Blank dream list template PDF, US Letter

A blank one-page dream list to fill in by hand: eight life areas, and for each a dream, why it matters, a rough when, and the smallest first step with the date you did it. Nothing to sign up for.

Read the dream list guide

Download the PDF (US Letter)

One page, 8.5 × 11 in (215.9 × 279.4 mm). Need the other size? Dream list PDF, A4.

Quick answer: download the US Letter file, print one page at 100% (Actual size) on US Letter paper, and fill it in with a pen. It is free, needs no account, and you may reuse it with credit to goaltracker.online.

Preview of the blank dream list PDF on US Letter paper

What is on the sheet

Lines for your name and the date you started.
One line of instructions.
Eight blocks, one per life area, named on the sheet: Travel and places, Skills and learning, Health and body, Work and career, Money and home, People and relationships, Creative and fun, and Giving back.
Each block has a line for the dream, a line for why it matters to me, three tick boxes for when (this year, 1-3 years, someday), a line for the smallest first step and a short “Done on” line for its date.
A small credit line at the bottom. There is no logo or colour on the sheet.

On Letter the dream lines run the full 7.4 in width, with about a fifth of an inch of writing height each: a short phrase in normal handwriting. The other lines are narrower, so keep them to a few words.

How to print it on US Letter paper

US Letter is 8.5 × 11 in (215.9 × 279.4 mm), the standard paper size in the United States and Canada, and common in Mexico and the Philippines. The file is one portrait page with 14 mm margins, which leaves a printable area 7.4 in wide.

Open the PDF and choose Print.
Set the paper size to Letter and the scale to 100% (some print dialogs call it “Actual size”). “Fit to page” also works, but shrinks the sheet slightly.
Print in portrait. The sheet is black and white, so a mono printer or the grayscale setting is enough.

For a half-letter planner (5.5 × 8.5 in), print it at 64%. Half letter is a little taller in proportion than Letter, so the sheet fits the width and leaves a blank strip at the bottom.

If your printer holds A4 paper, use the A4 file instead. A Letter page printed on A4 paper is either scaled down or loses a strip at the side, because A4 is 6 mm narrower. Get the A4 version.

How to fill it in

Write your name and the date you started.
Write one dream per area, specific enough to picture: “a month in Japan”, not “travel”. Leave an area empty if nothing comes to mind; you can come back to it.
Add a short reason under “Why it matters to me”. If you cannot write one, the dream may belong on someone else’s list.
Tick when you would like it: this year, in one to three years, or someday. Exact dates come later, when a dream becomes a goal.
Write the smallest first step, something you could do in under an hour this week, like looking up a price or sending one message. Write the date in “Done on” when you have done it.

Paper or screen

The dream list guide has the same six columns as a table you can copy and as a CSV spreadsheet to download, plus a filled-in example, prompts for each life area and a short routine for turning one dream into a goal. Read the dream list guide.

To check steps off day by day and keep a streak, use the free goal tracker: no account, and your goals stay on your device.

Questions

Can I type into the PDF?

No. The file is a flat page for printing and writing on, not a fillable form. To type instead, copy the table or download the dream list as a CSV spreadsheet from the guide, which opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice.

Do I have to fill in all eight areas?

No. Only the dream line matters on the first pass. An area you leave empty tells you something too: it may be a part of life you are not ready to plan, or one you have neglected.

How is a dream list different from a bucket list?

A dream list is wider. It holds bucket list items, long-term wishes and changes to everyday life, with no deadline yet. A bucket list is mostly one-off experiences. If you want a form sorted into experience categories, use the blank bucket list PDF.

Should I print the A4 or the US Letter version?

Use the file that matches the paper in your printer. A4 (210 × 297 mm) is the standard paper size in most countries outside North America; US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) is the standard paper size in the United States and Canada, and common in Mexico and the Philippines. Both files have the same layout, and either prints at 100% without anything cut off on its own paper.

Is the dream list PDF free to print and share?

Yes. There is no account, email or payment. You may print as many copies as you like and share or adapt the sheet, in a classroom or workshop too, under the CC BY 4.0 licence, as long as you credit goaltracker.online. The credit line is already printed on the sheet.

Reuse

Free to copy, share and adapt, including in a classroom, a workshop or a newsletter, as long as you credit goaltracker.online. The licence is CC BY 4.0, and the credit line is already printed at the foot of the sheet.