How to Fill In a Mandala Chart: 8 Steps With a Blank to Print

A mandala chart is a 9x9 grid: one goal in the centre, 8 pillars around it, and 8 actions under each pillar. Filling it in takes about 20 minutes if you do the steps in the right order. Most people stall because they try to write all 64 squares at once, or they start with the actions before the pillars are right.

Short answer: write the goal in the centre, choose 8 pillars around it, copy each pillar into the middle of its own outer block, then write up to 8 actions per pillar. Print a blank A4 PDF or US Letter PDF, or fill it in on your phone with the free mandala chart template.

The 8 steps

1. Write the core goal in the centre square. One sentence with a finish line: a number and a date. "Finish a 10 km race in under 60 minutes by 15 March" works. "Get fit" does not.
2. Brainstorm on scrap paper first. List every area that would help the goal happen. You will have more than 8.
3. Choose 8 pillars. Merge overlaps and drop the weakest until 8 remain. About half should be skills and half support: sleep, money, people, habits. A good test: could each pillar be the heading of its own page? If two pillars would be the same page, merge them.
4. Write the pillars in the 8 squares around the centre. Order them by what comes first in time, or just clockwise from the top.
5. Copy each pillar into the middle of its outer block. The grid has eight 3x3 blocks around the centre block. The middle square of each is the same pillar again, so every block shows which pillar it belongs to. On the printable sheet these squares are pre-labelled "Pillar 1" to "Pillar 8".
6. Write up to 8 actions around each pillar. An action is something you could do this week, starting with a verb: "run 3 times a week", "book a coach session", "cook on Sunday". If an action would take months, it is really a pillar; if it is a wish ("be more disciplined"), rewrite it as something you can do.
7. Stop at 3 or 4 actions per pillar on the first pass. Leave the rest blank and add them as you learn. A half-filled chart you use beats a full one in a drawer.
8. Pick 3 actions for this week and write them somewhere you will see them. The grid is a plan; the weekly pick is what moves.

A short filled example

Core goal: Run a 10 km race in under 60 minutes by 15 March.

For three longer worked grids, see mandala chart examples. If you are planning several exams at once, mandala chart for students shows subjects as pillars.

Common mistakes

• Overlapping pillars. "Exercise" and "fitness" are one pillar. Merge them and use the spare square.
• Outcomes instead of actions. "Lose 5 kg" is a result. "Cook at home 5 nights a week" is an action.
• All skill, no support. If every pillar is technical, the chart collapses the first busy week. Add sleep, money or people.
• A centre with no finish line. If you cannot tell when the goal is done, rewrite it. The SMART goal generator helps.
• Never looking at it again. Review the chart in a short weekly review and choose the next 3 actions.

A 20-minute pacing plan

Paper or on screen?

Paper is good for a first draft: you can cross things out and see the whole grid at once. The free mandala chart tool in your browser keeps the same layout, works on a phone and lets you download the result, with no account. To track the actions afterwards, create the core goal in GoalTracker, add each pillar as a subgoal and each action as a microgoal.

Questions

How many squares do I have to fill in?

None are required. The grid allows 81 squares (1 goal, 8 pillars repeated, and 64 actions), but a useful chart often has 25 to 40 filled.

Can I change the pillars later?

Yes. If a pillar stays empty for a month, replace it. Changing a pillar is a sign that you learned something.

Is the printable PDF fillable on screen?

No. It is a flat page for printing and writing on. To type, use the online tool linked above.