The best way to plan your year — Tip #5
Get ready to live your best 2026 yet 🎉
Years ago, I was setting new goals for the year and shared them with a friend. His reaction was: “why are you planning your goals in October? Just wait these two months and make proper New Year’s resolutions like everyone else”. I never understood why new goals must be ritually set on New Year. His theory was that the environment, the people around you, the energy all are primed for you to plan properly. For me, anytime is a good time, as long as you take the space to sit with yourself and your thoughts. I have already set my goals for the year, but since that friend reads this newsletter, let me share some tips with him and everyone else about to plan their New Year’s resolutions.
To make sure next year you progress toward the best life you want to live, there are five main things you need to ensure:
Goal Setting: Be clear about what you want to accomplish
Implementation Intention: Be clear about how you are going to attain those goals
Accountability: Be clear on how you are going to track the progress
Contingency Plan: Be clear on what you will do if a problem arises
Identity Alignment: Be clear on how these goals are in line with your values and who you are.
Before you start, do a brain dump: Just you and a sheet of paper (physical or digital, as you prefer). Put the date on top and give yourself freedom to write down any thought in your mind. Don’t restrict yourself, even the random stuff is accepted at this stage. After 10–15 minutes, try to be more granular and think about the things you’d really like to accomplish in your life.
Separate the tiny items (in my case, I had thoughts like “bring white sneakers for cleaning” 👟) from the big things you want to accomplish. Now you should be staring at what you truly want to do with your life.
My suggestion: artificially pick only 3 major themes for your life. The problem with adding more is you will probably fall short, and that’s disappointing. I still remember in my 20s planning to learn Korean and become a swimmer, guess what? Ten years later, I hadn’t done either 🤡. It’s easier to set the bar lower and exceed your own expectations. I find this more freeing than constantly falling short. I generally plan three major goals and two secondary ones.
Now it’s time to create goals around these three areas. This part is easy because it’s been extensively researched. We can leverage “SMART” goals, in a nutshell:
Great! We fixed some goals that are specific, measurable, and hopefully achievable. But how do you hold yourself accountable? What worked for me best is a weekly review. Every Saturday, I sit in a coffee shop and check each goal:
For each goal in my list, I ask myself:
Did I make significant progress?
If not, why? If yes, can I double down on what’s working?
Is this still relevant to me?
This seems quite a process but it shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes per goal and pays massive dividends. Week by week, you force yourself to face reality. Some prefer a bi-weekly review, and that’s fine. My only observation is that I don’t think a monthly cadence is enough because you get only twelve checkpoints per year, and much can change in that period that requires tweaking.
Notice the question, “Is this still relevant to me?” That’s the quickest way I’ve found to keep my goals aligned with my evolving self. I have more to say about identity alignment, but that’s the gist for now. Just keep in mind: choosing goals and objectives that define “who you are” are better than focusing only on external outcomes. For example, I am a healthy person so I don’t eat fast food is better than having a goal of avoiding junk food because it makes me fat. You reinforce your desired identity and leverage intrinsic motivation.
There is still one point left: contingency plans. This topic deserves its own issue (and it will come, don’t worry!). Here’s the short version: life will never go as planned, and the sooner you accept that, the better.
The best thing you can do is think about where things could go wrong and how you would handle those situations. Be careful not to overthink this. Spoiler: this tip is not mine but from Michael Phelps, the Olympic legend with 28 medals 🏅.
This was a long one, but we had to wrap up the year in style!
Your weekly tip: To set yourself up for success this year, do a brain dump, identify three areas you want to work on, and define a couple of SMART goals for each area. Review progress every 1–2 weeks, double down on what works, and cut what doesn’t. Be flexible and anticipate setbacks with contingency plans. Most importantly, check if your goals are still relevant to who you are becoming throughout the year and if not adjust accordingly.
Lastly but most importantly: my best wishes for a 2026 full of happy memories. May this year bring you closer to the best version of yourself for your own growth, for your loved ones, and for all who care about you.
Don’t forget to send this tip to a friend or someone that you care about 🫰
See you next week, until then…
Don’t Panic 😱
Success comes by designing your life smarter 💪