Mandalart Chart: Write Your Goal on Paper, Ohtani Style

A Mandalart chart is a 9×9 grid that puts one goal in the center, eight areas around it, and eight actions under each area, all on a single page. Writing your goal on paper this way turns a vague dream into a list of things you can actually do. Baseball star Shohei Ohtani is widely reported to have drawn one as a high school student.

Here is what a Mandalart chart is, how Ohtani used his, and how to draw your own in about 30 minutes.

What a Mandalart chart is

The method was devised in Japan by the designer Yasuo Matsumura. It is a grid of 81 squares built from nine small 3×3 blocks:

Part	How many squares	What goes there
Center	1	Your one big goal
First ring	8	The eight areas that make the goal happen
Outer blocks	64	Eight concrete actions for each of the eight areas

Each of the eight areas is written twice: once in the first ring, and once in the center of its own block, so the chart connects from the goal down to daily actions.

How Ohtani used his

As widely reported, Ohtani made his chart in high school, with the guidance of his baseball coach. His center goal was to be the top draft pick of eight professional teams. Around it he wrote eight areas. Reports usually list them as body, control, sharpness, speed (a 160 km/h fastball), breaking balls, luck, character and mental strength.

The part people remember is that not everything on the chart was a baseball skill. Under "luck", for example, the reported actions were everyday habits such as greeting people, picking up trash, tidying his room and treating umpires with respect. He turned something you can't control into things you can do every day.

He later reached 160 km/h in high school and was picked in the first round of the Japanese pro draft. A piece of paper didn't do that, of course. But it made the work visible and gave each day a purpose.

Why writing it on one page helps

• It forces you to be specific. "Get fitter" can't be written in a square. "Sleep 8 hours" can.
• Empty squares show what you haven't thought about. Gaps are information.
• One page is a limit. You can't list 200 goals, so you have to choose.
• You see the whole plan at once. The big goal and today's small action are on the same sheet.

Draw your own in 30 minutes

1. Write one goal in the center. Keep it concrete and something you could tell whether you reached. If you have several, pick one with this scoring method.
2. Fill the eight squares around it with the areas that would make that goal happen. Ask: "What would have to be true?"
3. Copy each area to the center of its own block. Now each has eight empty squares around it.
4. Fill each block with up to eight actions. Write a verb and an object ("Walk 20 minutes", "Write one page"), not a wish.
5. Check every action. Can you start it this week? Does it depend only on you? If not, rewrite it.

Don't try to finish all 64 on day one. Fill what you know, leave the rest blank and come back to it.

Areas around my goal (one per block):
1. ______   2. ______   3. ______   4. ______
5. ______   6. ______   7. ______   8. ______

For each area, 8 actions:
- verb + object, doable this week, in my control

From the chart to a 40 day challenge

A full chart is a map. A 40 day challenge is one trip on it. Pick one area, turn one or two of its actions into a daily action, and run it for 40 days.

On the chart	In your challenge
Center goal	Why you are doing this
One area (of 8)	The theme of your 40 days
One or two actions	Your daily action
The other 7 areas	Next challenges

Review the chart once a week with a weekly review, cross off what became a habit, and rewrite what didn't work. If the daily action is too big on a hard day, use your minimum version.

Mistakes to avoid

• A vague center. "Be happy" can't be broken into eight areas. "Run a half marathon in May" can.
• Wishes instead of actions. "Be more confident" is not an action.
• Actions that depend on other people. Write what you control.
• Doing everything at once. A chart is a menu, not a to-do list.
• Never looking at it again. Stick it somewhere you'll see it, and update it.

For a step-by-step version of breaking a goal down, see how to break a big life goal into small daily actions.

WholeLifeLog turns the part of your chart you choose into 40 days of small daily actions you can plan, track and reflect on, even offline.

FAQ

Do I need to fill in all 64 squares?

No. Many people fill only some of the squares at first. Fill the ones you are sure about and add more as you learn what the goal needs.

Should I draw it by hand or digitally?

Either works. Drawing by hand slows you down enough to think, and a chart on your wall is hard to ignore. A digital copy is easier to edit. If you can't decide, see paper journal vs app.

Is a Mandalart chart only for athletes?

No. The same structure works for studying, work, money or health: one goal, eight areas, eight actions each. What matters is that the actions are specific and in your control.