Life Coaching Worksheets: Free Template and Guide for 2026

These life coaching worksheets are a set of six short, copyable pages you can send a client this week: a values sort, a 90-day goal sheet, an obstacles plan, a strengths inventory, an energy audit and a weekly reflection. Each one has numbered prompts written for life coaching clients, [bracketed] fill-ins for your own details, and a note on when to send it. Use the whole set as a first-month onboarding pack, or pull one page when a session stalls.

The template works as a Word file or a Google Doc. If you run your practice in Coachful, each worksheet becomes a form the client completes inside your branded app, and the answers land on the client record next to their goals, check-ins, session notes and signed agreement. We make Coachful, so this guide shows that setup in detail, and it also compares the other ways to send and store worksheets honestly.

Below you will find a checklist of what a complete worksheet set contains, the full template, a section-by-section table, what life coaches need to add for scope and privacy, a filled example for a fictional client, a Coachful walkthrough with screens, a comparison of delivery options, common mistakes and an FAQ.

What should a complete set of life coaching worksheets contain?

A complete set covers where the client is now, where they want to go, what usually stops them, what they already do well and how the week actually went. If one of those five is missing, sessions tend to drift toward whichever topic the client brings that day.

Use this checklist before you send anything. It works for the template below and for any worksheet pack you build yourself.

If you only need one page, two deeper guides already exist: the wheel of life coaching exercise covers the life-balance snapshot step by step, and how to create coaching worksheets clients fill in explains design choices such as length and question order. This article does not repeat them; the set below is built to sit alongside a wheel of life rather than replace it.

The free life coaching worksheets template (copy and adapt)

Copy everything from the header block down. Replace the [bracketed] parts, delete prompts that do not fit your method, and keep each worksheet to one screen or one printed page where you can.

Header block (paste at the top of every worksheet)

• Client name: [Client name]   Date: [Date]   Coach: [Your name]
• Why you are doing this: This page helps us use our next session on what matters most to you. It takes about [10 to 15] minutes. There are no right answers, and short notes are fine.
• Please return by: [Day], [time], so I can read it before our session on [session date].
• Privacy: Your answers are stored in [where you store them] and seen only by me[, and by [named colleague] if you agree]. You can ask for a copy or ask me to delete them at any time.
• Scope: Coaching is not therapy, counselling or medical care. If anything here brings up distress you cannot manage, contact your doctor or a mental health professional. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call your local emergency number [or 988 in the US] now.

Worksheet 1: Values in real life

When to send: before session 1 or 2. Purpose: find the three values the client wants to live by and see how far this month's calendar is from them.

1. From this list, circle up to ten words that feel important to you. Add your own if something is missing: [adventure, belonging, calm, contribution, courage, creativity, faith, family, freedom, growth, health, honesty, independence, joy, learning, loyalty, play, recognition, security, simplicity, wealth, [add your own]].
2. Cross out words until three are left. Which three would you keep if you had to explain your next five years to someone you trust?
3. For each of your three values, describe a moment in the last year when you lived it fully. Where were you, and what were you doing?
4. Rate from 0 to 10 how much of your typical week reflects each value right now. Value 1: [ ] Value 2: [ ] Value 3: [ ]
5. Look at the lowest score. What takes up the time that this value would otherwise get?
6. Name one small action in the next seven days that would raise that score by one point.
7. Is there a value you feel you should hold but do not actually feel? Write it down here so we can talk about where it came from.

Coach note (not shown to client): [Gaps worth exploring; words the client lingered on; any value they borrowed from a parent, partner or employer.]

Worksheet 2: Your 90-day goal

When to send: after the values page, before the session where you agree the coaching focus. Purpose: turn a wish into a goal the client wrote in their own words.

1. In one sentence, what do you want to be different in your life by [date 90 days from now]?
2. Which of your three values does this goal serve? If it serves none of them, why does it still matter to you?
3. How will you know it is happening? List three things you or someone close to you would notice.
4. Where are you now, from 0 to 10, and where would a realistic 90-day result put you? Now: [ ] Target: [ ]
5. What is the first visible step you can take within 72 hours of our next session?
6. What will you need to say no to, or do less of, to make room for this goal?
7. Who in your life will be pleased if you reach this goal, and who might find it uncomfortable?
8. What would make you decide to change or drop this goal? Write the rule now, while you are calm.

