Can you believe that the year is almost over? No matter how we feel about 2025, I feel like every year has challenges, valuable moments, and important lessons. There’s technically still a month left, but let’s be honest: December is going to pass very fast with the festivities and holidays, and before you know it, it’s gonna be New Year’s Eve.
While it’s important to have fun and relax before the new year, there’s also time to do a few things that could help you step into 2026 with a clear mind and vision. That’ll make January less overwhelming and stressful, and it’ll help you focus easier on your goals, routines and habits.
On this post, I’m sharing 7 things you can do to prepare for the new year and step into it smoothly and consciously.
7 Things to Do to Prepare for a successful 2026
1. Reflect on 2025
That’s probably obvious but you can’t move forward and expect to be successful if you don’t reflect on the past first. It’s time to reflect on 2025, and focus not only on the negative aspects of it but also on the things that truly worked for you.
– What were the goals that you accomplished?
– What were your career achievements or milestones?
– Think about the habits that you were truly committed to.
– Reflect on the new experiences you had.
– What drained you in 2025?
– Reflect on the one thing that kept you stuck.
– Pick one thing you choose to leave behind in 2025.
You can also use the wheel of life which is a useful tool for reflection and goal setting, but you’ll find more information on this at the end of this post where I’m sharing a free template! So, keep reading (or jump ahead, nvm).
2. Set the theme of the new year
It’s the best time to pick the theme of the new year. That could work as your inspiration throughout the year and keep you committed to your goals and vision. Choose a phrase that speaks to you (That Girl, Successful CEO, Getting the Nobel Prize, Paid to Exist – you name it) and then write a small paragraph on your physical or digital planner about how you want 2026 to be. What do you want to achieve? Who you want to be in 2026? This paragraph will be your mantra next year.
3. Declutter your physical and digital space
One of my favorite ways to step prepared into the new year is decluttering. By decluttering both your physical and digital space, you’ll be able to let go of things that don’t serve you or you don’t relate to anymore. So, before the new year is here, take some time to delete old photos, go through your subscriptions, bookmarks, and downloads, unsubscribe and unfollow any accounts or newsletters that you don’t really care about anymore. When it comes to your house, go through your pantry, get rid of any trash, declutter your drawers, and donate or sell items that you don’t really need or use anymore. This way, you’ll step into 2026 much lighter but also much more organized.
4. Get clear on what you want
That’s your sign to work on your vision. Sometimes, we express our goals and aspirations in a very vague way. “I want to make money”, “I want to become famous’’, “I want to be creative” – yes, but what do these things even mean? You’re stuck and you don’t move forward because there’s no real plan behind your goals and dreams. How do you want to make money, and how much money would actually make you happy and live comfortably? What do you want to create and for who? What do you want to be known for? The clearer you get, the more possible it becomes to fulfill your aspirations.
5. Set your yearly goals
That’s a thing that many people do before the new year, and it’s nice to have goals so you know where you should put your focus on. Choose goals that align with your vision and be as specific as possible when you plan the action steps you need to take in order to achieve them. My bonus tip is that if you struggle to stick with your goals, pick only a few – maybe one for each area of your life – and divide them by yearly quarters. That way, you won’t get overwhelmed and you’ll find it easier to focus on them.
6. Review your finances
The end of the year is a good time to check in with your finances and create a plan that’ll help you accomplish your financial goals. So, go through your bank accounts, review your budget, think about your saving habits and investments, and plan how you’ll work on establishing an emergency fund in case something unexpected happens. We tend to neglect our financial wellness at times, but creating good habits that promote saving and budgeting can really improve our quality of life.
7. Decide on your one big thing for 2026
What’s your non-negotiable goal for 2026 that you absolutely want to achieve? What’s your most important priority – the one thing that has been in your mind for a while now, and you truly want to accomplish? For example, I’ve wanted to write 100k words in a year for a while now. It’s been in my yearly goals since 2022 or so, and this year I’m finally close to achieving it. It feels so good to be almost done with it. What’s that one goal for you? Write it down, create an action plan, and get ready to accomplish it.
Bonus: Download your printable Wheel of Life for 2026! (No, I don’t need your email for that).
As I mentioned earlier, the wheel of life can help you reflect on 2025 and set the right goals and priorities for 2026. It’s quite simple, actually. You just rate your satisfaction (with 1 being the absolutely worst and 10 being great) in each life area. Then, be honest with yourself and reflect on what went well and what didn’t for you. After that, it’s time to think about how you’d like to improve (example: go from 3 to 4) in each life area and what actions you can take to achieve that. If it feels overwhelming, just decide on the 2-3 life areas that you truly want to focus on next year, and you can think about the rest of them later.
I hope you enjoy your freebie and it’ll help you get closer to your goals in 2026!
Until next time! ❤️