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The ONE Decision That Sets Up Your Entire 2026 · Plan Like A Boss | Planning, Productivity, and Strategy for Entrepreneurs

• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Plan Like a Boss Podcast.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Today we are going to be talking about your 2026 focus in your business.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: But before we talk about clarity, before we talk about focus, planning, or even goals for 2026, I want to share something very personal.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you do a word of the year or not, but I do.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: And my word of the year this year is recovery.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's not hustle, it's not scale, it's not optimize, it's recovery.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Recovering my health after cancer, recovering my energy, recovering my trust in my body, and recovery in my business without sacrificing myself.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Basically recovering my life.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sharing this because clarity did not come to me in a perfectly crafted plan.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: It came from realizing that everything could not matter equally anymore.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: If you're going through a season where your capacity has changed, where your priorities have shifted, or where your body, brain, or life has asked you to slow down, then this episode is for you.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Today, we're talking about letting go of the belief that everything matters.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, we are going to choose a one-year thing that supports your real life and more importantly, helps you decide what not to carry forward into 2026.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't about doing more, it's about choosing what deserves to stay.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: So grab your coffee, your planner, or your notes app, and let's get into it.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: The first thing you need to do is let go of the mentality that everything matters.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I know that can feel very uncomfortable to hear, especially if you're a creative, a multi-passionate person, or someone who's just been told that success comes from doing all the things.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the truth: not everything matters.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Not everything needs to get your best energy.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Overwhelm happens when all of your goals live at the same priority level.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Every idea feels urgent and you don't have a clear yes or not now filter.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, some things can be really good ideas and still be wrong for this year.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: And clarity comes when you stop asking, what could I do?
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: And instead start asking, what serves my focus right now?
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I'll be the first to tell you cancer has a way of clarifying things really fast.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because when your energy is limited, when your body says, this is all I've got today, you learn quickly that not everything can be urgent.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, most overwhelm comes from treating every goal like it's life or death.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the truth: some things matter deeply.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Some things matter eventually, and some things, well, they don't actually matter anymore.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: When I finally stopped asking myself, how do I get back to everything I was doing before?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: And instead asked, what needs me right now?
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Clarity showed up for me.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Overwhelm isn't failure, it's information.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's your system telling you we need fewer priorities right now, not better motivation.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is why I like the idea of a one-year theme, because a theme gives you permission.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: My theme, recover, becomes a filter for everything.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Not just health decisions, but what projects I say yes to, how I structure my work days, and what kind of growth I allow in my business, and what I intentionally decide to pause.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is not a productivity hack, it's a values statement.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: For me, the word recovery means building systems that support my energy.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Letting my business be stable instead of constantly expanding.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Choosing visibility strategies that compound quietly in the background instead of demand daily output.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: And your theme doesn't have to sound impressive.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: It has to be honest.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: A theme isn't a rigid plan, it's a lens.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: It helps you decide what gets attention, what gets simplified, and what gets postponed without the guilt.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Now, some sample themes might be foundation and stability, visibility with ease, focusing on SEO optimizing all your visibility streams, systems over hustle, sustainable growth.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you start to grow too fast, you start making shortcuts and that hurts your business.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Clarity before expansion.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let your business get ahead of you.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Your theme is going to answer this one question.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: If this year could only be about doing one thing well, what would that thing be?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the key your theme should support your energy, not fight it.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: This is especially important if you're recovering from burnout, if you're managing a chronic illness like me, or if you're rebuilding momentum after a really hard season.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: A good thing creates coherence.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: It makes your decisions easy and it gives you a way to check alignment without overthinking it.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: When a new opportunity pops up, you ask, does this support my theme?
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: If the answer is yes, then lean into it.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: If it's no, then say not now.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean no forever.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: It means no right now.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Move it to your future idea parking lot.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's clarity.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: And it is more strategic than any 12-step plan.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let's talk about what you're not going to be carrying forward into 2026 because this is just as important as choosing your focus.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because clarity doesn't come from adding, it comes from letting go.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Recovery has taught me something very important.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: You can't heal while dragging everything with you.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now, here are a few things that I'm personally not carrying forward.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: And you might recognize yourself in some of these too.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, I'm not carrying forward goals based on who I was before.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not rebuilding my life or my business to match an old version of me.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm building it for who I am right now.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: I am not bringing in visibility that costs too much energy.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: If a strategy requires constant output, emotional labor, or pressure to perform, it's just not aligned with my theme of recovery.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I've doubled down on the systems that work while I rest.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also not bringing in guilt for slowing down.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Slowing down isn't failure.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: As a matter of fact, sometimes it's the most intelligent move you can make.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also getting rid of the push through it mentality because recovery doesn't happen through force, it happens through support.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Letting go is not quitting, it's choosing sustainability.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: I want to remind you of a few things.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: One, you're allowed to outgrow your goals.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: You're allowed to change.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: You don't owe past you completion of a project at the expense of present you.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: And just because something worked once doesn't mean it deserves a spot in your future.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Energy is a resource.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Protect it.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need to continue to carry something just because you said yes at one point in your life.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: You're allowed to renegotiate.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Letting go will create space.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: And that space is where clarity lives.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the part I want to be very clear about.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Recovery doesn't mean disengaging from your goals, it just means building them differently.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is exactly why my work has shifted toward fewer priorities, stronger systems, and long-term visibility that doesn't require my constant energy.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now, once you have a theme, fewer priorities, and clearer boundaries, the next step is building your support systems, not relying on motivation, because motivation it comes and goes.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is where planning, visibility, and decision making start to work together in.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, this is the part most people try to DIY and then get stuck yet again.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is why I have my creative SEO members focus on one primary thing at a time.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's the entire membership is set up like a choose your own adventure.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: You pick the focus you're working on right now.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: We focus on building visibility that compounds instead of exhaust and creating plans that fit your real life and your real energy, not the life and energy you wish you had.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: And for some people, especially if you're at a big transition point or carrying a lot of mental load, this work is even more powerful in a one-on-one coaching space because sometimes what you need most isn't another strategy.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's having someone there with you helping you decide what no longer belongs.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: So as you think about 2026, I want you to remember this.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need a perfect plan, you don't need more goals, and you don't need to do everything.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: You need one clear focus and the permission to let the rest just wait.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if this episode helped you exhale just a little, I would love for you to reflect on this question.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: What do I want 2026 to feel like, not just look like?
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: You can explore my membership for ongoing guidance and systems, or apply for one-on-one coaching if you want personalized support, choosing your focus and building around it.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: All the details are linked in the show notes.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, next week, we'll talk about how to maintain momentum without burning out because clarity is powerful, but sustainability is what makes it last.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Until then, choose less, trust yourself, and keep planning like a boss.