Starting the New Year Right: Happy Planner Goal Planning Printables
2025 update! Back in 2022 I switched from the Happy Planner to Unbound and I loved it … for a while. There were too many unused pages (I didn’t need two pages per week!), the cost was skyrocketing, and I am just not a fan of that linen-like cover. The texture makes my skin all prickly. I know, too much information. But as life grew busier, I found I needed a planner less to plan grandiose dreams and more to just keep all the balls in the air. I tried several, went back to Happy Planner for a while (it’s just not portable enough!), used the Legend Planner for two years, and this year am giving Goal Digger a try. I really loved Legend, but had the chance to try Goal Digger for free. Why not? I’m linking both below (affiliate — thank you for supporting this site!) and will share my review for Goal Digger in case you want to take a closer look.
Legend Planner
This planner is versatile and served me well for two years. The cover options are fantastic, the stickers cute (but I didn’t use them), and I appreciated the back pocket and pen holder. I could have done without the elastic strap and never once used it — it just stayed wrapped around the back cover.
I didn’t find the “goal” planning very robust, but did manage to make the weekly planning pages work for me. What I loved was how I could separate my work and home to-do lists and have space for notes. I do still miss the work/home lists but appreciate more space for to-do items and more ability to easily prioritize in Goal Digger.
I would still be using Legend, likely, if I didn’t have the opportunity to try Goal Digger, and may switch back next year, though I do like the goal planning pages in GD. Legend has some, but they’re … odd and the headings don’t make a lot of sense to me.
You may be reading this, wondering, why would you ever abandon Happy Planner? One reason: disk binding. I grew to dislike, and then detest those irksome disks that didn’t fit in a bag or purse, caught on everything, got in the way when writing … I had other reasons, too, but the discs were the deal breaker for me.
Goal Digger Planner
Here’s my full review: Do 2025 RIGHT
Wow, I LOVE this planner! I will admit, I am a planner snob. I’ve tried dozens over the years and I’ve been using paper planners since, oh, 1997 or so. This planner is in my top three favorites of all time for sure.
What I love…
— the price! It’s VERY reasonable for such a solid, useful, well designed planner.
— the design is useful with tons of guided goal-planning pages up front, life-planning, inspiration, lists, and plenty of “thinking with a pen” pages at the back. I love the month planner, month calendar, and weekly layout. THANK YOU for giving so much space to to-do items and notes!
— I love the basic black. The design is professional and doesn’t scream “girlie” or “mom” or whatever else a planner can scream. That said, the cover is a nice canvas for stickers for those who need a bit of personalization.
— the size is ideal. It’s fairly large, but not that much bigger than a paperback book.
— the cover is sturdy but flexible. I LOVE this since hardback planners seem unnecessarily bulky and don’t always travel well in a bag.
— it passes the pen test incredibly well. I use erasable pens in planners, and those don’t tend to bleed a lot, and predictably there was no bleed. But my Sharpie pen and highlighter also had zero bleed! I finally saw bleed through with an actual Sharpie marker. Given the nice texture of the pages, I am truly shocked. I think those who decorate their planners with color etc. will be very pleased!
What could be perfected…
— in my (humble) opinion, there are too many wasted pages with full-page black background and inspirational quote. Just give me more space to write, please!
— while I truly appreciate the basic black and professional design, I also love some color now and then. Color options would be nice. Or send it with a couple of water-bottle-style stickers.
— give me a pen holder and give it to me now. For reals, I want a pen holder (I added my own).
Now, about those goal planning printables …
So glad you asked! You can easily print these pages for any bound planner; simply select the “2 pages per sheet” option when printing and horizontal orientation. You’ll print two pages on each page, which can then be cut in half and placed into your planner with double sided tape, slipped in a back pocket, or used however you like. I still love the colorful design but plan eventually to make a more subtle option.
My New Year the year I initially posted this started with the stomach flu. Not ideal, certainly not fun, but the hours (and hours) in bed on January 1st provided time to … imagine. In truth, all I could do was imagine, because sitting up made me woozy. So I imagined, in a bleary-feverish-exhausted sort of way, my coming year. Imagination is the foundation of creativity, isn’t it? But it is the beginning, not the end. While there will be naysayers, I believe organization and planning are also foundational to creativity.
The pages I’ve created here are undated, so you can use them year after year, any year you like! Scroll down to see what you get and to download the pages you like best — one or all.
How to print ANYTHING for your Happy Planner:
Printing for Happy Planner
Open the PDF.
Select PRINT.
Adjust the SCALE to 84%, the quality to BEST, and print double sided.
Open the PDF. Select PRINT. Adjust the SCALE to 84%, the quality to BEST, and print double sided. If you don’t want bleed through, purchase printer paper that is bright white and 28lb.
Then what? I place a current planner page, centered, on top of the printed page and cut with scissors (I find I can cut three sheets at a time this way with decent results). I have used an exacto and ruler in the past, which does give a nicer result, but also takes more time. I’ll trade a little unevenness to my edges to make a forty minute project into a ten minute project.
Year-in-Review Printables
Something most planners lack is a space for reflection: a glance back on the previous month and previous year. Goal planning requires at least a glimpse in the rearview mirror now and then, otherwise bad habits tend to sneak in and perpetuate themselves. And since bad habits are usually so much more fun than good habits, they can easily upset forward momentum. That’s why I created a simple, one-sheet (double sided) page to examine the previous year.
