Hi friends, I believe today’s post is going to be a game changer for you and you might be wondering why, and the reason is simple: When it comes to planning out the New Year or just getting ready to go into a New Year there is often this pressure mixed with excitement.
Pressure in the sense that we are fully aware that it’s a new season, and a new opportunity to do things better, however there is also that’s niggling question at the back of our mind where we wonder, “what if it doesn’t work out? What if I do all these things and it’s no better than the previous year?”
In moments like this, we may find ourselves trying to do what every other person is doing. Perhaps you’re already scrolling through Pinterest or watching countless TikTok videos trying to figure out what people are talking about and what resolutions or goals you should be planning.
This process can quickly get overwhelming.
Well today I’ve got some just three things you can do to set yourself for an incredible year.

1. REST
Before you go into a new year it’s important that you take time to breath. Rest here doesn’t mean to just laze about even though that’s not a bad thing but it’s about intentionally giving yourself a break.
I like to call it a retreat.
One thing you can do for yourself before you go into the New year is to go on a personal retreat.
Take out time for refreshing, rejuvenation, and rest. This will allow you declutter your mind and your body.
This means letting go of the burdens for now and just being present.
I think this step is so important, yet it is often ignored in our busyness. I should also state that rest doesn’t mean attending loads of festivities and activity, but about taking time to be alone with yourself (and God).
It’s a time to decompress.
This doesn’t mean that you must sit in silence like some monk in a monastery or anything like that.
For some of us, it might just mean just lying down maybe by the beach or park listening to some music, for others it might mean taking long walks just to think and reflect and yet still for others, it might mean doing some sort of light activity that doesn’t take too much brain time or energy.
The focus is to find a healthy and meaningful way to refill the batteries (of your mind, body, and soul) after a full year. The best part is that you can do this periodically; monthly, quarterly, or even biannually.
2. TAKE STOCK
This is an organic and seamless transition from number one. A rested and refreshed mind gives you room to be creative again, to see things in a more objective and helpful manner without the burden of pressure, heightened emotions and what not. You’re more likely to think clearly which is a great foundation for going into the new year.
A key part of taking stock is really around you are asking and answering some key questions. This includes questions like:
What are the things I achieved this year that I’m really happy about?
What emotions did I experience the most in the past year, and why?
What are those things that I need to improve and how do I make the necessary changes going forward?
I love the idea of taking stock because it provides an opportunity for you to review your year in an objective yet instructive manner.
We created a PDF document with 5 helpful exercise/questions you can go through to help you take stock of the previous year.
It is important that you document your responses as this will help you check your progress, particularly when you revisit it later in the future. You can get our free “Five Questions to help you process your 2024”.

3. THE INVERSE GOAL PLANNING METHOD
Finally, the third and perhaps the true game changer is what I like to call the Inverse Goal Planning Method (IGPM) and I promise you this is going to change how you think about planning out your life.
The inverse goal planning method is a concept I coined which dictates that goal setting is more effective when each goal is considered through the lens of every area of our life rather than just one area.
I believe this is a simplified and effective way of thinking about change and transformation in your life.
Traditional goal setting says you should have a goal in different areas of life and depending on which proponent you read between, there are about 6 to 10 areas to consider such as:
- Finances
- Health
- Emotional/mental
- Relationships
- Spiritual
- Career
So, rather than creating goals for the different areas of our lives, as we are usually advised to do, the IGPM says you should have a few high level or major goals and then distil each goal, by looking at what you need to change in every area of your life to achieve that goal.
Rather than creating a goal for different areas of your life, you create just 2 to 3 major goals that you want to accomplish, and this should be high-level goals. Yes I know this sounds counterproductive but I will explain with an example.
How to implement the Inverse Goal Planning Method
Some of the most common new year resolutions or goals are health based. This may be around weight loss or eating healthy food. In our example, our friend, Cynthia, a 36-year-old digital marketer would like to lose 20pounds (about 10kilos) in 2025.
According to traditional goal setting process, this will count as a health based and physical goal, but under the IGPM, her goal to lose weight will be distilled through every major area of her life.
Do you know why?
Because a decision to lose weight doesn’t just affect your health, but will also affect your finances, your relationships and even your mental health.
We don’t always consider these other areas, which is why our goals are often not successful.
The inverse planning rule mandates our goals must be planned through the lens of every area of our life, because our lives are truly not compartmentalised but whole, and an effective and life changing goal should reflect this.
In Cynthia’s case, losing weight will mean:
- Financial – gym membership or classes, exercise clothing, meal planning and healthy eating are considerations that will impact her budget and income.
- Physical – The time and type of exercise will need to be considered.
- Emotional– anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows it’s no easy feat. There is a mental load that is often not talked about but actually affects your ability to see the process through.
- Career – the decision to lose weight may affect her work schedule, and her interaction with her colleagues. It may mean waking up earlier or leaving work earlier to hit the gym or go on long walks, and missing out on some work events, etc.
- Relationships – Cynthia’s decision to lose weight will likely affect her relationships. It may mean she turns down some invites, informs her family of her decision to get their support or buy-in (she could turn healthy eating into a family goal), but imagine she doesn’t get that support or accountability from the people she lives with, that will likely make her goal harder to achieve.
I hope the above example provides a simple illustration of how the IGPM rule works. The best part is that it can be applied to almost any goal.
You want to change jobs, then you must not only think of your career but consider what this will mean for your relationships, your health, your values, family, social circles, and your finances etc.
Same goes for if you’re planning to travel, learn a new skill, volunteer, join a group, amongst others.
Going through this process also does something really important, it helps you ensure that your goals actually align with the kind of life you want for yourself.
For instance, if you were considering a new job and only considered it in terms of your career trajectory and as a boost to your finances, you may miss it’s impact on your family relationships, your mental health or even your spiritual growth. For instance, working with a company that pays well but has limited moral values may cause a friction with your own moral values.
Defining your value systems and distilling each goal through the list of things that matter to you is such a powerful way of identifying the right goals and accelerating your likelihood of achieving them.
IN CONCLUSION
What do you think of the three things that we mention in the post particularly the last one? Is this something you’ve ever thought about? Is this something you’re willing to implement?
I am currently implementing this inverse planning rule for 2025 and I cannot wait to see how things go and I hope you also join me and do the same.
Do you need some structure and support with your goal planning in 2025?
Thank you..
[…] Once you have an idea of what your financial goals are, it could be to hit a certain income goal at the end of this year or in 5 years, the next point is to run your goals through the Inverse Goal Planning Method we discussed here. […]