How to Use your 2021 Word of the Year to Set Goals and Intentions (Free Downloadable Goal Tracker)

In 2019, I started a tradition of picking a word of the year because new year resolutions never worked for me. They always sound like a list of rules that I know I will break by the end of January.  I wanted something that would inspire me rather than instruct me. This is why I believe choosing a word as a mantra for the new year works better.

Word of the year- A single word that encapsulates what you need more of, what you want to focus on, or what you need to improve on.

[Related Post- How to choose the word of the year]

My Approach to goals this Year

I will be honest after 2020, I am not very confident that 2021 will be a good year, or at least I don’t want to jinx it by saying it out loud. But I want to come out of 2021 feeling good!

With our baby boy due in March. I want to be very realistic about my goals this year because I know I will spend most of my time soaking up in the snuggly newborn days.  And I will probably be sleep deprived and exhausted most of the time. I don’t know what 2021 holds for me so I decided to approach goals this year slightly differently–

1. I am not adding any deadlines or due dates to my goals. I might be skipping the quarterly goal tracker tab in the free template I am sharing in the post.
2. Prioritize self-care- I will be adding goals and intentions pertaining to wellbeing more.
3. Going with the “Achievement-First Framework.”  This allows you to work towards a big goal in digestible pieces, put less pressure on yourself, and encourage you to notice your wins along the way. That’s why I prioritize adding intentions to all my goals. The free downloadable tracker allows you to do that.

[Related Post-  The Importance of setting intentions to achieve your goal]

How to use the Word of the Year to Set your Goals

You can read this post on how to chose the word of the year. Once you have the word of the year.

1. Write down 7-10 steps you can take to achieve that word, these are your goals– Google the word, read the meaning, and sentences using the word. It will help you understand the word better and to apply it in various aspects of your life.
2. Prioritize the list– Put them in order from what you need to achieve first to what can be achieved last.
3. Categorize them– The categories I have are Health, Mental wellbeing, Financial, Marriage & Family, Work/Business. Put the goals in their respective categories. Ex-goals about losing weight or eating habits will go under Health, family and house goals can cover date nights, family trips, and house renovations.
4. Write down intentions for all your goals– write down the steps you want to take to achieve the goal. Ex- If you want to save $600 a month. Look at your past month’s spending to see where you are spending more and where you can save. If you think the goal is not achievable change it. Write down the action plan that is realistic. You can add intentions like eat out only once a week rest coo homecooked meals, buy only one fashion item a month, etc. Be very precise with your intentions.
5. Block them in the calendar- Place the goals in the calendar. For example- if I want to do 2 date nights a month, workout 3 times a week, publish 2 blog posts a week. I need to write that all into a calendar and see if how realistic I can make it for any given month.
6. Last but not least CELEBRATE your wins! No matter how big or small each goal is, make sure you acknowledge that you have achieved something.

Wondering how to organize your goals and intentions and get started?

That’s where the free goal and intention tracker makes it easy. It’s pre-designed with categories and a progress tracker. All you need to do put your goals and intentions and knock them out!

Set up a calendar reminder end of each month (I update mine last Friday of each month) to update your monthly Goals and Intentions and end of every quarter to update your Quarterly goals

The progress tracker is color-coded so you get a gist of how you did for the month with a mere glance.

Shop The Post

Ann Taylor Dress (on sale for $24; wearing my regular size S) | Karen Millen Coat (on sale; last seen here; sized up one size to 6; similar here, here and here) | Madewell Booties (last seen here; similar here and here) | Earrings | Satchel (similar here)

Do you have a word of the year?  Let me know in a comment below!