Nathalie Maes / blog
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How I handle the 12 Week Year

November 2, 2026
3 min read
productivity planning 12 week year
A white ceramic mug with coffee on top of a planner
Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash
Table of Contents

I plan my goals per quarter instead of per year. Yearly goals take too long and feel too far away to act on. When I have a long-term goal, I split it into quarterly goals, so I’m always working towards it. This is how I do that with the 12 Week Year, plus the template I use.

A person holding a notepad and pen Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash

The 12 Week Year in a nutshell

The 12 Week Year, a book by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington, replaces the 12-month year with a 12-week one. A year is long enough that deadlines feel far away. Twelve weeks is short enough that every week counts.

  • A few goals, not a long list. You pick a small number of goals for the 12 weeks.
  • Weekly tactics. Each goal is broken into the actions you plan to do each week.
  • A weekly score. You track what share of your planned actions you finished. The book suggests aiming for about 85%.
  • A review at the end. Week 13 is for looking back, resting and planning the next 12 weeks.

How I set my goals

I pick a maximum of 5 proper goals for each quarter, which is also how many fit in my template. I choose them at the start of the year, so I can see how the quarters add up to my bigger goals.

Every quarter I take time to review them and check that they still line up with what I want. Things can change, and a goal that made sense in January might not make sense in July.

A grey and black pen on a calendar book Photo by Renáta-Adrienn on Unsplash

My weekly routine

Every Sunday I look at what I can work on this week to make progress on my goals, and I plan it in.

  • Google Calendar is where I timeblock the work.
  • Things 3 is my inbox for the GTD method, so loose tasks and ideas have a place to land.

My Google Calendar week with timeblocks for study, gym, running and errands A week in my Google Calendar.

A hand checking off items on a to-do list Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash

Why it works for me

The 12 Week Year makes me start on my goals right away. The deadline is close and tangible, instead of being a date in December that is months away.

My template

I turned my own setup into a template: the 12 Week Year Goal Planner for Goodnotes. It’s an undated, hyperlinked digital planner for Goodnotes with a vision board, room for up to 5 goals and an action section. It costs €10.