Goal template
Savings goal template: plan your emergency fund backward
Write the emergency fund as already built. Then work back to one money task you can do this week.
The template
Savings goal template
Done statement
I built my emergency fund.
If-then plan
If an unplanned purchase tempts me, then I wait one day and look at my savings goal before I buy.
Backward milestones
- Finish lineI built my emergency fund.
- Before thatReached my savings number and kept it separate.
- Before thatPassed the halfway mark of my savings number.
- Before thatSet up an automatic transfer on payday.
- Before thatOpened a separate savings account.
- This weekWrote down my savings number and listed a month of spending.
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 own savings number and a date. 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
Does the template tell me how much to save?
No. It leaves the number to you, because the right amount depends on your costs and your situation. This is a planning template, not financial advice.
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.