Guide

How to set goals with a Mandala chart

A Mandala chart turns one big goal into 64 concrete actions on a single 9×9 grid. It's the same layout behind the Harada method. The grid is great for thinking. This guide also covers the part most templates skip: turning 64 actions into a plan you can follow every week.

Step 1: Write one goal in the centre

Choose a single outcome for the next 8–12 weeks. Make it specific enough that you'd know you hit it: "Run a half marathon under two hours" beats "Get fit".

Step 2: Choose eight drivers

Drivers are the areas that would make the goal happen. For the half marathon: aerobic base, speed work, strength, recovery, nutrition, sleep, race skills and mindset. Keep each one distinct so actions don't overlap.

Step 3: List eight actions per driver

Each driver gets eight actions you could start this week. Write verbs, not topics: "Three easy 30-minute runs" rather than "running". You'll end up with 64.

Step 4: Don't do all 64 — stage them

Sixty-four equal priorities is the same as none. Pick the five to eight actions with the most leverage and put only those on this week's board. Everything else waits.

1. Week 1: start the 5–8 highest-leverage actions.
2. Each week: check in, tick what you did, and notice what has become automatic.
3. Graduate actions that are now habits and stage the next 5–8 from the chart.
4. Over 8–12 weeks, the whole chart gets worked through in order of impact.

Step 5: Lock the chart, review weekly

Once the chart is set, resist rewriting it every few days. Note changes you want and apply them at a weekly or end-of-cycle review. That keeps you doing the work instead of endlessly re-planning.

Planning with a team?

The same grid works for a shared objective, with each driver owned by a person — or an AI agent. See how to set team goals people actually execute.