5 Easy Steps To Achieve Your 2026 Maker Goals (Even If You Never Mark Annual Goals Complete)
January 1st each year is filed with resolutions, promises to be better, and looking toward what can happen in the new year, but almost everyone fails by March.
Resolutions and goals usually fail because they are massive and massive, but don't reflect the hard, boring work that goes into achieving them. Most people also massively underestimate the volume required combined with consistency. When you're 21 days in, don't see any results, and you're tired, it's hard to keep going.
But if you stop, it becomes easier to stop, so instead let's break down how to achieve your 2026 goals.
Step 1: Pick 1 Single 2026 Goal
Yes, we started with "goals", but I highly recommend picking a single one to put your focus into for the entire year.
Picking 1 goal sets the tone for the year and guides you when you're navigating what to say yes or no to (especially when goals often conflict). For example, if you have 1 goal to eat healthy no matter what and another goal to save every penny you can, what happens when the grilled chicken costs twice as much as takes twice the effort of the cheap burger?
If you insist on having multiple goals, you have to pick one to be your primary so it "wins" when pitted against any other goal.
Step 2: Set Related 1st Quarter Goals
365 days away is a long time, so we need to break down the goal into smaller pieces if we want any chance of success.
Think about 3 big checkpoints along the way to your big annual goal that are achievable in 3 months, but still stretch you a bit. Pick the quarter closest and try to break that apart into 2-3 separate goals for the first quarter.
Step 3: Figure Out What To Achieve This Month
90 days is still a long time to get lazy, so let's break those 2-3 first quarter goals into the first month.
Same as with the annual to quarter, think about 2 big checkpoints to your quarterly goals. Set goals for January based on that so that you set February up for success.
Step 4: Break The Month Into Weeks
Last goal step because 30 days is still a long time away.
Break the monthly goals down into what you need to achieve this week. You should see a pattern here by now.
Step 5: Set Actions To Achieve The Week
Weekly is the lowest level of our goals, but we still need to put teeth behind the goal so it happens.
What exactly do you need to do to hit your weekly goal? Put it all on paper or in Notion and order it if things have to happen by particular dates during the week.
You now have your own marching orders to tackle the first week's goals of the year with actions, so that you achieve the month, so that you achieve the quarter, so that you FINALLY achieve the annual goal.
