Goal template
Book goal template: plan your first draft backward
Write the first draft as already finished. Then work back through the chapters to one writing session this week.
The template
Book goal template
Done statement
I finished the first draft of my book.
If-then plan
If I sit down to write and the page stays blank, then I write one rough paragraph and let it be bad.
Backward milestones
- Finish lineI finished the first draft of my book.
- Before thatWrote the last chapter of the draft.
- Before thatReached the middle of the draft and kept going.
- Before thatWrote the first chapter.
- Before thatOutlined the chapters on one page.
- This weekSet a regular writing time and protected it.
Fills the form in the app. Edit any line before you save. Free, no account needed.
How to use this template
- Open it in the app. The button fills the new goal screen with the done statement, the if-then plan and the milestones above. Nothing is saved until you save it.
- Make the finish line yours. Swap in your book's working title and a date for the last page. Keep it in the past tense, as if it already happened.
- Check the obstacle. Keep it if it fits. If something else is more likely to stop you, write that instead, with what you will do when it shows up.
- Start at the bottom. The last milestone is this week's step. Give it one 45 minute sprint, or a 10 minute start if the day is full, and log what you did tonight.
Questions
What if I do not know what my book is about yet?
Start with the bottom two lines of the plan: protect a writing time, then outline on one page. The outline can change as you write. The template is a draft of a plan, not a contract.
Can I change the template?
Yes. The template only fills the form in the app. You can edit the done statement, the obstacle, the if-then plan and every milestone before you save, and any time after.
Does picking a template send my goal anywhere?
No. The template words are built into the app and fill the form on your device. Your journal stays on your device unless you choose to share it. Share only what you choose: invite a friend as your witness for accountability, and they can invite you back.
Why write the goal as already done?
A finish line written in the past tense gives you a fixed point to plan back from. Each milestone has to fit before it, so the plan ends at a step small enough to start this week.
Will this template make my goal happen?
No template or app can promise that. Start From Done is a reverse planning and journaling tool: it helps you see the next step, take it, and keep a record of what you did. The doing is yours.