long-term goal, a mid-term milestone with a date, a short-term goal for this week and up to five tasks. The worksheet turns them into a one-page goal planner you can print or save as a PDF, with a box to tick beside each task. It's free, there's no sign-up, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
Fill in your worksheet
Write each goal the way you'd say it to a friend. The sheet fills in as you type and prints on one A4 or Letter page.
Print this page for a blank worksheet to fill in by hand: use your browser's Print command (Ctrl+P, or Command+P on a Mac).
My goal plan
Started
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Long-term goal a year or more
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Mid-term goal a few months
By
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Short-term goal this week
First week
| Done | Task | When and where |
|---|---|---|
End of the week
- What got done
- What got in the way
- Next short-term goal
Free worksheet from leapsteps.ai/tools/goal-setting-worksheet
Why the worksheet has three levels
A goal a year away is too far off to tell you what to do on Tuesday, and a list of tasks on its own doesn't say why any of them matter. The three levels connect the two. The long-term goal is the reason. The mid-term goal is a milestone with a date, close enough to picture. The short-term goal is what this week is for, and the tasks are how you'll get it done.
The research points the same way. In a review of 35 years of studies, the psychologists Edwin Locke and Gary Latham found people do better when they know why a goal matters and can see their progress. The long-term goal gives you the reason, and the boxes you tick show the progress. In a Stanford study, children who aimed for a small goal each session progressed faster than those given one distant goal. That's why the sheet comes down to this week instead of stopping at the big goal.
The time frames on the sheet (a year or more, a few months, this week) are a rule of thumb, not a standard. If your milestone is six weeks away, that's fine. What matters is that each level is smaller than the one above it.
How to pick your first-week tasks
Pick tasks you could finish in one sitting of 30 minutes or less, and start each with a verb: read, call, book, send. "Study anatomy" has no finish line, so it tends to sit on the list. "Read the first half of chapter 4" does, and you'll know when to tick the box.
Then fill in the When and where column by hand, with a day, a time and a place, like "Tuesday, 7 p.m., kitchen table". It's the easiest column to skip, and the one with the most evidence behind it. A review of 94 tests by Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran found that plans spelling out when, where and how you'll act had a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals. Psychologists call these plans implementation intentions. In a McGill University study, students who planned when and where they'd act reported finishing more of their goals, especially the ones that mattered to them.
Put the smallest task first, so you can start it today. The sheet holds five so the week stays small enough to finish around a job, and fewer is fine. On the last day, tick what's done, fill in the End of the week box, and print a fresh sheet with the same long-term and mid-term goals and the next short-term goal.
When you fall behind
Most weeks don't go to plan. Here's what to do with the sheet when yours doesn't.
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You missed a day.
Cross out the day in the When and where column and write a new one. Don't start the sheet over. In a Carleton University study, students who forgave themselves for putting off one exam procrastinated less before the next. A missed Tuesday is a reason to pick Wednesday.
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The week ended and the short-term goal isn't done.
Turn what's left into a smaller goal you can finish next week, such as "Finish the second half of chapter 4", and print a new sheet with the same long-term and mid-term goals. In the Stanford study, children with a small goal each session progressed faster than those with one distant goal.
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The mid-term date won't hold.
Move the date and keep the goal. A milestone date is a guess made before you knew how the weeks would go, so change it as soon as you can see it slipping, and write the new date on the sheet. Then check that this week's goal still leads to it.
Sources checked October 24, 2026.
Questions, answered
What should a goal setting worksheet include?
A goal setting worksheet should hold the goal, the steps between it and today, and what you'll do this week. This one uses three levels: a long-term goal a year or more away, a mid-term milestone with a date, and a short-term goal for the next seven days. Under them sit up to five tasks, each with a box to tick and a column for when and where you'll do it. The last part is a short review for the end of the week: what got done, what got in the way and the next short-term goal. A worksheet that stops at the goal leaves the first step for you to work out later, and the first step is the part this one is built around.
Is the worksheet free, and does it save what I type?
It's free, and it saves nothing. There's no account or sign-up. What you type stays on this page in your browser: it isn't sent to us or to anyone else, and no AI reads it. Close or reload the tab and it's gone, so print the sheet or save it as a PDF before you leave. To change it later, type it in again or write on the printout. A printed sheet also has a use a file doesn't: it can sit where you'll see it every day, beside your desk or on the fridge, so this week's tasks are in view when you have twenty spare minutes.
How do I save the worksheet as a PDF?
Press Print or save as PDF, then choose where the sheet goes in your browser's print dialog. In Chrome and Edge, set the destination to Save as PDF. In Firefox, choose Save to PDF. In Safari on a Mac, open the PDF menu at the bottom of the dialog and choose Save as PDF. On Android, pick Save as PDF from the printer list. On iPhone and iPad, tap the Share button in the print options, then Save to Files. The sheet is laid out to fit one A4 or Letter page, so leave the scale at its default and keep one page per sheet. Your browser may add the date and the page address in the margins; you can turn those off in the same dialog.
What's the difference between long-term, mid-term and short-term goals?
The difference is time and size. A long-term goal is the big thing you want, usually a year or more away, such as "Become a registered nurse". A mid-term goal is a milestone a few months out that shows you're on the way, like "Finish the prerequisite courses by May". A short-term goal is what you'll finish in the next week or two, like "Finish anatomy chapter 4". There's no official cut-off for any of them, so treat the time frames as a rule of thumb. What matters is that each level answers its own question: why you're doing this, where you want to be in a few months, and what this week is for.
How many goals should I put on one worksheet?
One. Each sheet holds one long-term goal and the steps under it, so the week's tasks all point the same way. If you have two or three goals, fill in a sheet for each and print them all. Three sheets with one task a day each is plenty for a week with a job in it, and more than that starts to crowd the same few evenings. If you're not sure which goal to start with, pick the one you'd be most disappointed to see unchanged a year from now, and give it this week. The others can wait on a list until it's their turn, and they'll still be there.
Can I plan this goal in LeapSteps instead?
Yes, if you'd rather keep it on your phone or computer. LeapSteps is our app, a to-do list where any task can link to a goal's next step. You write the long-term goal in your own words, and when you tap Generate on the mid-term or short-term step, AI drafts three options; keep one, edit it or write your own. Finished steps move to Steps achieved, so you can see how far the goal has come. It can't import this worksheet, so you'd type the goal in again. LeapSteps is free to start, and Pro comes with a 7-day free trial. The worksheet stays free either way.
Keep the plan with today's list
LeapSteps puts this plan on the to-do list you already check, so each task can point to the goal it moves and the next step is waiting when this one's done. LeapSteps is out now on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows.
Get LeapSteps
Free to start. Pro comes with a 7-day free trial.
Keep going
- Goal guide How to achieve your goals The method behind the worksheet: start with today's list.
- Goal guide Short-term goals examples Twenty examples, each tied to the long-term goal it serves.
- Goal guide Long-term goals examples Twenty goals a year or more away, each with a first milestone.
- Career change Moving into a new career Turn "become a nurse" into this week's study and practice.