The Harada Method: How Shohei Ohtani's Goal Chart Works

The Harada method breaks one big goal into 64 concrete actions on a 9x9 chart, then turns a few of those actions into daily routines. Shohei Ohtani made his well-known chart as a high school freshman, placing his ambition in the center and building outward from it.

This guide explains the complete method, what appeared on the Shohei Ohtani goal chart, and how the grid is organized. You'll also get a blank Harada method template, a fully filled example for landing a new job, and a practical way to choose the three to five boxes that become part of an ordinary day.

What Is the Harada Method?

The Harada method is a Japanese goal-setting system created by Takashi Harada, a former track and field coach. Its best-known tool, the Open Window 64 chart, puts one long-term goal in the center of a 9x9 grid. Eight supporting pillars surround that goal, and each pillar is broken into eight concrete actions, creating 64 action boxes in total.

The chart is only one part of the system. You choose a small number of actions to practice, record them on a routine check sheet, and review your day in a short diary. The point is self-reliance: you define the result, plan the work, perform it, and examine your own follow-through.

That bridge from a multiyear ambition to today's actions has attracted attention beyond sports. A Harvard Business School case study now uses the method to examine how a large ambition can be translated into the areas that deserve attention now. The useful idea is simple: build the chart once, then live in the routine sheet.

Shohei Ohtani's Goal Chart

As a high school freshman, Shohei Ohtani placed becoming the top draft pick in the center of his chart, commonly described as being selected first by eight Nippon Professional Baseball teams. He then surrounded that result with eight pillars:

• Control
• Physical conditioning
• Sharpness
• Pitching speed
• Mental strength
• Pitch variety
• Character
• Luck (often translated as karma)

The list is useful because it goes beyond pitching mechanics. Physical preparation and technical ability sit beside mental strength, character, and everyday conduct. According to The Athletic's breakdown of his chart, one action under luck was to "keep your room clean." Tidiness, courtesy, and small helpful acts were treated as behavior he could control.

That is the larger lesson from the Shohei Ohtani Harada method chart. Your pillars don't all have to be versions of the same technical skill. A strong chart can include ability, health, attention, relationships, preparation, and conduct. The chart didn't guarantee Ohtani's later results, but it clearly shows how he organized one ambitious outcome into actions he could take as a student.

The Five Parts of the Harada Method

The official Harada Method program describes five forms. Together, they move from understanding your current habits to planning a long-term result and reviewing daily execution.

The assessment and long-term goal form add context, but you don't need to complete a large packet before trying the core process. Most people can start with the chart, a small check sheet, and a short diary. Those three pieces preserve the method's most practical connection: the chart defines the possibilities, the check sheet narrows today's work, and the diary helps you adjust it.

The order matters. The early forms clarify the purpose and obstacles around the goal. The chart expands your options. The check sheet and diary then narrow those options into behavior you can perform and review. Without those last two forms, the 9x9 grid can remain an impressive planning exercise that never changes Tuesday morning.

How to Fill In a Harada Method Template

A useful Harada method template begins with one result you can recognize as complete. You then work outward, first into eight pillars and then into eight actions under each pillar.

1. Write one measurable center goal with a date. "Get better at design" is too open-ended to check off. "Publish a five-project design portfolio by September 30" gives the chart a visible result. If you need a direction first, browse these goals examples. For longer-horizon possibilities, see our life goals examples.
2. Name eight pillars. Ask what would have to be true for the center goal to happen. Mix technical skills with health and energy, mindset, daily life, and how you work with other people. Each pillar should cover a different source of progress.
3. Write eight actions for every pillar. Use behavior you could perform or begin this week. "Practice for 20 minutes" belongs in a box. "Become talented" doesn't tell you what to do. Include recurring actions, one-time setup work, conversations, and research where they genuinely support the pillar.
4. Fill the grid over a few sittings. The first obvious actions come quickly. The later boxes usually require better questions. Leave a box blank until you find a useful action instead of padding the chart with work that doesn't matter. A shorter three-month goal can also use fewer boxes.

Before filling the outer blocks, test the pillars against the center goal. If two pillars produce nearly identical actions, combine them and use the open space for a missing area. If a pillar depends entirely on another person's decision, rewrite it around preparation or outreach you control.

Test the action boxes the same way. You should be able to point to what you did, even if the larger result hasn't arrived. "Ask for one informational chat" is observable. "Build a better network" leaves the next move unclear. Concrete wording also makes the later routine check sheet much easier to use.

Here is the blank 9x9 layout. The center block holds the goal and its eight pillars. Each surrounding block repeats one pillar in its middle cell, with that pillar's eight actions around it.

You can copy this table into a spreadsheet or redraw the nine blocks on paper. Keep enough room in each cell to write an action you can understand later. Start in the center block, then copy each pillar into the middle of its matching outer block before adding actions. That order prevents the large grid from becoming nine unrelated lists.

A Filled Example: Land a New Job

The chart below is a sample, not a real person's plan. Its center goal is "Land a new job within six months." The eight pillars cover the materials, knowledge, practice, relationships, skills, consistency, confidence, and health that can support that result.

All 64 boxes contain specific actions. Some are daily, some weekly, and some one-time. That mix is intentional. The next section explains how to label them and choose a much smaller set for daily practice.

The wording is deliberately compact so every cell can guide a real next step. Your version can use different pillars, but each box should remain close enough to the center goal that completing it would improve the odds or quality of the result.

The grid is a menu of possible actions, not a demand to perform all 64. Its value comes from showing how many different levers can support one outcome.

