6 Surprisingly Fun and Easy Steps to Planning the Next 10 Years of Your Life

A practical, fun guide for planning the next 10 years of your life.

Let’s get one thing straight: You do not need a 45-tab spreadsheet, a TED Talk-worthy vision board, or a spiritual awakening on a solo trip to Bali to plan the next 10 years of your life. 

But hey, if that’s your thing… do you. 

For the rest of us who are just trying to figure out where we’re going (and where the heck we put our to-do list from last week), this post is for you. Grab a cozy drink, open your notes app or your favorite cute planner, and let’s break this down. Without pressure, without the panic, and with a lot more purpose than you think.

First Things First: Why Even Plan 10 Years Ahead? 

Look, you don’t have to map out every detail (no one’s asking what you’ll eat for lunch in July 2034).

But having a direction? A vibe? A north star? That helps you make decisions today with way less second-guessing. 

Think of it like this: If your life was a road trip, this is you choosing the city. You don’t need every bathroom stop mapped out. Just a sense of which freeway to take.

Step 1: Create a Vision (Without Making It Weird)

Let’s ditch the question “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” because that sounds like a job interview. 

Instead, try this: 

Before you list goals or stress about timelines, take a moment to imagine your ideal life 10 years from now. 

Instead of the classic job-interview question ("Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"), ask: 

• What kind of life do I want to wake up to?

• How do I want to feel each day?

• What kind of people, places, and experiences surround me?

• What do I do for joy, money, or meaning?

Now that you’ve reflected on the big-picture vibes of your future, it’s time to bring them to life... visually or in writing. 

You can journal it out in a cozy notebook or create a mini vision board to make it feel more tangible (and fun). 

✨ I recommend you Try This: 

🛒 Vision Board Clip Set + Aesthetic Planner Stickers – This set is perfect for building a simple, low-effort vision board on your wall, corkboard, or inside your planner. 

It’s basically adult arts and crafts, and yes, it’s as satisfying as it sounds. Don’t overthink it. You’re not committing to one outcome. You’re just collecting clues about what feels right.

Step 2: Pick Your Life Buckets 

Trying to plan everything is a guaranteed recipe for burnout. Let’s simplify. 

Choose 4–6 major areas of life to focus your 10-year vision around. These are your life buckets, think of them as categories where growth happens.

Examples of Life Buckets: 

• Career or Business

• Finances

• Relationships (family, partner, friends)

• Health & Wellness

• Home + Lifestyle

• Travel + Adventure

• Creativity or Passion Projects

• Mental Health or Spirituality

Pick the ones that matter most to you (you can always adjust later as your priorities shift).

Having a planner that helps you break your life into categories and track your progress over time will make a huge difference. 

One of my favorites (and one I think you’ll love too) is a 🛒 life planner with built-in sections for organizing goals, habits, and big-picture dreams all in one spot. It keeps everything feeling clear and organized. 

Step 3: Break the Decade into Eras, Not Just Goals 

Rather than treating the decade like one giant goal list, break it into eras or phases. Think: chapters in your personal Netflix series. This gives your life room to evolve without you feeling like a failure for not achieving a 10-year goal by Year 2.

 Example: 

• 2025–2027:The Foundation Era – Focus on savings, learning new skills, establishing habits.

• 2028–2031:The Expansion Era – Start your business, travel more, level up your lifestyle.

• 2032–2035:The Freedom Era – Scale back hustle, focus on health, family, passion projects.

Give each phase a theme that resonates with you, something that captures the energy or focus of that era. Feel free to get creative: add sticky notes, doodles, or even emojis to make it truly personal and fun to look at. If you’re a visual thinker like me, I highly recommend using 🛒reusable dry erase sticky sheets on your wall. 

They’re perfect for mapping out your “life eras” because you can easily move things around as your plans evolve. Trust me, having this kind of flexible, hands-on tool makes the whole process way more engaging, and a lot less intimidating.

🛒 These are great too! Super Sticky Dry Erase Sheets – These go on your wall like giant sticky notes you can reuse. They’re AMAZING for visual thinkers mapping out their “life eras.”

Step 4: Work Backward (Like a Time-Traveling Boss) 

Once you have your future vibe and rough phases, start working backward. 

Ask: 

• What do I need to learn to get there?

• What habits will support that version of me?

