Use a yearly mindmap to plan your goals for the next year of your life!

What do you want to achieve? Where would you like to develop further, learn more? Where do you want to be in a year? And with whom would you like to achieve all of that?

Many of us use the end of the new year to set resolutions for the new year. Oftentimes, the results are too ambitious goals that don't even survive January.

For a few years now, my wife and I have been following the idea of Lea-Sophie Cramer and create yearly mindmaps together:

Yearly Mindmap with 8 example categories.

How to create your own yearly mindmap

It's a fairly simple exercise; take 15-30 minutes at the end of the year, decide on 8 categories and come up with goals for each category for the next year.

The categories can be the ones shown above, e.g.

• Health

• Mind, i.e., personal development, learning, ...

• Financial, this could be a savings goal or the planning of an investment

• Family

• Friends

• Career

• Romance

• Fun, vacations, hobbies, ...

Obviously, you can choose your own categories, and there is no need to have 8 or a certain number at all. If you are struggling to come up with goals, here are a few of our examples:

In the health category, we have targeted yearly doctor appointments and check-ups, such as dentist, dermatologist, getting our bloodwork done, ... Another example of mine is to work out 3 times a week.

My wife's goal in the category "mind" has been to read one book per week for a few years now and she has consistently achieved that! My goal was lower, but on average, I managed more than a book a month!

The goals do not need to be insurmountably big, but they should be a challenge. The fun part is to have a few challenges in different areas of your life!

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A few tips to set your goals on your yearly mindmap

Define S.M.A.R.T. goals

Try to have specific, measurable, achievable, realistic & time-bound goals. These dimensions or characteristics help you to think in more detail about your goals. They make them concrete and actionable. Let me know if you need any help, or:

Make it a partner exercise

As I mentioned above, my wife and I are always creating our yearly mindmap together. I can only recommend that you do it with your partner, a friend or someone from your family.

On the one hand, this helps you to clearly define your goals and get an outside view and input. On the other hand, it is simply fun to do it together and creates accountability.

Top categories

If you want to focus on one or more areas of your life in particular, define one or two top categories. Highlight them on your mind map. This could be your career, your health, or your family.

It is never wrong to focus. 

Regular Check-ins

Place your mind map somewhere visible. It never hurts to have subtle reminders of the goals you set out to achieve. At least, you should know where to find it.

I create reminders on my phone or calendar to have quarterly check-ins. Every few months, my wife and I take 10-15 minutes and go through our goals to find out where we stand. It's a great activity to do together, focusing on where you want to go and helping you progress.

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You can follow your progress over the years

At your core, you are always looking at similar questions: What do you want to achieve in your life? Where do you want to develop further? On what areas do you want to focus: your health, personal development, friends, family or career?

The yearly mind map is a simple tool, yet it has a powerful impact. Take the time and try to set goals in several areas. Do it together with someone and check in regularly.

At the end of the year it is cool to look back and find out what you have achieved. Then you set new goals:

This really makes you look forward to next year.

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How do you like to start the new year? Do you set resolutions or goals? Can you follow through and execute?

Do you want some help to start? I look forward to hearing from you!

Help me!