Busy Woman’s Life Planner

1. On This Planner Belongs To, write your name and year. 2. Choose My word for this year. Pick one word that describes the direction you want to move in. Examples include steady, lighter, healthy, brave, or focused. 3. Complete What I want more of with three to five specific items. Use things you can recognise in daily life, such as “unhurried mornings,” “time with my children,” or “regular savings.” 4. Complete What I want less of with three to five specific items. Name patterns you’re ready to reduce, such as “last-minute rushing,” “unplanned spending,” or “saying yes immediately.” 5. Turn to My Big Picture. Write up to two biggest goals under each heading: - Personal - Family - Work / Business - Money - Home 6. Review all ten goal spaces. Circle the goals that would make the biggest positive difference if you made progress on them this year. 7. Write This year I want to… and list 1-5 outcomes. Use clear verbs, such as save, finish, create, repair, visit, or build. 8. Check each outcome against your word for the year. If a goal doesn’t fit your direction, rewrite it or leave it out. 9. Choose your three main goals for now. Put a star beside them. These are not the only things you care about. They’re the goals that deserve regular attention first.

> Worked example: > My word for this year: Steady > What I want more of: Planned meals; evenings without work; time outdoors > What I want less of: Credit-card surprises; rushed mornings; unfinished home jobs > Personal: Walk three times a week; finish my dental treatment > Family: Plan one family day each month; visit my sister twice > Work / Business: Create a reliable client follow-up routine; complete my bookkeeping > Money: Save $2,000; pay down one credit card > Home: Clear the spare room; repair the leaking tap > This year I want to… > 1. Save $2,000. > 2. Create a weekly client follow-up routine. > 3. Plan one family day each month. > 4. Clear the spare room. > 5. Walk three times a week. > Starred goals: Save $2,000; create the client follow-up routine; walk three times a week.

Now read your completed pages aloud, quietly if you prefer. Notice whether the goals describe a life you actually want to live, not just a list of things you think you should achieve.

What good looks like

• Your year has one clear word. - What I want more of contains three to five recognisable experiences or results. - What I want less of names three to five patterns you want to reduce. - Each area of My Big Picture has no more than two meaningful goals. - This year I want to… contains between one and five outcomes. - Your three starred goals fit your chosen word for the year. - Each starred goal can be supported by a weekly action.

Adjust the Plan to Fit Real Life

Your big picture should guide you, not box you in. Different seasons call for different levels of detail. Use the version that matches your current responsibilities and energy.

• The full five-area version: Use Personal, Family, Work / Business, Money, and Home when several parts of life need attention. Keep the limit to two goals per area. This gives you a complete view without turning the page into a second job. - The focused-season version: Choose one main area for the next three months and keep only maintenance goals in the others. For example, during a busy work season, your main goal may be Work / Business, while Personal, Family, Money, and Home each get one small “keep it going” action. - The recovery version: If you’re tired, unwell, caring for someone, or managing a major change, choose one starred goal. Fill the rest of the page with supportive outcomes, such as getting enough rest, attending appointments, or keeping bills up to date. A smaller plan is still a real plan.

You can also make a goal more useful by adding a simple measure. “Improve my finances” is a direction. “Save $2,000” gives you something to track. “Spend more time with family” is meaningful. “Plan one family day each month” tells you what progress looks like.

Use this test for each starred goal: can you tell whether you made progress by the end of the month? If not, add a number, frequency, deadline, or finished result.

For example:

• “Exercise more” becomes “Walk three times a week.” - “Get organised at home” becomes “Clear the spare room by June.” - “Keep up with clients” becomes “Complete follow-up every Friday.” - “Spend less” becomes “Save $2,000 by December.”

Don’t force every goal to have the same type of measure. A money goal may use an amount. A family goal may use a frequency. A home goal may use a finished space. Choose the measure that makes the goal easy to recognise.

Check Your Direction

Use 15 minutes for this check-in. Read your completed pages first, then answer each question in two or three short lines. If an answer feels complicated, that’s useful information - your priority may need simplifying.

Reflect

1. What do I want my chosen word for this year to change in my ordinary week?

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2. Which three goals would make the biggest positive difference if I made steady progress?

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3. Which goal is too broad, and what number, frequency, deadline, or finished result would make it clearer?

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4. What am I willing to do less of so my starred goals have room?

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5. What is the smallest weekly action that would support each starred goal?

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Apply It

Use your answers to write one final direction statement:

This year, I am focusing on __________________________________________

so that I can have more ______________________________________________

and less _____________________________________________________________

Keep this statement near your planner. When you complete your monthly reset, choose priorities that support it. When you plan your week, choose actions that move one of your starred goals forward. When a new request appears, you can pause before adding it and ask whether it belongs in the year you defined.

Success checklist

• Your direction statement names one clear focus. - You have no more than three starred goals. - Every starred goal has a measurable sign of progress. - You can name one weekly action for each starred goal. - You have identified at least one thing to do less of. - Your goals fit your actual season of life. - You can use your completed pages to choose a monthly or weekly priority without starting over.

Your big picture doesn’t need to predict the whole year. It only needs to point you toward the next right choices. A clear direction, repeated in small weekly actions, is how a busy year begins to feel like your year.

End of chapter one. 4 more chapters in the full book.