Coach note: [Is the goal inside the client's control? Does it pass a quick check against the SMART criteria without losing the client's own language?]

Worksheet 3: Obstacles and if/then plans

When to send: week 2 or 3, once the goal is agreed. Purpose: name what has stopped the client before and plan a response in advance.

1. Think about the last time you tried something like this goal. What got in the way? List up to five things.
2. Mark each obstacle as inside me (habits, thoughts, energy) or around me (people, money, time, place).
3. Choose the two obstacles most likely to show up in the next month.
4. For each, finish this sentence: If [obstacle] happens, then I will [specific response].
5. What is the thought you usually have just before you give up? Write it word for word.
6. What would you say to a close friend who had that same thought?
7. Who could you ask for help with one of these obstacles, and what exactly would you ask for?

Coach note: [Recurring obstacles that may be structural rather than personal; anything that sounds like a mental health concern rather than a coaching topic.]

Worksheet 4: Strengths with evidence

When to send: any time confidence drops, or around week 4. Purpose: build a list of strengths backed by real events the client can reread.

1. List three things you have done in the last five years that you are proud of, at work, at home or anywhere else.
2. For each, what did you personally do that made it work? Use verbs: organised, listened, persuaded, kept going, learned.
3. What do people regularly ask you for help with?
4. What kind of task makes you lose track of time in a good way?
5. Ask two people you trust: "What do you think I am good at?" Write their answers here, even if you disagree. Person 1: [ ] Person 2: [ ]
6. Which one strength could you use more deliberately on your 90-day goal this week? How?

Coach note: [Strengths the client dismisses; patterns between their proud moments and their values.]

Worksheet 5: Weekly energy audit

When to send: when the client says they have no time, or alongside the obstacles page. Purpose: see where energy goes in a normal week, not an ideal one.

1. List the main activities in a typical week (work blocks, commuting, caring for others, exercise, screens, social time, chores, rest).
2. Next to each, mark + if it usually gives you energy, - if it drains you, and 0 if it is neutral.
3. Roughly how many hours a week go to the activities marked with a minus?
4. Which minus activity could you shorten, delegate, batch or stop, even by 30 minutes?
5. Which plus activity have you been skipping lately? What happened to it?
6. On a scale of 0 to 10, how rested do you feel on a typical Monday morning? [ ]
7. If you had two free hours next week that nobody knew about, what would you do with them?

Coach note: [Signs of burnout, poor sleep or caregiving load that need a referral or a slower plan.]

Worksheet 6: Weekly reflection (repeat every week)

When to send: every [Friday or Sunday] for the length of the program. Purpose: a short, identical check so you can compare weeks and open each session with real data.

1. What went well this week, even if it was small?
2. What did you do toward your 90-day goal? Tick or list: [first action from Worksheet 2] [ ] [other step] [ ]
3. What got in the way, and did your if/then plan help?
4. Rate this week from 0 to 10 for: energy [ ], mood [ ], progress on your goal [ ].
5. What is one thing you want to talk about in our next session?

Coach note: [Trend across the last three reflections; one question to open the next session with.]

Why does each worksheet matter, and what should you watch for?

Each page earns its place by giving you something you cannot get in a 50-minute call: time for the client to think before you meet. The table below shows the job each one does and the warning signs to look for when you read the answers.

Clients often write more honestly on a worksheet than they speak in session. That is useful, and it also means you will sometimes read something that needs a careful response before the next call rather than during it.

What must life coaches add before sending worksheets?

Life coaches need to add four things the template cannot decide for you: a scope of practice line in their own words, a safety and referral plan, a privacy statement that matches where answers are stored, and a check against local law. These are short, but they protect you and the client.

