Picking how many resolutions
The tracker takes one to six resolutions, and fewer is usually better. Each one needs a little attention every month, and six check-ins in January feel very different from six in July. If you have a long wish list, write all of it on scrap paper first, then keep the two or three that you would be most disappointed to drop by December. The rest can wait for next year or go on a bucket list. With one or two resolutions the two-page version gives each field a stack of lines, which leaves room to plan properly; with five or six, each field gets a few lines in three columns.
Writing the resolution itself
Write the resolution so that you could check it on December 31. "Read more" leaves you guessing; "Read 12 books" can be counted. Put a number, a habit with a day attached, or a finished thing in the sentence: "Call Grandma every Sunday", "Learn to bake bread", "Save for a trip". Keep it short, because the name also prints at the top of its column in the check-in grid, where only a few words fit. If it does not fit, the preview shows where it gets cut off, and a shorter name is usually clearer anyway.
Why it matters, first step, how I will know
The three fields under each resolution do different jobs. Why it matters is the line you will read in March, when the start-of-year energy is gone; write the real reason, the one you would tell a friend, not a slogan. First small step should be something you can do this week in under an hour: buy the flour, pick the first book, open the savings account. A first step that is too big is the most common reason a resolution never starts. How I will know describes the moment of success in plain terms, such as twelve titles on the list inside the cover or the full amount in the account by June.
For a money resolution, the savings goal calculator works out how much to put aside each month to reach the amount by your date; write that monthly figure as the first step and the check-in becomes a simple tick for each transfer.
Doing the monthly check-in
Pick one fixed day for the check-in, such as the first Sunday of every month, and put a reminder in your phone or set a countdown to it. Then take five minutes: look at each resolution and either circle a number from 1 to 5 or tick the box, depending on the version you printed. Be honest rather than kind; a row of 2s in spring tells you something useful, a row of hopeful 4s does not. Use the Notes column for the one thing that helped or got in the way that month. If a resolution needs regular blocks of time, like practicing a language or sorting photos, the focus timer keeps a session short and regular, so a busy month still gets one done.
Using the quarterly reviews
The stronger lines after March, June and September mark the quarters, and each has a review box. At the end of the quarter, read the three months of check-ins and write what went well and what you will change. Changing a resolution is allowed: a smaller target, a different first step or dropping one entirely to give the others room are all good outcomes of a review. The last box, October to December, is the place to note what you want to carry into next year, so the next tracker starts from experience instead of a blank page.
Related printables
For one big goal with dated steps and obstacles, the goal setting worksheet gives it a whole page. If a resolution is a daily habit, a monthly habit tracker next to this sheet shows every single day, while the check-in here keeps the big picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is the resolution tracker free?
Yes. Download and print it as often as you like, for yourself, your family or a class. There is no signup and no watermark; one small line at the bottom of each page names our website.
Do I have to type my resolutions?
No. Pick how many resolutions you want, from 1 to 6, and leave the fields empty to get blank lines to fill in by hand. Anything you type prints on the first lines of its field, and the resolution names also appear at the top of the check-in columns.
What is the difference between one and two pages?
Two pages give the resolutions a whole page with several lines for each field, and put the monthly check-in grid and four larger quarterly review boxes with two prompts each on the second page. One page fits everything on a single sheet, with one line per field and smaller review boxes, which suits a fridge door or the inside of a planner cover.
Should I rate or tick each month?
Rating gives every resolution five small numbered circles per month: circle 1 if you let it slide, 5 if you were fully on track. Over the year you see a trend, not just yes or no. Ticking gives one box per month and resolution, for things that are either done or not, like a monthly call or a savings transfer.
Can I make it for next year or a different year?
Yes. The year select above the preview offers last year, the coming year and the one after. The year prints in the page titles; the months in the grid are the same for every year, so a tracker started in March works just as well.
Why are some characters missing?
The PDF uses a standard font that covers English and most Western European letters, but no emoji and no other scripts such as Greek, Cyrillic or Chinese. Those characters are left out, a few rare accented letters lose the accent, and a note under the fields tells you when that happens. The preview shows the text exactly as it will print.