• What decisions today can set up wins for later?

Let’s say your 10-year vision includes owning a cozy home with a big garden. Cool, maybe your first steps are: 

• Start a high-yield savings account

• Learn basic gardening

• Improve your credit score

• Research housing markets in areas you love

Tip: Don’t try to tackle everything all at once. Instead, slot your tasks into the right phase — that’s exactly why breaking your decade into eras makes planning manageable and motivating.

If you want to track your progress in a simple, meaningful way, I love this minimalist 🛒10-Year Journal. 

Writing just one line a day lets you capture those small daily wins that, over time, add up to big, lasting change. It’s a powerful way to stay connected to your journey without feeling overwhelmed. Definitely worth checking out! 

Step 5: Create a Loose Timeline (With Room to Breathe)

Now take your ideas and drop them into a flexible 10-year map. Not every month. Not every week. Just rough milestones like: 

• Year 1: Get certified in XYZ

• Year 3: Launch your side hustle

• Year 5: Pay off student loans

• Year 6: Take a month-long solo trip

• Year 8: Buy your first investment property

• Year 10: Shift to part-time, focus on writing/art/family/etc.

Give yourself plenty of room to breathe. Think of this as painting the big brushstrokes of your life plan without getting caught up in the tiny details. 

For a tool that helps you visualize your long-term goals while staying flexible, grab yourself an 🛒undated dry erase wall calendar. 

It’s perfect for mapping out your 10-year vision and easily adjusting your plan as life changes without ever having to toss the whole thing out. Once you try it, you’ll wonder how you managed without it!

Step 6: Let Go of the Myth of “Perfect Planning” 

Here’s the truth: You’re not going to follow this plan exactly. Life will happen. You’ll change, evolve, shift directions. And that’s good. You’re not a robot following a script. You’re a person designing a life worth living. 

The point of this isn’t perfection. It’s intention. You’ll revisit, revise, and realign over time. But having a rough map means you’re less likely to end up somewhere completely random asking, “How did I get here again?”

Bonus: Make It Tangible 

The more real you make your plan feel, the more motivated you’ll be to follow through. 

Try this:

• Create a "10-Year Life Binder" with tabs for each life category

• Use cute stickers, washi tape, and highlighters to make it fun

• Print out inspiration photos, quotes, or even your Amazon wishlists

Picks You'll Love for Your Binder: 

• 🛒 Aesthetic Binder Dividers + Planner Inserts – For making your life plan look chef’s kiss organized

• 🛒 Highlighters (Pastel Colors) – Color-code your eras, life buckets, or priority tasks

• 🛒 Motivational Planner Stickers Pack – Because stickers make everything more legit. Science.

10-Year Planning in Real Life: What It Looks Like 

Let’s say you’re 25 now. By 35, here’s what a real-world vision could include: 

• Career: Shift from corporate to freelance marketing with a flexible schedule

• Finances: Pay off $40K in debt, save for a home, build a $100K investment portfolio

• Lifestyle: Live in a cozy house with a garden and a dog

• Health: Be strong, energetic, and consistently active

• Travel: Take one international trip per year

• Passion: Start a blog or podcast to inspire other women

That’s not unrealistic, that’s intentional. That’s what this process creates.

Your 10-Year Planning Checklist: 

✅ Reflect on how you want your life to feel

✅ Pick 4–6 life categories (your “buckets”)

✅ Break the decade into phases or “eras”

✅ Work backward to figure out what habits or skills you’ll need

✅ Create a loose timeline (no pressure, just direction)

✅ Use fun tools to visualize and stay inspired

✅ Revisit your plan once a year (or when life changes)

And remember, it may feel daunting now, but your future self will thank you.

Planning the next 10 years doesn’t mean controlling every detail. It means giving yourself the space to grow...on purpose. Your life won’t unfold exactly like the plan… but you’ll be amazed at how much you actually do create when you plan with purpose and a little playfulness. 

So go ahead: Grab that cute planner. Fill up your dry-erase wall. Dream a little louder. Future You is already proud.

If this helped you start dreaming big (without freaking out), drop a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

AND... don’t forget to stick around and learn how to plan the next 5 years of your life (spoiler: it’s even more fun and a little less scary). 

Up next in the series:

👉 5-Year Goal Planning Guide: Practical Steps to Stay Focused and Thrive