Scope of practice

Life coaching is not regulated as a health profession in most places, which is exactly why you should be clear about what it is not. The ICF Code of Ethics asks coaches to be honest about the nature of coaching and to recognise when a client would be better served by another professional. The header block includes a scope line; rewrite it in your voice and make sure it also appears in your coaching agreement. If you work with clients on stress or worry, our guide to whether a life coach can help with anxiety sets out where coaching ends.

Safety and referral

Decide before you send the first worksheet what you will do if an answer mentions self-harm, abuse, an eating disorder, heavy substance use or a medical symptom. A simple plan:

• Read worksheets within [24] hours of receiving them, not five minutes before the session.
• If an answer suggests risk, contact the client directly that day and share crisis resources. In the US, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text; elsewhere, list your country's emergency number and a local helpline.
• Keep a short list of therapists, counsellors and doctors you can refer to, and say in your agreement that you may pause coaching and recommend clinical support.
• Write down what you noticed and what you did, in plain factual language.

Sensitive data

Values, obstacles and energy answers can include health, relationship, religious and financial details. In the EU and UK, some of that is special category data under data protection law; the European Commission's data protection pages and the GDPR overview on Wikipedia explain the basics. Wherever you are, ask only what you will use, say where answers are stored, and do not keep them forever. Coachful is not HIPAA-certified and is not built for clinical records; if you also work as a licensed therapist, keep clinical notes in a clinical system.

Local law and your agreement

Rules on record keeping, minors and consent vary by country and state. If you coach teenagers, get a parent or guardian's consent and decide in advance what you will and will not share with them; the teen life coaching business guide covers this in more depth. Faith-based coaches may want to add a values word list that reflects their tradition, as discussed in the Christian life coaching business guide.

What does a filled worksheet look like? (example)

Here is a fictional example to show the level of detail to expect. Maya is not a real client; her answers are invented to illustrate the template. She is 38, works in hospital administration, has two children and came to coaching saying she felt "busy but stuck".

Example only. Worksheet 1 (Values), Maya, fictional client.

Q2. Three values: Creativity, family, health.

Q3. A moment I lived them: Painting the kids' bedroom mural last summer. I was tired but I didn't check my phone for four hours.

Q4. Weekly scores: Creativity 2, family 6, health 4.

Q5. What takes the creativity time: Answering work messages in the evening, and scrolling once the kids are in bed.

Q6. One small action: Sketch for 20 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday after bedtime, phone in the kitchen.

Q7. A value I feel I should hold: Ambition. My dad always talked about getting promoted. I'm not sure I want that.

Example only. Worksheet 2 (90-day goal), Maya, fictional client.

Q1. What will be different by 31 January: I will have a regular creative practice and a small portfolio I am willing to show people.

Q3. How I will know: I will have finished six pieces; my partner will stop asking when I last painted; I will feel less resentful on weeknights.

Q4. Now and target: Now 2, target 6.

Q5. First step within 72 hours: Clear the corner of the spare room and set up the easel.

Q6. What I will do less of: Work email after 7pm. I'll tell my manager I check messages at 8am instead.

Q8. When I would change the goal: If I'm painting but dreading it for three weeks running.

Example only. Worksheet 6 (Weekly reflection, week 3), Maya, fictional client.

Q1. Went well: Painted twice. Kept my phone in the kitchen both nights.

Q2. Steps: Easel set up [ticked]. Sketching Tuesday [ticked], Thursday [missed].

Q3. What got in the way: Thursday a work crisis. My if/then said "paint for ten minutes anyway" and I didn't.

Q4. Scores: Energy 5, mood 6, progress 5.

Q5. Next session: Why do I drop things the moment work gets loud?

What the coach would note: the borrowed value of ambition (worth a whole session), a goal that is inside Maya's control, and an obstacle pattern around work spill-over. The reflection gives a natural opening question for session four without the coach having to guess.

How do you set up these worksheets in Coachful?

In Coachful, worksheets live in your resources as forms, and you place them at points in the client journey: intake questions when a client books, a signed agreement before the first call, worksheets and check-ins inside a program, then habits, goals and invoices on the same client record. Here is the order we recommend for this set.

