November is a special month for me, and here’s why: I think it’s one of the best times to start planning your goals for 2026. It’s a calm moment before the busy season begins, and it gives you space to think clearly about what you really want to achieve next year.
Why Planning in November Works Better Than Waiting Until January
December is always full of things to do, dinners with friends and colleagues, family gatherings, Christmas shopping, and maybe even hosting at home. It’s a lovely time, but it’s also hectic.
Then January comes, and it starts with New Year celebrations, catching up on work, and trying to get back into a routine. Let’s be honest, most people don’t start setting their goals seriously until mid-January, and they often take the first real steps only around February.
If you use November to plan your year ahead, you’ll be ready to start 2026 with focus and motivation while everyone else is still recovering from the holidays.
© Leticia Gaidon Bradford Photography.
How to Set Goals for 2026
Here’s how I like to approach goal setting in a practical way:
1. Reflect on 2025
Look at what you achieved this year and what didn’t go as planned. Ask yourself what worked well, what you enjoyed, and where you lost motivation. Understanding this helps you see where you can improve. Think of it as an honest review, not criticism, it’s all about personal growth.
2. Be Clear About What You Want
It’s easy to follow what others are doing, but your goals should match your values and lifestyle. When they are aligned with who you are, it’s easier to make progress. What kind of year do you want 2026 to be? What do you want more of, time, freedom, growth, stability, creativity? When you define that clearly, your goals become easier to design.
What I like to do is name my year based on my main goal. For example, in 2025 my main focus was networking, and believe me, I networked a lot! As I’m not from here, I realised that many people didn’t know me, and it was something I had to fix. Naming my 2025 as The Year of Networking helped me stay focused on that goal.
© Leticia Gaidon Bradford Photography.
3. Create a Simple Plan
Once you know what you want, break it down into small steps. Big goals can feel overwhelming, but if you divide them into monthly or weekly actions, you’ll see progress quickly. Write down what needs to happen first, second, and third. This is how real goal achievement starts.
4. Learn From What Didn’t Work
If you had goals in 2025 that you didn’t achieve, don’t ignore them, analyse them. Maybe they were too vague, unrealistic, not aligned with who you are, or simply not important enough. Use those lessons to make your next plan more effective.
5. Keep Your Goals Visible
I personally like to create a visual board with my main goals. It helps me stay focused and reminds me every day of the direction I want to go. It’s also a great tool to track progress and stay motivated throughout the year.
“We will never always be motivated, so we must learn to be disciplined.”
The Benefit of Being Ahead
By taking time in November to plan, you give yourself a head start. You’ll enter January already prepared and confident, instead of overwhelmed. When 2026 begins, you’ll know exactly where to start, and that’s a huge advantage for both business and personal life.
So grab your notebook (or open your laptop), make yourself a cup of coffee, and start designing your goals for 2026 now. You’ll thank yourself in January when everyone else is still figuring it out.
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Thank you for reading.
Bye for now.