Twelve weeks is long enough to get something real done, and short enough that every week counts. Here is the whole method, from vision to Week 13.
Write down where you want to be in ten years or more, and in three. It doesn't need to be polished. It's the reason behind the goals you pick next, and the thing you come back to when a week goes badly.
You can skip it at first and add it later.
A cycle is 12 weeks, starting on any day you like. Pick one to three goals for it: few enough to focus on, big enough to matter. Say why each one matters to you.
If a goal can be measured, add a lag measure: a unit, where you're starting and the target, such as “kg, from 82 to 76”. It shows the result, but only after the work is done, so it isn't what you steer by week to week.
Tactics are the regular actions that move a goal, the things you can actually do this week: “walk for 30 minutes”, “write 500 words”. Give each one its usual days, with more than one on a day if you need it, and a time if you like.
Twelvefold gently points it out if a plan looks overloaded: more than three goals, more than eight tactics, or more than 25 sessions in a week.
Each week opens already filled in from your tactics' usual days. Move things around to fit the week you actually have, then confirm it. You can plan ahead, or catch up on a week you forgot.
Every day, tick off what you did. A short reflection asks whether you looked at your plan, what got in the way, and whether you kept your commitments to yourself.
On the last day of the week you review it. The score is worked out for you: sessions done divided by sessions planned. You then note where your lag measures are and answer a few questions about the week. Submitting locks the week, and you can reopen it if you need to.
The target is 85%, not 100%. A plan you can keep most weeks beats a perfect one you abandon. A 12-week trend chart shows how your weeks add up.
After 12 weeks of work comes a week for looking back. Record where each measure ended up and whether each goal was hit or missed. Write down what you learned, and celebrate what went well.
Then close the cycle and start the next one. Your goals and tactics come with you as a starting point, and the old cycle is kept, read-only, for reference.
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