Coachful is a coaching platform for coaches who deliver programs, not just sessions. One subscription covers booking, payments, contracts, programs with habits and check-ins, courses, a community, a website with funnels and email, and an AI assistant, with one login for you and one branded app for your client. It does not replace a clinical record system (it is not HIPAA-certified), it does not take PayPal, and it has no permanent free plan. You can start with a free trial (current plans: Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients; Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients; Studio: $199/month with unlimited clients).

Step 1: Ask the first questions at booking

Add two or three short intake questions to your discovery call booking page, for example "What made you look for a coach now?" and "What would make the next three months a success?". Answers arrive with the booking, so you can see on the Intakes page who is coming and what they want before the call.

Step 2: Send the agreement before the first call

Coachful sends coaching agreements with e-signature before the first session and stores them on the client record. Put the same scope line from your worksheet header into the agreement so the client reads it twice. The coaching contracts page shows how this works.

Step 3: Build each worksheet as a form

Open your resources and choose Forms & Worksheets. Create one form per worksheet, paste the prompts, and keep the coach note as a private note on the client record instead of a form field. If you would rather not do the typing, the white-glove team can build forms and worksheets for you (more on that below). For a wider set of ready-made formats, see coaching forms and questionnaires and coaching templates.

Step 4: Place worksheets in the program

Add Worksheets 1 and 2 to week 1 of your program, Worksheet 3 to week 2, and Worksheets 4 and 5 where they fit your method. The client sees the worksheet in their coaching hub next to their next session, marked as required before the call if you choose.

The short video below shows how a client journey is put together in Coachful, from welcome steps through to the program.

Step 5: Turn the weekly reflection into a check-in

Worksheet 6 works best as a recurring check-in rather than a document. Coachful's coaching flows include morning and evening check-ins and weekly flows, so the five reflection questions can arrive on the same day each week without you sending anything.

Step 6: Connect answers to goals and habits

Once the 90-day goal is agreed, add it to the client's goals with a progress bar, and turn the small actions from Worksheets 1 and 3 into daily tasks or habits. Maya's "sketch for 20 minutes" would become a habit with a streak, linked to her goal.

Step 7: Read the client record before each session

Intake answers, worksheet responses, check-ins, habits, notes, sessions and payments sit on one client record. Each client also gets a status of thriving, active, quiet or at risk, and Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, can brief you before a session from that live data. A falling weekly reflection score shows up next to the habit streak that stopped, which is usually the conversation worth having.

Step 8: Keep billing on the same record

Payments run through your own Stripe Connect or Razorpay account, with an invoice per transaction plus manual invoices, so the program a client pays for is the same one their worksheets sit in. Coachful takes a 0% platform fee; only Stripe or Razorpay processing applies.

If you later leave, a full client data export downloads as a ZIP that includes the roster, notes, check-ins, goals, habits, sessions and form responses. Our guide to managing client documents and worksheets covers retention and folder structure in more detail.

Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. From Create, choose "We'll build it for you · FREE", describe what you want, and attach up to 8 reference links and up to 10 files. You could paste this article's template, add your logo and your own values list, and ask for the six worksheets as forms plus a 12-week program to hold them. The Coachful team builds it inside your own account, usually within about 24 hours. Nothing is invented: if your agreement or credentials are missing, the gaps are left for you to fill. It does not include recording videos, logo design or ongoing marketing. Read more about the free white-glove service.

What are the ways to send and store life coaching worksheets?

The main options are a coaching platform that keeps worksheets on the client record, a PDF or Word file sent by email, Google Forms or Docs, an e-signature tool, or another coaching practice tool. The right one depends on whether you want answers in one place with everything else or just need to get a page to a client today. Vendor prices below are as listed in October 2026.

For a file you send once, a PDF or Google Doc is fine. Worksheets that repeat, connect to goals and need to be read before every session are where a platform pays off, because you stop copying answers between apps. If you are comparing full platforms, see the best coaching software for life coaches, the top coaching apps for life coaches and the Coachful for life coaches page.

What mistakes do life coaches make with worksheets?

