Use This 15 Minute 5 x 5 Goal Planning Matrix To Jump Start Your Goals

Years ago I almost didn’t start this blog.

I was thinking about writing, but I had no idea where to begin! So I caught up with a very good friend who is published author, and asked her. 

“How am I going to get this going?”

“Just start,” she said. “If you don’t, you definitely won’t get going. If you start, your next question will be how to keep it going.”

It was a simple and valuable lesson.

I am an advocate for detailed planning. Much of my work involves writing strategy, creating roadmaps and doing involved analysis.

Sometimes though, we have to throw out a plan and just begin. 

Through action, we can find our way.

An issue with detailed planning is that it can be too detailed, too complex and take too much time. It is useful to a point, but there are so many pathways to high performance, sometimes we have to look at goal setting from multiple angles.

That’s why I think there’s a role for a rapid plan. Something that can help us get unstuck instantly when we feel we need direction. This is where where the 5 x 5 goal planning matrix fits in.

The 5 x 5 Goal Planning Matrix

This goal planning matrix can be used for anything.

From planning personal goals at the start of the year through to shaping the start of a new initiative. It can be used as a stand alone activity or as the start of a larger process, like planning SMART and HARD goals.

It is highly effective. And it is incredibly quick!

Here’s how it goes:

• Define 5 areas
• Create 5 goals
• Write 5 actions per goal
• Define 5 milestones (dates)
• Set 5 priorities by area / domain

Understand Each Area Of The Goal Planning Matrix

Here’s a more detailed break down to help you understand each activity.

Step 1: Define 5 Areas

An area is a domain or themes that is important to our goals. These could be areas of personal happiness (physical, emotional, mental, financial, social) or areas of a project. These are the zones and groups where you wish to plan your goals.

Step 2: Create 5 x Goals

Against each area, plan five goals. As an example, say one of your domains is ‘physical’. Five goals could be:

• Eat nutritious meals regularly 
• Sleep regularly and deeply
• Take time each day to calm your mind
• Go to the gym / walk / run
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day

It’s that simple. Five goals for each of the domains you write. 

Step 3: Write 5 x Actions 

Any goal must start with action. Just like the conversation with my friend at the start of this article. She said, ‘start somewhere’. So my very first action was to write one blog post.

In this stage of your planning, you will write the starting action for each of the goals you just created. 

So, if the goal is ‘go to the gym’ the starting action could be ‘sign up for a gym membership’ or, if you already have a membership, it might be ‘go to the gym this Monday, Wednesday and Friday.’

The purpose of these actions is to give you the very first starting point to work on your goal.

Step 4: Define 5 x Milestones

Adding milestones to our actions, in the form of a specific due date or month, gives us a target to aim for. All we need do is ask ourselves, “by when do we want this action to be complete?”

Step 5: Set Priorities by Area / Domain

As the final step, you’re now going to rank the goals you created in the first step.

When you rank your goals, I’d like you to ask yourself the question, “which of these goals is most important to me in this domain?”

From there, rank your goals from 1 (being the most important) to 5 (being still important, but not as important as the other actions).

Just Look At What You Can Create

When we look at our entire list of 25 actions, it can become daunting.

By prioritizing our goals, we now have a starting point within each domain to begin our actions.

This way we don’t have to be overwhelmed. Just start by picking your top action in each domain.

This framework can be completed with a sense of play. We could think very deeply about our domains and goals and actions, or just write what first comes into our mind. I guarantee you, if it is at the front of your thinking, it will be meaningful to you. 

When we approach the activity in this way, it can be done in just fifteen minutes. And that’s the whole idea! To give us a rapid plan to orient ourselves and get moving. 

How Bout A Template!

Right back at you. Here is a link to a simple sheet that will help do this even more quickly 🙂

Go ahead, give it a go, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments section below.