Achieve All Your Goals by Creating a 5 Year Plan in 4 Simple Steps (with free download!)

Think back to 5 years ago.

What did you think you would be doing now? What kind of life did you imagine for yourself?

And are you living that life you imagined?

If so, GO YOU! But if you are like most of us, you probably still have some things you want to improve or add to your life. I know that I was hoping that by now, I would be a bit more in shape and able to run a 5K. I’m still working on that one (sorta).

Without concrete goals, it can be easy for every day life to cloud your vision of the future and make it easier to become complacent with where you are. Of course, we should find the beauty in any stage of our lives. But we can always improve!

A 5 Year Plan can be a great way to create goals for yourself, but they play a role in your current life more than you might think.

Benefits of Creating a 5 Year Plan

• Setting goals of any kind means you are more likely to achieve what you want to achieve!
• It will help you spend time deciding what areas of your life you are happy with and which you want to improve.
• It helps you break down your long-term goals into shorter-term goals.
• It provides motivation and reminders of your goals.
• It can provide a yearly reminder or check-in to decide if you are going in the right direction.

So how do I make one??

Step 1: Decide which areas of your life to focus on

If you want to start simple, find just one area of life you want to work on, like fitness or finances.

If you want to create goals in all areas, I suggest using the categories of:
Health
Career
Family
Finances
Skills
and Travel

Really think about what aspects of each of these areas you are currently happy with, and what you might want to change or improve.

Step 2: Where do you want to be in 5 years?

Now set those goals!

Use your categories from Step 1 and imagine your dream life in each area. In 5 years, do you want a higher paying job? Do you want to have travelled internationally? Take some time and really consider what you want out of life.

Then, write your goals in an “I WILL…” statement. This uses psychology to “trick” your brain into believing these statements are not negotiable, that they WILL happen! Instead of “I want to run a marathon”, say “I will run a marathon.” Really believing you will meet your goals puts you one step closer to actually doing so!

Step 3: Break it down into yearly goals.

Now that we have our 5 year plan, let’s break down every goal into one or 2 goals that we can achieve in the next year.

If you want to run a marathon in 5 years, you wouldn’t want to set a goal for running a half marathon in the next year. We don’t want to set goals that are too difficult to reach in a year. Instead, maybe decide that by next year, you will be able to run 5 miles comfortably. Even if you can already run 3 miles easily and meet your goal early, you will have achieved your goal for the year and will feel accomplished and proud!

For each goal in your 5 year plan, create a goal or two that you KNOW you can reach by this time next year.

Step 4: Create new habits

We are going to break it down one more time.

Take each yearly goal you made in step 3 and decide on simple daily or weekly tasks that will help you work towards that yearly goal.

If you want to be able to run 5 miles by next year, plan to do a challenging cardio workout 3-4 times a week.
Or if you want to have $2,000 in savings by next year, make it a habit to make coffee at home instead of stopping by Starbucks on the way to work.

Put these new habits in your planner or as reminders in your phone so you can’t forget about them. It takes 21 days of consistently doing a behavior or task to make it a habit, so stay consistent!

Building new habits by changing behaviors one day at a time is the easiest way to make big changes in your life.

You’re done! You made your 5 Year Plan! Now what?

Print it! Share it! Post it!

Do anything you can to make sure you see your plan often. Tell friends and family about your plan so you have people to support you and hold you accountable. I printed my plan and taped it up at my desk so that I see it every day and I am reminded of why I am making changes and what I am working towards.

Review your plan every year and change your yearly goals to reflect your progress toward that big 5 year goal.

How great will it feel to erase your yearly goal, knowing you met it or exceeded it, and make a new goal that is one step closer to your ideal life!!

You can get my free downloadable 5 Year Plan template by clicking the download button here, or you can make your own using a table in Word or Google Docs.

Download

I know all of you have what it takes to reach those goals and live your best life!

Share your 5 Year Plans on Instagram and tag @pinetreesandpaperclips for the chance to be featured on our Instagram!

How to Set a Budget For Gift-Giving

Christmas is coming faster than any of us realized a week ago. We are all virtually swiping our cards at Amazon and a million other online stores, and probably some in brick and mortar stores (in a safe way). I’m also sure that we are all feeling that dull ache coming from our wallets as money keeps being spent.

What if I told you there was a way to know EXACTLY how much you need to set aside for gifts?

