marjy guery

#015: How to use the 12 Week Year for content planning

12 Week Year for creators using google docs

Available on Substack, Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

Notes

In this video, I share how creators can finally stick to their content goals using the 12 Week Year without burning out, losing motivation, or quitting halfway through.

If you’ve ever tried this system before but ended up burned out, inconsistent, or just tired of pushing through with guilt and discipline alone, this one’s for you.

Mentioned

Transcript

Watch this on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2KrfuKIYCEo

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase using one of my links. Thanks for your support!

12 Week Year for Creators

If you tried the 12-week year plan as a creator before but you burned out, forgot about it, or quit halfway, here’s how to actually follow through on your content goals without burning out. Especially if you’re trying to stay consistent but struggling to stick to the plan.

Most creators get stuck by doing all the things or setting goals they can’t control. So here’s how to plan your next 12 weeks as a creator using this system.

I’ll also show you how to set up your own plan in Google Docs in under five minutes so you can get started today.

Quick recap of the 12-Week Year

If this is your 14th video on how to plan your 12 weeks, then you know what this book is about. If you’re new, here’s the TL;DR version of The 12 Week Year:

  • Stop thinking in 12-month goals. Treat every 12 weeks like a full year.
  • Set 1–3 achievable goals for a 12-week period.
  • Reverse engineer your goal into weekly actions and deadlines.
  • Break it down further into daily actions.
  • Track your progress in a journal or spreadsheet.
  • At the end of the cycle, celebrate your wins.

The book focuses on:

  • Goals: the outcome you want to achieve.
  • Strategies: how you approach the goal.
  • Tactics: what you’ll do every week and every day.

Using the 12-Week Year for YouTube creators

Your first step is to pick a core goal. For example: six long-form videos in 12 weeks.

Break it down:

  • Two-week sprints:
    • Week 1: Brainstorm, script, record.
    • Week 2: Edit, publish, promote.
  • Track your progress as you go.
  • Week 13: Review, recharge, reset, and plan your next cycle.

Reflect on what worked well, what didn’t, and what you learned about the process and about yourself. For example, maybe you don’t enjoy making shorts or long videos.

Tweak your next cycle’s goals accordingly. Celebrate your wins and treat yourself.

Why most people quit (and how to fix it)

Most people don’t quit because of the plan; they quit because they rely on discipline and guilt to get through it.

That’s where Feel-Good Productivity comes in!

The 3 Core Ideas of Feel-Good Productivity

  • Energy: Do what energizes you and recharge regularly.
  • Play: Make it fun. Gamify or experiment.
  • Meaning: Connect your actions to your “why.”

Feel-Good reminders for your 12-Week Year

Make it fun + doable

Turn goals into games, challenges, or creative play. Use NICE goals:

  • Near-term
  • Input-based
  • Controllable
  • Energizing

Focus on the Present

Don’t obsess over the end result. Focus on what you can do now.

Know Your Why

Use the five whys technique to dig deep into your motivation.

Plan the What and the When

Be specific: “I will do [task] at [time] in [location].”

Track and Adjust

Use visual trackers such as a calendar, journal, checklist, Google Sheets, or Notion.

Log small wins daily and review weekly.

And remember: You can start your 12-week plan at any time. It doesn’t have to be at the start of a quarter.

Shift Your Mindset

Say “I get to” or “I choose to,” instead of “I have to.” Example: “I get to create videos for [your audience].”

Teach What You Learn

The “protégé effect” helps you retain information. So share takeaways in your videos or posts.

Help Others and Collaborate

Helping others fuels productivity. Tip from Ty Myers is to ask yourself: “Who can I help this week, and what problem can I solve for them?”

Focus on helping others, not vanity metrics.

Use the Comrade Mindset

Stay accountable and energized by connecting with others through body doubling or co-working (e.g., Pomodoro sessions). (Example: Hayley Honeyman)

Remove + add friction

  • Remove friction: Set your workspace, have everything visible and ready, use cues, add inspiration like mood boards or quotes. Try strength affirmations or I AM Mantra for daily affirmations.
  • Add friction: Make distractions harder to access. Log out or delete distracting apps (like YouTube Studio).

Say no to anything that’s not a “hell yes”, including video ideas.

Give Yourself Grace + Hobbies

If you get off track, use the REIT-off method to rest and reset without guilt.

Schedule breaks or try CALM activities:

  • Competence: You feel good doing it.
  • Autonomy: You control it.
  • Liberty: No pressure.
  • Mellow: Low stakes.

Examples of CALM activities are drawing, knitting, puzzles, and learning a language.

Make NICE goals

You don’t have to use every single strategy here. But at least make it fun, reduce friction, and track your progress. But importantly, focus on NICE goals.

This is key for showing up consistently:

  • Near-term: Focus on weekly sprints.
  • Input-based: Small, achievable steps.
  • Controllable: Actions you have full control over.
  • Energizing: Do what lights you up.

For example, instead of “I will reach 1,000 subscribers in 3 months,” a NICE goal would be “I will upload one video per week for the next 4 weeks on topics I enjoy.”

  • Near-term: 4-week window
  • Input-based: Creating videos (not chasing views/subs)
  • Controlled: You control what and when you upload
  • Energizing: Should feel creative and fulfilling, not a grind

Tools to Plan Your 12-Week Year

Choose whatever suits your style:

Set up a content plan in Google Docs

Copy the template here: 12 Week Year Content Planner

  1. Go to File > Page Setup and select “pageless.”
  2. Insert a Simple Decision Log from Insert > Building Blocks > Meetings.
  3. Change “Topic” to “Tactic,” and “Decision” to “Due Date.”
  4. Edit status options to “Not started,” “In progress,” and “Complete.”
  5. Duplicate the table for each goal.

Track your goals like this:

  • Goal: Publish six videos in 12 weeks.
  • Strategies:
    • Script and record one week in advance.
    • Promote on Pinterest and Instagram.
    • Repurpose for blog/newsletter.
  • Tactics:
    • Choose six topics based on search and analytics.
    • Add due dates and update status.

You can also add tabs for a Content Launch Tracker.

Customizing your planner

Add sections for:

  • Affirmations
  • Mantras
  • Quotes
  • Feel-Good Productivity reminders

Use dropdowns to track your stage (Plan, Record, Edit, Publish, Promote). Pin headers so they stick while you scroll.

Other Planner Options

  • Rocketbook Panda Planner: A physical planner with a 12-week format.
  • Notion: Pre-built templates.
  • Pen and Paper: Amy Landino’s video shows how to set it up.
  • Google Sheets: Track categories, daily and weekly habits, YouTube planner.

Need help picking a goal?

If you’re thinking, ‘this all looks great, but I don’t even know what goals to set yet’ go to the Notes tab in the template. I added a prompt you can fill out.

Once you’re done, paste it into ChatGPT or Gemini to generate a plan, then you can tweak it from there. You can also copy the example below and tweak it:

  • Week
  • Weekly focus
  • Video plan
  • Strategies and tactics
  • Notes
  • Daily tracker
  • Your “why”
  • Potential blockers + fixes
  • Creative time investments
  • Affirmations

Wrap-up

If you want help scripting faster, batching content, or coming up with content ideas so you never run out of things to say, check out the playlist here.

About

Hi, I’m Marjy! Content Producer + Editor for creators and educators. If you’re enjoying this post, here are other ways you can connect with me:

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