A strong start creates momentum and this lesson is intended to get you up and running right away on your first 12 Week Year.

The first step is to establish an emotionally compelling long-term vision. That is because when applying The 12 Week Year, there will be some days when you just won’t "feel like" taking action on your plan. To help you stay on track you need a powerful "why" – and that’s your vision. (*I'm using the book terminology, but it's more correct to use "mission" here instead of "vision", some people would consider it as a mistake, I know.)

The most powerful visions address and align your personal aspirations with your professional dreams. That’s because in the end, your professional vision often funds and enables your personal vision.

I didn't like much the idea of creating a blank sheet of paper with the headline "My Vision", that's why I'd like to give you a free page from Plans Matter Diary.

We start the new "year" from the 1st of December, 2015 (it will end at the 22nd of February, 2016). If you want to join, like Plans Matter page, so you can get prepared with additional materials I'm going to post here.

Allright, here is the link to download, print the page and fill the gaps in the paragraph, so you'd have your own vision to push you through The 12 Week Year. Isn't it great?

Now it ’s time to write your first 12 week plan. The plan is the roadmap needed to reach your 12 week goals. The best plans are focused on one or two things that you want to make progress on in the next 12 weeks. The fewer goals and weekly actions there are, the easier the plan will be to execute.

To get started, download Plans Matter free template, print it out, and write your first 12 week goal as Goal 1.

Write each additional goal separately. The template fits 3 Goals, it's the maximum to focus and not to be frustrated if something gets wrong. You may focus at only one Huge Goal; that’s fine.

Next, for each of your goals, define the highest-priority daily and weekly actions (tactics) that you must take to reach that goal.

In order to do this it might be helpful to brainstorm on a separate sheet of paper all the things you could do, and then select the ones that will have the greatest impact.

Good luck. smile emoticon

Link for downloading a free template for 12 Week Plan

Forget about a year. By now you can see the pitfalls associated with annualized thinking. Let ’s redefine a year: A year is no longer 12 months, it is now only 12 weeks. That’s right, a year is now a 12 week period. There are no longer four periods in a year; that’s old thinking. Now, there is just a 12 Week Year, followed by the next 12 Week Year, all the time. Each 12 week period is independent - it is your year.

Think about the real meaning of a 12 Week Year for your productivity. The excitement, energy, and focus that happen every December now happen continuously. The year-end push to hit your goals now happens not once every 12 months, but all the time.

If you got inspired, read the book "The 12 Week Year" and join us 1st of December, 2015. You may download the free sample of the book to get the basics. You may also check on their official website with videos and paid tools.

But I assure you, with Plans Matter page it'd be much more fun. We are going to start the new "year" from the 1st of December, 2015 (it will end at the 22nd of February, 2016). If you want to join, like Plans Matter page, so you can get prepared with additional materials I'm going to post here.

Currently I'm amazed with the book "The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others Do in 12 Months".

It's one of the greatest approaches in time management I've explored so far, and I like the idea to celebrate the New Year more often. kiki emoticon
So, me and a couple of my friends decided to start the new "year" from the 1st of December, 2015 (it will end at the 22nd of February, 2016). If you want to join, like Plans Matter page, so you can get prepared with additional materials I'm going to post here.

All paper sheets are compatible with A5 format organizer, I will publish them for free. If you want to get more, you can purchase Plans Matter Diary at Etsy store.

Setting goals is easy, much harder part is to prioritise and accomplish on time. Here's a set of journaling cards for your time motivation. Stick them next to your office desk, or place to your paper planner. :)

Everyone has his own bucket list of places he'd like to travel. I have mine as well. Is there anything you like in mine?

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I feel myself upset with a new date. Trying to convince myself I have plenty of time still, yet my self-eating beats me easily. Don't know why I live, can't figure out, I think I've seen enough. Hope I'll be able to put myself together.

Happy birthday cards to download for free.

Sometimes you write and you need something to feel the gaps. Journaling cards with backgrounds I like are ready for downloading here. Hope you will enjoy them too.

I'm sadly disappointed with my attempts to lose weight, because of mood changes and losing motivation, I can't find the power in myself to start exercising again. People don't like to confess about their failures. However, I can't feel any strength, or persuasive words, I begin shaking with any mention about physical exercises. :( Hope it'll be changed one day.

Anyway, I wish you to perform better than me, I still have to go through 21 Day Fix this year. Here are journaling cards to encourage you in your uneasy path to a perfect body.

“it's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine ... it's summertime!”

Download summer journaling cards for free

Enjoy your summer days, they are not forever!

This week set is about the only one colour. Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. Do you like it? Does it repel you?

Get the red cards for your diary, print and enjoy!

This week I have some bears for you, hope you'll like them as much as I do.

Print these journaling card quotes about reading, go to the bookshop or to the library, leave them inside random books you love!

Sometimes worries can be so annoying, so that you can not concentrate at anything. I wish you all to overcome this moments of anxiety and helplessness, and see your life from above, with a quiet state of mind. Here is a set of journaling cards, free to download as usual. Have a great day.

How is your year going? Already 20 weeks of the year are gone, may be it's time to revise your New Year resolutions in your diary, or just start with a fresh list. Here's a great and quick exercise about planning: take 6 small pieces of paper (I'm using post-its, but you might find useful to write on A5 paper sheets for the first time), and write one area of your life where you want to concentrate on the top of each list. Then write 6 doable tasks that are related to each topic. I recommend to use separate sheets, so you can fill write your tasks not one by one, but whatever comes to your mind. After that you can put all topics and tasks together in one weekly to-do list. It's simple, takes 5-10min of your time only, and really works.
And here are your journaling cards about goals and achievements, to keep your mood at the right level.

Love to use journaling cards for quick occasions and my diary writing. Hope you're enjoying them too. Here's another batch, about family, I sincerely enjoying my quite home coziness.

I have some problems with my knees and lower back, that's why I had to be twice cautious while exercising in the gym. You can take these cards with you, and try for this easy workout yourself.

What can you tell about a person when you read his favourite quotes? Does it help to understand him better? Do you like mine?

Sorry, but I suppose not all journaling cards should be happy, we all have bad days. In my case I had sleepless nights and gloomy office days. The only advantage in such periods - you can read a lot. If you experience the same, download my diary cards about insomnia.

I advise everyone to meditate systematically, even you think it's rather odd and "too spiritual". Let's admit we have too many things in our plate, much more information than our grandparents had. And it doesn't make us feel special, or extremely productive, all we do is placing more unnecessary stuff to our memory, and getting more stress and fuss.

Meditate for half an hour every day unless you are too busy. In that case meditate for an hour.

And the best start for meditation is Today. With Headspace you'll get first 10 meditations for free and learn how to manage your brain in a better way (not an ad, I just love Headspace!), And download my journaling cards as reminders for your meditation pauses.