12 week year template: free planner with a weekly scorecard

The short answer

A 12 week year template turns a year of goals into 12-week cycles. Write a long-term vision, pick 1 to 3 goals for the next 12 weeks, list the weekly tactics for each one, then score every week: tactics done divided by tactics due. The book behind the method sets 85% as the target. Week 13 is for review.

How the 12 week year works

The 12 week year is a planning method from the 2013 book The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. Instead of annual goals that wait for a December rush, you plan in 12-week cycles: each week counts like a month, so a slow week shows up right away. The book’s system rests on a long-term vision, a short plan, weekly scoring and a fixed weekly time to work on it.

1. Write your vision. One line about where you want to be in about three years, and what you want your life to look like. It is the reason the next 12 weeks matter.
2. Pick one to three 12-week goals. Each one specific and measurable, like “run a 5K without stopping by week 12”. Fewer goals leave room to do them well.
3. List the tactics for each goal. Tactics are the actions you control, with the weeks they are due: “1-12” for every week, “2” for once in week 2, “2,4,6” for every other week.
4. Score every week. At the end of the week, tick what you did. Your score is tactics done divided by tactics due.
5. Aim for 85%. The authors write that people who carry out about 85% of their weekly tactics usually reach their 12-week goals. Below that, look at what got in the way and change the plan or the week.
6. Use week 13. After week 12, take a week to review, celebrate and plan the next 12 weeks.

12 week year example

The planner opens with this example so you can see how the parts fit. Week 1 started four Mondays ago, so you are looking at week 5.

Week 1 had five tactics due and four were done: 80%. Week 3 was 60%, the week of late nights at work, so the runs moved to the morning. Week 4 was 100%. The average so far is 81%, just under the 85% target, which is the kind of early warning the method is built for.

How do you score a week?

Score what you did, not how it turned out: a score measures the actions you control. Keep the scoring short, ten minutes on the same day each week. The weekly review walks you through that check and next week’s top three, and the time block planner gives the hardest tactic a slot in your day. The book calls a protected three-hour block of focused work each week a strategic block.

12 week year vs yearly goals

They work well together. Set the direction for the year in the goal planner, then run one or two of those goals as a 12 week year. Check each goal with the SMART goals generator first, so the tactics have something specific to aim at.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 12 week year?

A planning method from the 2013 book The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. You treat 12 weeks as your year: set a few goals for that time, plan the weekly actions, score yourself every week and review after week 12. The short horizon makes every week count.

How do I use this 12 week year template?

Type a vision, up to three 12-week goals and up to four tactics per goal. In Weeks due, write 1-12 for every week, 2 for one week, or 2,4,6 for every other week. Then open the Weekly scorecard each week and tick what you did. It opens with an example you can change or clear.

How is the weekly execution score calculated?

Count the tactics due that week, count the ones you did, and divide: 4 of 5 is 80%. The planner does this for every week and shows the average of the finished weeks. The book sets 85% as the score that usually leads to reaching the goal.

How many goals should I set in a 12 week year?

One to three. Each goal needs its own tactics every week, and more than three makes it hard to reach 85%. Keep other goals on a list for the next cycle.

What is the difference between a goal and a tactic?

A goal is the result you want by week 12, like paying off $1,500. A tactic is an action you control in a given week, like moving $125 to the card on Friday. You score tactics, because you can do them even in a week when the result does not move.

What do you do in week 13?

Review and reset. Look at your weekly scores and results, note what worked, celebrate, rest, then write the plan for the next 12 weeks. The planner shows week 13 once the 12 weeks are over; press Clear plan to start a fresh one.

Can I print the 12 week year planner?

Yes. Print plan gives your vision, goals, tactics and the 12-week grid on one Letter or A4 page. Print scorecard gives the week you are looking at with its tactics, score and notes. Print blank plan gives an empty template to fill in by hand. Each comes in Classic, Sage or Ink saver.

Where is my plan saved?

In this browser on this device, as you type and tick. Nothing is sent to our server and there is no sign-up. Save as image puts the plan or this week's scorecard on your phone.

Sources and evidence

1. Moran and Lennington (2013): The 12 Week Year, Wiley — The method this planner follows: a long-term vision, a 12-week plan of a few goals with weekly tactics, a weekly execution score of tactics done over tactics due with 85% as the target, and a 13th week to review.
2. Harkin et al. (2016): Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? — Across 138 studies, monitoring progress improved goal attainment, more so when progress was physically recorded or reported, as with a weekly scorecard.
3. Locke and Latham (2002): Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation — Specific, challenging goals led to higher performance than vague goals, especially with feedback on progress.
4. Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006): Implementation intentions and goal achievement — Plans that say when and where you will act had a medium-to-large effect on goal attainment across 94 tests; used for giving each tactic its weeks and a time slot.