7 Ways to Organize and Track Goals in Todoist

Urgent responsibilities and everyday obligations can crowd out the ambitions you actually want to pursue, from finishing college to buying a home or starting a business. As you plan New Year's resolutions for 2026, these approaches from the Todoist community can help keep those goals visible throughout the year.

1. Build a “Goal Tracker” project for the big picture

Use this project as a reference for priorities rather than a list to complete immediately. Divide it into sections for the areas of life you want to develop, then consult it when deciding where to focus.

Artist and therapist Kane Dodgeson organizes yearly goals in a Kanban-style board project. This lets him concentrate on current priorities without losing track of future ambitions.

The Goal Tracker project template provides a starting point. Put the project in favorites for quick access; keeping your goals among your favorites makes them easier to revisit.

2. Give each complex goal its own project

For ambitions with many moving parts—renovating a home, starting a business, or consistently remembering birthday cards—create a separate project and divide the work into manageable tasks.

Software engineer Samantha Houston used this approach on her way to becoming the first person in her family to earn a bachelor's degree. She created a “College” project in high school to organize application deadlines, financial aid paperwork, and later classroom assignments.

The Todoist 2024 Goals templates also offer step-by-step starting points, including Organizing Your Finances, Organizing Your Home, and Starting a Side Business.

3. Use a filter to bring goal tasks into view

Dedicated projects alone may not stop urgent work from displacing important tasks. Create a filter view showing the tasks due today in your goal projects, and give those tasks your attention first.

The filter query "##2026 Goals" displays every task in the 2026 Goals project and its sub-projects. Add your filter view to favorites to place it directly beneath Today and Upcoming.

4. Schedule habits with recurring due dates

Some goals depend on repetition rather than a complex plan: making the bed each morning, reading 20 pages daily, or spending one hour a day learning.

Create a task with a recurring due date such as “every day”, “every week”, or “every month”. Completing it automatically resets it for the next due date. Recurring tasks can also support the Don’t Break the Chain approach to building habits.

5. Set a recurring reminder for your long-term direction

Real estate investor and entrepreneur Kreigh uses recurring tasks to revisit his ambitions. At 32, he keeps the goals he wants to reach by 35 in a task scheduled every morning at 7am, so he sees them before beginning anything else. He describes the reminder as a way to clear his mind and reconnect with the reasons behind his work.

A morning reminder can also bring yearly themes, personal missions, or core values back into focus. Though less concrete than goals, these principles can steer daily choices toward the life you want.

6. Review progress and next steps every week

Initial enthusiasm can fade as you encounter setbacks, boredom, or changing circumstances. Rather than avoid goals that no longer fit your situation, review and adjust them.

Schedule a recurring weekly task—for example, every Sunday—to revisit your goals, evaluate progress and setbacks, and plan the coming week. A regular review keeps your objectives relevant instead of leaving them untouched after January 1st.

7. Keep lower-priority ambitions in an “Avoid At All Costs” project

Choosing goals also means choosing what not to pursue. Secondary ambitions can distract you from your main priorities, even when you intend to work on them only if time allows.

Warren Buffet's Two-List Strategy treats these secondary goals as an Avoid at All Costs List: they receive no attention until the top five have been achieved.

Create an “Avoid At All Costs” project for ambitions you may pursue later but are not prioritizing now. “Maybe Later” is a less dramatic alternative name.

Todoist cannot remove the effort and sacrifice involved in worthwhile goals. It can help you map the work and keep your priorities visible when allocating limited time and attention, in 2026 and beyond.