How I Break Down My Big Goals Into Daily Action
A few Januaries ago, I sat at our kitchen table with a fresh stack of pens, a brand-new planner, and a head full of BIG dreams. I wrote out beautiful goals – color-coded, underlined, the whole thing. It felt so good. Hopeful. Energizing!
And then February happened.
Soccer practices, work projects, a surprise dentist appointment, dinner that needed cooking… you know the drill. By March, I found that list tucked into a pocket of my planner – completely untouched. Not because I didn’t care. I just hadn’t connected those beautiful goals to what I did on an ordinary Tuesday.
That was a really important realization for me.
I didn’t need more motivation. I needed a way to translate vision into daily steps—tiny actions that actually fit into my real life!
The Framework That Changed Everything
Now, when I set a goal, I work backwards from the big picture into tiny, doable actions. Here’s my process:
- Yearly Goal → Quarterly Milestones
- Ask: What would “progress” look like in the next 90 days?
- Example (Health): “Walk 90 miles by March 31” (≈ 1 mile/day)
- Quarterly Milestones → Monthly Action Steps
- Ask: What’s the next chunk that moves the milestone forward this month?
- Example: “Walk 30 miles in January,” “Choose 2 weeknight dinners to repeat,” “Bed by 10:00 PM on weekdays”
- Monthly Steps → Weekly Priorities
- Ask every Sunday: What are the 2–3 priorities this week that support my monthly action steps?
- Example: “Walk 5x,” “Prep two repeat dinners,” “Lights out by 10:00 four nights”
- Weekly Priorities → One Small Action Per Day
- Ask each morning: What is today’s ONE step?
- Example: “20-minute walk after lunch,” “Start taco meat at 4:30,” “Set phone on charger at 9:30”
That’s it. Big goal → quarter → month → week → today’s step!
Why This Works (Even in Wild Seasons)
- It shrinks the overwhelm. Breaking goals into 90-day, 30-day, 7-day, and 1-day pieces makes them manageable.
- It keeps goals visible. You’re meeting them every morning on your daily page, not forgetting them in a notes section.
- It flexes with real life. If a week goes sideways, you adjust your daily step – without abandoning the whole goal.
- It builds momentum. Tiny wins stack up. (Small faithful steps beat sporadic bursts every time.)
A Real-Life Example (How I Map One Goal)
Let’s say my yearly goal is: “Create a peaceful evening routine.”
- Quarter 1 Milestone: Consistent 30-minute wind-down by March 31.
- January Steps:
- Set 9:30 PM phone-off alarm
- Prep tea + reading basket by 8:30 PM
- Lights out by 10:00 PM on weekdays
- Weekly Priorities (Sunday reset):
- Phone off by 9:30 (5 nights)
- Tea + book ready after dinner (5 nights)
- Lights out 10:00 (4 nights)
- Daily Action (written on my planner page):
- “Set alarm now,” “Boil water at 8:20,” “In bed by 9:55”
It’s not fancy. But it’s faithful. And it works.
Want Guided Help With Goal Setting?
I’ve put together an Anchored Goal Setting playlist on YouTube that walks through prayerful reflection, choosing life-giving goals, and breaking them down into simple steps.
👉 Watch Our Anchored Goal Training Here!
You can drop that link in your notes, save it to watch later, or use it alongside your planner as you map your quarter!
How the S.O.S. Planner Supports This (Built Right In!)
The S.O.S. Planner is designed to carry your goals from yearly pages → quarterly → monthly → weekly → daily so nothing gets lost in the shuffle:
- Yearly & Quarterly pages to clarify vision and set 90-day milestones
- Monthly planning to pick the next steps that actually fit your calendar
- Weekly review to choose 2–3 priorities that keep you moving
- Daily layouts with space for one small action – today’s step you can actually take!
It’s goal setting that lives where your life lives – on the pages you open every morning!
Want the planner with goal setting built right in?
Come hang out at our Planner Reveal Party on October 13th, and we’ll show you every part of the planner!
You’ll get:
- A behind-the-scenes look at how the S.O.S. Planner carries goals from yearly vision down to daily action
- Learn how to build a planner that adapts to your life in every season
- Walk away ready to plan your weeks with confidence
BONUS: RSVP and I’ll send you my Weekly Planning Checklist for free!
Friend, your goals don’t need more pressure. They need a path. One small, faithful step at a time – you’ve got this! 💛
Kayse Pratt serves Christian women as a writer + designer, creating home + life management resources that help those women plan their days around what matters most. She’s created the most unique planner on the market, helped over 400 women create custom home management plans, and works with hundreds of women each month inside her membership, teaching them how to plan their days around what matters most. When she’s not designing printables or writing essays, you’ll find Kayse homeschooling her kids, reading a cheesy novel with a giant cup of tea in hand, or watching an old show from the 90’s with her husband, who is her very best friend.