Mandala Chart Examples: 3 Filled-In 9x9 Goal Grids

A mandala chart (also called a Mandalart, or the Ohtani chart) is a 9x9 grid. One core goal goes in the centre. Around it are 8 pillars, the areas that would make the goal happen. Each pillar gets its own 3x3 block with 8 actions around it. That's 1 goal, 8 pillars and up to 64 actions on one page.

The blank grid is the easy part. Filling it in is where people get stuck, so here are three worked examples you can copy. Shohei Ohtani's own chart, the one that made the format famous, is explained on the mandala chart template page, where you can also load it as a starting point.

How to read the examples

• Core goal: one result with a yes-or-no finish line.
• Pillars: 8 areas, about half skill and half support (health, habits, people, money).
• Actions: things you could do this week. If an action would take months, it's a pillar.

Example 1: Run a first marathon (full chart)

Core goal: Finish a marathon in under 4:45 at the city race next October.

1. Weekly mileage

• Run 4 days a week
• Add no more than about 10% to weekly distance
• Every 4th week, cut distance back
• Log every run the same day
• Build to 3 runs of 30+ km before race month
• Keep easy runs truly easy
• Pick a 16-week training plan
• Schedule runs in the calendar on Sunday

2. Long run

• One long run every weekend
• Practise race-day breakfast before long runs
• Run the last part of some long runs at goal pace
• Walk breaks planned, not improvised
• Carry water on anything over 90 minutes
• Try the race course section by section
• Rest the day after
• Note how each long run felt

3. Fuel

• Test 3 gels or snacks in training
• Eat within an hour after long runs
• Drink water through the day
• Write a race-day fuelling plan
• No new food on race day
• Cut back on late-night snacks
• Plan meals before long runs
• Keep a race-week menu

4. Strength

• 2 short strength sessions a week
• Squats and lunges
• Calf raises
• Core work 10 minutes
• Hip and glute exercises
• Stretch after runs
• One mobility session a week
• Keep a simple routine card

5. Recovery

• 7.5+ hours of sleep
• One full rest day a week
• Easy walk on rest days
• Foam roll twice a week
• Replace shoes at the mileage you set
• Stop and rest a sore spot early
• Book a check-up if pain lasts a week
• Lighter weeks when life is busy

6. Gear

• Get fitted for shoes
• Two pairs to rotate
• Test race-day clothes on a long run
• Anti-chafe plan
• Running watch or app set up
• Rain and cold kit ready
• Race bib pickup booked
• Pack list written a week before

7. Mindset

• Write why I'm running it
• Pick a race-day mantra
• Split the race into 4 parts in my head
• Visualise the last 10 km
• Accept one bad run a week
• Read one race report a month
• Plan what to do if I hit the wall
• Celebrate each long run

8. Support

• Tell family the training schedule
• Find a running buddy for long runs
• Join a local group run once a month
• Ask someone to be at the finish
• Swap chores on long-run mornings
• Share progress with one friend weekly
• Thank the people who helped
• Register early so it's real

Notice the pattern: only the first two pillars are about running itself. The rest is sleep, food, gear and people, which is where most first marathons go wrong.

Example 2: Change career into UX design

Core goal: Get a paid UX design role by June 30.

The "Money & time" pillar is the one people skip. Without it, the other seven quietly shrink when work gets busy.

Example 3: Start a side business

Core goal: Reach 20 paying customers for a weekend baking business by December.

Common mistakes in mandala charts

• A vague centre. "Be healthier" can't be finished. Use a number and a date, or run it through the SMART goal generator first.
• Eight skill pillars. If every pillar is technical, add support pillars: sleep, money, people, habits. Ohtani gave three of his 8 pillars to character, luck and mental strength.
• Actions that are really pillars. "Get fit" is a pillar. "2 strength sessions a week" is an action.
• Filling all 64 cells on day one. Start with 3 or 4 actions per pillar and add more as you learn. An unfinished chart you use beats a full one in a drawer.
• Never looking at it again. The grid is a plan, not a tracker. Pick this week's actions from it in a short weekly review.

From chart to daily progress

A mandala chart is the same shape as a goal tree: a goal, the parts it breaks into, and the steps under each part. In the mandala chart template, the GoalTracker download turns each pillar into a subgoal and each action into a checkable microgoal. Import that file in GoalTracker and tick actions off as you do them. It's free, needs no account, and your goals stay in your browser.

Repeating actions, like "run 4 days a week" or "7.5+ hours of sleep", work better as daily habits. Put two or three of them in a 30-day habit tracker instead of the chart.

If you're not sure what the core goal should be, start with the method in how to break down a big goal into subgoals, or browse these bucket list ideas for a goal worth a full grid.