Turn the Chart Into Daily Routines

The Harada method becomes manageable when you sort the boxes before choosing what to track. Mark each action with one letter:

• D for daily: a small action you can repeat most days.
• W for weekly: a larger action or scheduled review.
• O for one-time: setup work with a clear finish.
• S for someday: useful later, but not part of the current plan.

Put W actions on the calendar, place O actions on a normal task list, and leave S actions parked on the chart until a later review. That separation keeps them visible without pretending they all belong in today's routine.

Now choose three to five D boxes. Put only those on a routine check sheet, with one row per routine and one place to mark each day. The sample job-search chart might begin like this:

You could add one or two more daily boxes, such as "Walk outside for 20 minutes," but stop at five. The chart holds 64 options so you can see the system around the goal. The check sheet keeps today's work small enough to execute.

At night, write two or three diary lines: what you completed, what got in the way, and one change for tomorrow. Keep the entry short enough that you'll still write it after a difficult day.

Review the sheet once a week. If a routine has become automatic or isn't helping, swap in the next relevant box from the chart. Don't replace an action simply because you missed it once. A study of habit formation found a median of 66 days, with a range of 18 to 254 days. Think in months, not a perfect streak. A missed day doesn't reset the process.

If you want more ways to format the check sheet, see our habit tracker ideas. If you prefer a dedicated tool, compare these goal tracker apps.

Mandala Chart vs Harada Method

A mandala chart and Mandalart refer to the same 9x9 planning-grid shape used for brainstorming and goal planning. The Harada method uses that shape as its Open Window 64 chart, then adds a process around it.

That wider process is the important difference. The Harada method also uses a self-reliance assessment, a long-term goal form, a routine check sheet, and a daily diary. The grid helps you map the goal, while the check sheet and diary decide what happens after the chart is finished. Someone can use a mandala chart as a standalone brainstorming tool. Following the Harada method means carrying selected actions into daily practice and review.

Read Your Chart Like a Skill Tree

In an RPG, a skill tree has one build goal, a few branches, and many nodes. You don't max every branch on day one. You spend points on the abilities that support the build you chose.

Read the Harada chart the same way. The center goal is the build. The eight pillars are its branches. The 64 action boxes are nodes you can develop over time. Choose three to five nodes that matter now, put daily effort into them, and leave the rest visible for later.

When one action becomes reliable or finishes its job, move to the next useful node instead of adding everything at once. This keeps the full map ambitious while keeping today's work realistic. Our guide on how to gamify your life offers more ways to make that progress feel visible.

Common Harada Method Mistakes

Most Harada method mistakes happen when the chart becomes decorative or too demanding. Fix them before adding more boxes.

• The center goal is too vague to check off. Add a visible result and a date so you know what the chart is meant to produce.
• All eight pillars are the same kind. Mix skills with energy, mindset, preparation, relationships, and conduct. Different pillars should expose different levers.
• The action boxes contain wishes. Replace "be confident" with a behavior such as saying one interview answer aloud.
• You try to perform all 64 actions. Sort them as daily, weekly, one-time, or someday, then choose only three to five daily routines.
• You build the chart and never open it again. Transfer the selected actions to a check sheet and review that sheet every week. Keep the chart nearby so the next useful action is easy to find.

The chart is planning space. The routine sheet is where execution becomes visible. If your review shows that a box is irrelevant, replace it rather than protecting the first version of the plan.

Track Your Daily Boxes in Ronin Reborn

That whole-person approach also fits Ronin Reborn's four training rooms: The Crucible for physical work, The Watchtower for mental work, The Inner Temple for spiritual practice, and Jade Alley for projects, side hustles, and practical skills. Each room has its own trainer, encouraging progress across different parts of your life.

Keep the 9x9 chart on paper or in a spreadsheet, then log the daily reps with broad, pre-built Assault Strikes, with nothing to configure before day one. The Mental Forge journal can hold your long-term goal and its weekly action steps, much like the method's daily diary. Each completed rep earns XP toward your level and rank, and the War Room's streak and shield status show whether your routines are holding.

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Harada Method FAQ

What is the Harada method?

The Harada method is a goal-setting system created by Takashi Harada. Its Open Window 64 chart places one goal in the center, eight supporting pillars around it, and eight actions around every pillar. Selected actions then move onto a routine check sheet and into a short daily diary.

What was on Shohei Ohtani's goal chart?

Ohtani placed becoming the top draft pick in the center. His eight pillars were control, physical conditioning, sharpness, pitching speed, mental strength, pitch variety, character, and luck. The only action from his chart named here is keeping his room clean, which sat under luck.

Do you have to do all 64 actions?

No. The 64 boxes map possible actions around the goal. Label them as daily, weekly, one-time, or someday, then choose three to five daily actions for the routine check sheet. Weekly and one-time actions stay available without becoming daily obligations.

How long should a Harada method goal be?

The method can support goals lasting months to a few years. Choose a center result with a date that is far enough away to require several kinds of action but clear enough to recognize when finished. A shorter goal can use fewer than 64 action boxes.

Is a mandala chart the same as the Harada method?

A mandala chart uses the same 9x9 grid shape as the Open Window 64 chart. The Harada method adds the surrounding system: assessment, long-term planning, a routine check sheet, a daily diary, and regular review.

Can you use the Harada method for goals outside sports?

Yes. The structure works for any goal that can be divided into supporting areas and concrete actions. A career change, creative project, qualification, business launch, or skill goal can all be planned with the same center, pillars, and action boxes.

How long does it take for the routines to stick?

There is no single deadline. Research on new habit formation found a median of 66 days and a range of 18 to 254 days. Treat the routines as work measured in months, and resume at the next opportunity after a missed day.

Picked your three daily boxes? Ronin Reborn is a free, browser-based RPG where your real habits level up your character, so every box you check off counts. Free to play, no card required.

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