And not just for Christmas, but for the whole year! It is a super easy system to follow, and, as always, I have provided you a printable to use for your own gift budget! It feels AWESOME not to worry about spending too much on gifts, and knowing exactly what I need to buy way ahead of time!

Step 1: Decide what gifts, and for whom, you will need in the coming year

Start with a list of birthdays, anniversaries, teacher appreciation, and whatever else you usually buy gifts for. Then think through all the people you will need to buy Christmas gifts for. For example, I know every year I will need to buy Christmas gifts for my immediate family, birthday gifts for my friends, and an anniversary gift for my husband. Then, list out each person by name and for what occasion the gift is for. You can even plan ahead and make a spot for baby shower or wedding gifts without listing a name, even if you don’t know that you will be attending them, as many of us end up going to at least one of each every year! This first step can be time consuming, but it will save you so much time later!

Step 2: Set amounts you want to spend on each gift

If you are struggling to decide how much to budget for certain gifts, think back to the last gift you got that person, or for that occasion. How much did you spend? Did you feel like you overspent or that you could have splurged a bit more? This step is all about your budget and what you feel comfortable with. I’m sure all of our lists will look very different in this column.

Step 3: Start buying gifts ahead of time

If you already know of a good idea for your best friend’s birthday gift, go ahead and write it down, then buy it the next time you are in that store or shopping online. I also like to add in ideas for gifts, even if I’m not sure exactly what to get someone for a certain occasion. Then I have some ideas when it comes closer to time. This step is a great way to spread out your spending throughout the year instead of dumping loads of money in November and December!

Step 4: Keep up with your list and make adjustments when needed

No one’s life is entirely predictable, so more gift-giving occasions may pop up throughout the year. Or you may realize you don’t have the $300 to spend on Aunt Jackie’s Birthday gift, or you want to spend more than $20 for your child’s teacher’s end of the year gift. This is why your free download is able to be edited straight from your computer, so its easy to add and change information. You can also print it and put it on the fridge so you will see it often and remember to stay on track.

Download your own copy here! —–>Download

This system of gift planning and budgeting has saved me so much time and money over the past year. It has also made me a better and more thoughtful gift-giver, as I can spend time all year thinking of the perfect gift for someone, and I have an easy place to take note of it so I don’t forget. Don’t let Christmas drain your wallet, and get a head start on next year’s gifts while we are all in the giving spirit! Happy Holidays!

Time Blocking: Throw out your to-do list!

What is it?

It’s magic! Time Blocking is a way to breakdown your day into blocks of time (just like it sounds!). Each “block” is dedicated to a different set of tasks. This allows you to throw out your mile long to-do list and start your day with a schedule of exactly what needs to be done and when. During each block, you can forget about all the other little things and focus on just what you need to do during that block.

How will it work for you?

Do you work full time? Are you a stay-at-home mom? Are you a student? This method can work for ANYONE! You can break up your time blocks in any way that works for you, and tackle the tasks that matter most to you. Using the alarm app on your phone can also help you know when to switch between blocks. Bonus: it also allows you to block in time to relax! All you need is a way to write/type out your schedule and a few minutes to plan your day. (And I got one of those covered for you at the end of this post!)

How to set it up

Here is an example of one way you could use this method. Basically, you want to break your day down into manageable time chunks, 2 or 3 hours at a time. If you work full time, your day may look a little like mine. If you are at home most of the day, you might swap out one of my blocks for an “Errands” block or a “Housework” block.

You can make your own with this editable version that you can download for FREE! Just click the black “Download” button here!

Download

I like to sit down on a Saturday or Sunday when I get a few minutes and work out my schedules for every day of the upcoming week. They stay mostly the same, but I can easily add in tasks or take some out. I also like to set timers for the ends of each block so I know to switch to my next block.

My favorite part about this kind of schedule is that if I finish my tasks for that block before the block is over, I can just chill out! I can scroll through Instagram or go play with my dog Mabel! And if you can’t quite finish all your tasks in the time of one block, you can always find ways to squeeze them into another block. Just keep that in mind and adjust your blocks accordingly next time that task comes around.

If this sounds like something that could change how you do to-do’s, let me know! Comment below or come on over to @pinetreesandpaperclips on Instagram and show me how you block out your time! I’m so excited to see the unique schedules and methods you all use!