Crafting Your 2026 Success Strategy: Goals, Capacity, and Confidence
Crafting Your 2026 Success Strategy: Goals, Capacity, and Confidence
It’s that time of year again, when everyone begins the calendar year in different ways. For some, it’s a time for reflection, planning and goal-setting; for others, it’s just another day, another month.
For me, I’m in the former camp. I think the start of a new year is a perfect time to reflect on the previous 12 months and plan and set goals for the coming year.
This year, I’m also inviting (dragging) my husband and grown-up kids into the process, so that we can all share and support each other along the way.
The process I use has been crafted and adapted from many different sources, including books, experts, psychologists and neuroscience. If you’re interested in using the framework I’ve adopted, which I find really helpful, drop the word GOALS into the comment and I’ll send you my worksheet containing 15 prompts.
If you’re already midway through your own plan, here are 3 watch-outs that help me plan for success:
Be mindful of your capacity: As many of us know, most New Year resolutions don’t last beyond January, and when we’re all filled with gusto, ideas and energy, we tend to overload ourselves. One thing I make sure to keep an eye on is my ‘capacity’. At the end of the day, no one is getting any more time in 2026. Most of us still have jobs, responsibilities and busy lives that aren’t going anywhere in 2026. So it’s important to ensure your goals and plans align with the capacity you have. Another thing I often try to bring into this process is what am I going to stop doing - specifically, if I’m about to start doing something, it needs to balance out, otherwise you’re doomed to fail from the start. For example, one of my goals for this year is to limit screen time on my phone - and by doing that, I’ll free up capacity to read more. Makes sense, right? So keep capacity in mind.
New you? Same you?: It really doesn’t matter, as long as it aligns with your plan. The new year doesn’t mean you need to reinvent yourself or become a new you. It’s an easy catchphrase to use in marketing materials, and I may even have been guilty of using it myself, but whilst that works for some, it doesn’t for others. I suppose what I’m saying is whether you’re looking to create a new you in some areas of your life or 2026 is all about maintaining your awesome self, it’s all good. It’s whatever you want your plan to look like. Your goals, your achievements, your life.
Micro goals: Many of the clients I work with have a common theme of wanting to change something in their life - and when we work together to create the change they're seeking, it's a brilliant feeling for them when they achieve their personal and professional goals. In my practice, working 1:1 with clients, we are constantly working on goals (it's the solution-focused approach you see), so if your list, goals and plans are filled with huge goals, perhaps you need to revisit them. Maybe choose one or two big goals, then break them down into smaller goals that form a ladder to success. For instance, if your goal is to read more books this year, start with something measurable, like reading five pages nightly. This small, consistent habit creates a tangible path to achieving the larger objective. Over time, these micro-goals not only boost momentum but also contribute to achieving your larger aspirations.
Let me know what some of your small goals are for 2026?