Latest / Plan Like A Boss | Planning, Productivity, and Strategy for Entrepreneurs / Why New Year Resolutions Fail And What Works Instead

Transcript

Why New Year Resolutions Fail And What Works Instead · Plan Like A Boss | Planning, Productivity, and Strategy for Entrepreneurs

• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to Plan Like a Boss.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: Or if this is your first time here, welcome.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Tanya Lawson, creative entrepreneur, SEO nerd, chronic planner girly, and someone who has set more New Year's resolutions than I can count, and abandoned most of them by mid-February.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: If you've ever felt the January rush of ambition followed by that February crash of reality, this episode is going to feel like a deep exhale.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: Because today we're talking about why the new year, new you keeps failing and what to do instead if you want 2026 to actually feel different.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: This is episode one of our quarter one series, Setting Yourself Up for Success in 2026.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: And today we're starting with the truth most people skip.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need a new you.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: You need new systems that actually support the real you.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: So let's get into that.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's start with the obvious but rarely spoken truth.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Most New Year's resolutions are built on vibes, not strategy.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: They're fueled by holiday guilt, social pressure, unrealistic optimism, and this idea that on January 1st, we magically become a completely different person than we were on December 31st.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: But in reality, we're just the same person, possibly with a hangover.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: I know you've you've seen it.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: The gyms, they get crowded the first week of January.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: If you go to the grocery store, literally, they're gonna be out of Sally Greens.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: I kid you not, if you've never thought about it, I want you to look.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: Go to the grocery store.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: There's gonna be a big run on Sally Greens, but don't worry, they'll be back in two weeks.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: But here's the real kicker.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: These resolutions fail for three very predictable reasons.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, they rely on motivation instead of systems.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Motivation is a spark.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's great.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: I love motivation.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: We need it.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: It is what gets us going.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: It is the kindling for our fire.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: But kindling alone burns out quickly.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Systems, however, are the structure that keep that fire going when the motivation fades, which it will.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Most people don't have anything underneath that motivation.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: We need to build systems in to keep your fire going.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: Secondly, they don't account for your actual life, your energy, which let's face it, has its highs and lows.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Your schedule, which sometimes can be crazy, especially as an entrepreneur, your chronic illness that you may have, your responsibilities.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you're a parent, you have to take kids to soccer practice, or Susie gets sick and you have to go pick her up from school.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Resolutions are often built for a fantasy version of you, not the real human you living a real human life.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: And third, they're outcome-based instead of identity-based.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: We set goals like lose 20 pounds, make more money, grow the business.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: And those are outcomes and those are really good goals to set, but they're not roadmaps.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: They show us the end, but they don't show us how to get there.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Your brain doesn't change just because you made a list.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: Your brain changes because your identity and your habits change.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: And this is why that new year, new you is a lie.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need a new self.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: You need a self that's supported.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: Whenever someone tells me they want to be a new person in the new year, I always ask, what's wrong with the you that exists right now?
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: And usually they come back with an answer like, oh, I'm inconsistent, I get overwhelmed, I don't follow through, or I'm too tired.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: Life gets in the way.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: And these are not personality flaws.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: There is nothing wrong with you.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: They have nothing to do with you, they're system failures.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: Now let me say that again because it's the entire theme of this series.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: Most people don't fail because they aren't capable.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: They fail because their systems aren't designed for real life.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need a personality transplant.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need to hustle harder, and you don't need to become a new you.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: What you need is a planning system that fits your energy.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Visibility strategies that don't require you to post to social media every single day.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: Routines that flex with your chronic illness, your parenting, your client work, and your life.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: Fewer goals chosen intentionally, a sense of direction instead of all that pressure.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: And when you build that foundation, follow through becomes easier, momentum becomes automatic, success feels calmer.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: That, my friends, is what we're doing here in quarter one.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: If 2025 felt overwhelming, chaotic, or like you were constantly reacting instead of leading, this is your invitation to start 2026 differently.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: Here are three reframes that I want you to think about to guide your entire year.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Reframe number one: fewer goals equals more progress.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Most people set 10 goals.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not really sure why 10, but it's always 10.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Successful people, however, set one to three.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: When you choose less, you achieve more.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I want you to ask yourself this question if I could only achieve one thing this year, what would actually change my life or my business?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: That is your main goal.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: Everything else becomes supporting work towards this goal.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Reframe number two systems are the container for your successes.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: If your goals don't have a system underneath them, they're simply wishes.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Now I know systems sound boring, but to be honest, they're freedom.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: Systems reduce emotional decision making, they make progress predictable and they remove friction.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: They turn overwhelm into clarity.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: A system turns a vague idea like be more consistent into something measurable and doable.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: Reframe number three: consistency isn't perfect.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's gentle.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Consistency, my friend, is not showing up every day.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's not doing it perfectly, and it's not pushing through no matter what.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: That's gonna lead to burnout.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: Consistency is returning.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: You get off, you get off plan.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: You come back to it.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you miss a day or a month of, you know, Instagram engagement.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: You return to it.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's recommitting.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's saying, yes, I am recommitting to doing this aspect of my business, or I am recommitting to my plan.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes consistency is beginning again without shame.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Things happen, you're gonna get you're gonna get thrown off, and that's fine.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: Gentle consistency is sustainable consistency.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: And when your systems support you, consistency becomes your default, not your struggle.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if we're skipping this whole new year, new you, what do we replace it with?
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Here is a simple but powerful blueprint.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: Step one, I want you to choose a yearly theme.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Something like foundation and clarity, systems over stress, visibility without burnout, work smarter, not harder.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: I know for me, my theme for 2026 personally is recovery.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: I dealt with my cancer journey in 2025, and in 2026, I'm recovering.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: My body is recovering, my mental health is recovering, my business is recovering, and my bank account is recovering.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: So recovery is my theme for the year.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: A theme becomes a filter for every decision you make.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, step two, I want you to pick one to three goals max, not ten.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: I know they all say ten, not ten.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: And not 26 for 2026.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's insane.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: Just the essentials.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: One to three.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to ask yourself, what are the fewest things that I can focus on that would create the biggest shift?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: Now, step three, I want you to build systems that support your real life.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Not that fantasy January energy that there's no way you can sustain.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: The actual Tuesday in March energy.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: So think systems for planning, for content and visibility, self-care and protecting your energy, setting up workflows, tracking what actually matters.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: Get your KPIs nailed down to what actually matters in your business, what is going to move the needle.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: Now, step four, I want you to make it measurable, but kind.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Be kind to yourself because we're not chasing perfection, we're chasing clarity and momentum.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: So think, how will I know I'm making progress?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Not how I can, how can I do this without ever messing up?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Because my friend, you are going to mess up.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: So if you remember nothing else from today's episode, let it be this.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need a new you to have a new year.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: You need systems that support the you that already exist.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: 2026 can feel lighter, it can feel calmer, it can feel more aligned, but it won't happen because the clock strikes midnight.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: It will happen because you create a foundation that holds you.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what we're building all quarter long.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for joining me in episode one of this new season.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: Next week, we are diving into how to design a year that supports your energy and not just your goals.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: Especially if you're a creative, a parent, a chronic illness girly like me, or someone whose energy genuinely fluctuates.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: This one is going to be so validating.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: If you found this helpful, take a screenshot and share it to your Instagram stories.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Tag me and tell me your biggest takeaway.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: And if you haven't yet, hit follow so you don't miss the rest of the quarter one series.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: Here's to building a new year that actually works for you, not against you.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: Keep on planning like a boss.