The most common mistake is sending too much too soon. A new client who receives six worksheets on day one often completes none of them.

• Front-loading the whole set. Send one or two pages at a time, tied to the next session. The weekly reflection is the only one that should repeat.
• Not reading answers until the session. If you skim in the waiting room, you miss risk signals and waste the client's preparation. Read within a day.
• Turning worksheets into homework grades. A blank answer is information. Ask about it with curiosity rather than pointing out that it is missing.
• Generic prompts. "What are your goals?" gets a generic answer. Prompts like "What will you need to say no to?" get usable ones. If you need fresh wording, the coaching questions generator is a good starting point.
• Leaving out the scope line. Worksheets invite personal disclosure. Without a clear statement that coaching is not therapy, clients can reasonably expect clinical support you cannot give.
• Storing answers everywhere. Email attachments, a notes app and a shared drive make it hard to honour a deletion request or spot a pattern. Pick one home for client records.
• Never changing the questions. Review your set every few months. Drop prompts that clients always skip and add ones that came up in sessions.
• Copying someone else's paid worksheet. Write your own prompts or adapt free templates like this one. If you plan to sell worksheets, read the checks before selling worksheets on Etsy first.

Is this template legal, medical or financial advice?

No. These worksheets are coaching tools, not legal, medical, psychological or financial advice. They do not diagnose or treat anything, and they do not replace a coaching agreement reviewed for your country or state.

Ask a lawyer to review your agreement and privacy notice if you coach minors, work across borders, store answers outside your own country, or plan to use worksheet responses in testimonials or research. Ask a licensed clinician to review the set if you work mainly with clients in recovery, grief, trauma or chronic illness, or if you plan to add questions about mental or physical health. If you are unsure whether a topic is coaching or treatment, refer first.

Frequently asked questions about life coaching worksheets

Are these life coaching worksheets really free to use?

Yes. You can copy, edit and use the template with your own clients without asking permission. Please do not resell it unchanged as your own product.

How many worksheets should I give a new client?

One or two before each of the first few sessions is plenty. A typical pattern is values and the 90-day goal in week 1, obstacles in week 2, then the weekly reflection every week after that, with strengths and energy pages used when they fit.

Should clients complete worksheets before or during sessions?

Before, in most cases. Clients answer more thoughtfully with time, and you can read their answers in advance. The exception is a worksheet that is likely to stir up strong feelings, which can be better done together.

How long should a life coaching worksheet be?

Aim for 10 to 15 minutes of client time, which usually means five to eight prompts. The weekly reflection should take under five minutes or clients will stop doing it.

Can I use these worksheets with group coaching clients?

Yes. Send the same worksheet to the whole cohort, keep answers private to each client, and invite people to share one insight in the group if they choose. In Coachful, cohort groups are created automatically when clients enroll in a program, so worksheets and group discussion can sit in the same program.

What is the difference between a worksheet and a check-in?

A worksheet is a one-time reflection on a topic, like values or strengths. A check-in repeats on a schedule with the same questions, so you can track change. Worksheet 6 in this set is designed to become a check-in.

Where should I store completed worksheets?

In one place you control, with access limited to you and anyone the client has agreed to. A coaching platform that keeps answers on the client record is the simplest option; a single secure folder per client also works. Delete or archive them according to the retention period in your agreement.

What is Coachful's free white-glove service?

It is a build service included on every Coachful plan. You describe what you want, such as these six worksheets as forms plus a program to hold them, attach references or files, and the Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. Nothing is invented, and gaps are left for you to fill.

Do I need permission to use a client's worksheet answers in marketing?

Yes. Get the client's written consent for each specific use, remove identifying details unless they agree otherwise, and check your local data protection rules. When in doubt, do not use them.

What should I do if a worksheet answer worries me?

Contact the client that day, share crisis resources if there is any risk of harm, and recommend a doctor or mental health professional. Write a brief factual note of what you saw and did. Your agreement should already explain that you may pause coaching and refer.

If you want a place where these worksheets, your agreement, check-ins, goals and invoices all sit on one client record, you can start with a free trial and ask the team to build the set for you.