It’s time to talk about how to plan for next year, because picturing next year already being better only gets you so far without an actual plan. Last week I told you to start thinking of 2027 in the past tense, imagining “next year was better” instead of “next year will be better.” If you missed it, go back and give it a read, because everything below builds right on top of that idea.
But visualization only gets you so far. At some point the vision has to turn into motion.
A while back, a childhood friend of mine texted me about vacation plans, and we spent an embarrassing amount of time confused because she kept referring to next year in the present. When I called her on it she said, “I’m just rounding up,” like she was doing me a favor.
She wasn’t wrong, though. If you have budget responsibilities at work, you’re probably already deep into next year’s numbers. If you travel much, your calendar is likely filling in already. The rest of us should probably catch up.
How to Plan for Next Year: The PLAN Method
I built an acronym for this to help you understand the process I go through when planning for the next year. It’s called PLAN: Picture, Link, Assign, Navigate. Four steps, no crystal ball required.
Picture your vision. Before you plan a single task, get clear on where you’re actually headed. I ask my coaching clients to sketch out a 3-year and 5-year horizon, but if that feels like a lot right now, start smaller. If a newspaper wrote a story about your life one year from today, what would the headline say? Once you know the headline, the rest of the plan practically writes itself.
Link to resources. Every goal needs fuel, and money is only part of it. Time and energy matter just as much. I found this out the hard way when I started running: shoes, race entry fees, and gear add up fast, and so does the time on the calendar for longer training runs. Be honest about what a goal will actually cost you before you commit to it, or you’ll be underfunded, in every sense, by March.
Assign goals. This is where the rubber meets the road. You don’t need every month of 2027 mapped out today. Start with one or two goals in each pillar, professional, personal, and purpose, that need to be ready to go on January 1st. Use the SMART framework, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, to keep them honest, and pay attention to which goals will have the biggest impact, even if they’re not first on the calendar.
Navigate the steps. Once you know your top goals, get specific. What are the milestones, what’s the very first step, and when will you actually take it? This is where a tool like a Goal Road Map earns its keep, pushing you past “someday” into an actual date on the calendar.
A Couple of Honest Warnings
First, don’t let 2027 planning make you forget you still have to finish 2026 strong. The new year excitement is real, but so is the work still sitting in front of you right now.
Second, block real time for this. I like to take a full day for planning the upcoming year, though a few solid hours will do in a pinch. And loop in the people who’ll be affected by the plan, a coworker, a spouse, a business partner. Fair warning: not everyone gets as excited about strategic planning as you do, so be patient if you get a raised eyebrow or two along the way.
This is also a good moment to revisit two other things I’ve written about that pair well with this. One is about how kids somehow dream up enormous, wildly specific Christmas wish lists without a shred of self-doubt. The other is about what the Roman god Janus, the one who could look forward and backward at the same time, can teach us about planning for the new year . Both are short reads, and both fit right into what we’re building here.
You don’t need the whole year figured out today. You need one clear vision, a few resources accounted for, one or two goals ready to launch, and a first step you can actually take. That’s how “next year was better” stops being a feeling and starts being a plan.