Just as important as scrutinizing with a critical eye is celebrating what was accomplished, so the Year-in-Review starts with successes. I like to write down EVERYTHING I can think of that was positive. Did I travel? Finish a project? Start a project? Did I even read a novel aloud to my older daughter? (Something our schedule makes difficult, so it IS an accomplishment—especially since we read several!) Celebrate those wins!
And once you’ve celebrated, think a bit about what time was lost. Did I spin my wheels in the muck of unreasonable expectations? Did my impatience cause me to push ahead on a project that just wasn’t ready? Did I watch too much “Trash TV”?
On the flip side of the Year-in-Review is a list of questions, questions I use to encourage out-of-the-box thinking. You’ll notice at the bottom of the sheet is the SMART method of goal setting (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time-specific), which I changed to SMARTER because I loved what William Ballard had to say about goal setting.
The SMARTER way is virtually identical to SMART, but instead of realistic goals, I set risky ones. Some might call these DREAMS rather than goals, but the only difference between a goal and a dream is action. These are goals I probably won’t accomplish, but dang, if I make it 10% into a Risky goal, I’m that much closer to my dream than I would have been with just realistic goals. So check it out and see if what works for me might also work for you!
Quarterly Progress Log Printables
I swiped this concept from a blogger and planning guru, Lisa Jacobs. I think. I actually can’t remember. All I remember is that I really liked something I downloaded and wanted something like it for my Happy Planner. So I the idea of a quarterly reflection (with lots of white space to write) with what I was already building. I ended up with an oh-so-usable one-sheet Quarterly Progress Log. I do remember that I did Lisa’s 2017 and part of her 2018 book and found them both supremely helpful. Sadly she’s out of the annual-planning-book biz now, but I believe will still be offering her business-oriented products on Amazon.
I don’t always find time to do these quarterly reviews, but I find they’re so very helpful when I do. Especially the section on remembering what, in the coming months, needs celebrating. As a goal- and accomplishment-oriented person, celebrating tends to be my most-neglected life area. Will you do better with quarterly reflection? Probably.
Year Planning Printables
Ah, the foundational section of pages, and the longest PDF. Here you’ll find thirteen double-sided pages, one per month plus a year-at-a-glance page for overall planning bliss.
Each page has a heart at the center (because it’s cute) with categories all around. One label is blank for you to write in your own category. Other categories include: Fit & Health which I use for goals like workouts, changes to my/my family’s diet, adjustments to how I plan meals, etc. Family is for, well, family. Do I want us to play some board games this month? Is there a book we should read together? A chore system I haven’t yet tried (I doubt it)? Home & Heart are goals related to home: things that need fixing, doing, and so forth, and heart: things within me that need fixing and doing, and so forth. Devotional plans and the like. Sadly, “Hire a housekeeper” hasn’t been actionable, but it’s always on the list. Education could be my own education—what do I want to learn this month? Or (more likely) homeschool things that need my attention. Algebra for one child, reading for another, speech practice, and so on. Relationships is my special category to make sure I connect with at least one friend during the month. I am an introvert and LOVE solitude. And I have six children. Sooo socializing isn’t something that gets me revved up. But even introverts need to kick back, relax, hang with the girls. Here is where I force myself to add something to my calendar that will refresh my soul and renew a relationship. Events & Adventures is where I list birthdays, trips, and can’t-miss field trips, outings, or even just everyday travels I want to make habitual. Like story time at the library (that introvert thing again).
The blank category could be anything you like. For me it’s Writing & Promo because I need to keep track of my writing projects and promotional efforts. For you maybe it’s crafting, or work-related, or anything else!
On the flip side of the first sheet is a quarterly grid where big events, promotions, book releases, birthdays and whatever else can be added so they’re quickly accessible.
The monthly sheets have space at the bottom to break goals down into tasks per week, and space on the reverse side for reflection. This may seem like a lot, and some months it IS a lot (and I don’t do it, but then feel a little lost like I’m sailing without a destination). It truly takes no more than 15-20 minutes. Isn’t your month worth 20 minutes?
Project Planning Printables
And because I’ll have three book releases in three years time, I created these Project Planning sheets to help me stay organized. I took the basic concept from several sources, then redesigned to suit my needs.
The project may be (a personal example): Book Release! Individual goals might have to do with the release party, printables I want to make to accompany the book, media outlets I need to contact, creation of a book trailer, and more. After setting goals, I break them down into Action Steps, the small things I need to do that together build to form the goal. I can’t just make a release party happen. I have to pick a venue, contact them, set a theme, menu, schedule, giveaways, and more. The little P next to action steps is where I set the Priority for each step. i.e., picking a venue is a bit higher on the priority list than making party foods.
What planning strategies have you tried? What works best for your annual and monthly planning? Leave a comment and let me know! I’d love to compare notes. And happy 2025!
I created these school planning pages out of desperation. I SO needed to get back on track! Did they help? Some more than others. But I can say for certain that they are 100% cute. In this download you’ll find a weekly lesson plan, semester schedule, grade report sheets, and book/media record sheets. All can be sized for any planner, including the Happy Planner.