3 mistakes to avoid when planning a new year

The end of the year is approaching... And with it, that familiar desire for renewal, fresh starts, and new goals!

I’m not fundamentally against using the new year as a boost to head in a new direction.But it always saddens me a little to see how many people, just a few months later, feel disappointed or frustrated for not being able to keep up with their “resolutions.”

So today, I wanted to share a few key points that, in my opinion, can help you prepare for a beautiful new year, and avoid losing momentum by March!

Here are 3 mistakes to avoid when planning your new year:

1/ Forgetting to look back

This first one may seem obvious, yet it’s more common than you’d think. We’re often so eager to move forward, to do better, to do more… that we forget to pause and reflect on the year that just ended.

This is especially important because of something called the negativity bias: our human brains are wired to remember and focus more strongly on negative events than on positive ones.

If you jump straight into planning your new year without reviewing the past one, you’re likely to base your new goals on your most recent — and often negative — experiences. That’s not exactly the best mindset to begin a new chapter, is it?

⇒ That’s why it’s essential to take the time to review your year before planning the next one.Look back at what you’ve done, discovered, learned. Acknowledge the progress you’ve made, the lessons and challenges, but also the victories and moments of pride we tend to forget too quickly.

If you’d like guidance in reviewing the past year and preparing the next one with intention, you can discover how I can help you do just that, right here.

2/ Making your review too narrow

If you’re someone who sets goals every year, you’ll naturally revisit them at the end of the year to see if they were achieved or not. But here’s where mistake number two often happens: making your review solely based on those goals you set 12 months ago.

Life isn’t linear. Change is constant. Our desires, priorities, and circumstances shift all the time.

⇒ So when you look back, make sure you don’t measure progress only through the lens of those original goals.Take into account everything else that unfolded during the year — everything you accomplished outside of those plans, the unexpected growth, and the evolution that happened along the way.

You can download your free Clarity Workbook to gently review your year and gain clarity on where you are now and what’s next on your journey.

3/ Planning without visibility

The last mistake I want to help you avoid is planning without a clear overview. What do I mean by that? When we’re excited to start mapping out our plans for the new year, we often jump right in before establishing a broader vision. That’s how we end up with scheduling conflicts, overloaded months that lead to burnout, or frustration when we have to change plans mid-year.

⇒ Before diving into detailed planning, start by giving your new year a direction.You can use what I call the funnel technique, moving from wide to narrow. Begin with a core intention for your year. That intention will serve as your foundation and a compass you can return to throughout the 12 months ahead.

Then, once that vision feels clear, you can move into concrete planning.

If you want to learn how to plan your new year calmly and without pressure, check out my article on 4 tips for stress-free planning.

That’s it for today!

Wishing you a gentle and peaceful end of the year