Fresh Starts and New Beginnings 

As we hang a brand-new calendar or crack open a fresh planner, the year ahead feels full of possibility. Pretty soon we’re going to be caught up in the routine, but before that happens, it is worth taking a few minutes to plan for the year to come. My calendar tends to fill up fast and take on a life of its own, so I’ve found that investing a little bit of time intentionally planning for the year ahead can help make everything feel more organized. Here are just a few tips and suggestions that I’ve found beneficial to starting off a new year. 

Manage Your Calendar 

There’s a lesson to be learned in calendar management: if you don’t manage it, it will manage you! Before the year gets into full swing, take a couple of minutes to think through the following activities and try to pre-plan the important things. 

1. Recurring Meetings. Let’s start easy: are there any recurring meetings that you schedule or attend that have fallen off the calendar? Before you get that new calendar invite out, pause and reflect on whether that meeting is actually critical. Only keep meetings that add value and schedule them before your calendar fills up. Going through this review process not only helps you, it keeps you and your team organized. 

2. Take a look at project milestones and any planned PTO. There is no worse feeling than trying to cram in last minute project deliverables just as you’re heading out on PTO. While we can’t always predict last-minute deadlines, for ongoing projects or annual processes (e.g., performance feedback deadlines), it is worth looking at those dates in light of any planned trips, holidays, or family events (e.g., weddings, graduations, school breaks). While you may not be able to deconflict everything, you will at least have months to plan, communicate with your team, and potentially renegotiate deadlines, before it turns into a last-minute crisis. 

3. Build in work, reflection, and planning time. One of the practices I’ve found to be most helpful is blocking off time on my calendar for my own work. I set recurring blocks on my calendar that I use to work on or review deliverables, catch up on emails and chats, and (if I’m really ahead of the game) plan and reflect on activities to come. Consider blocking time for focused work, email, and planning, during a time of day when you’re most productive or least likely to be interrupted.  

4. Schedule those routine and preventative appointments. No one wants to do these things, but getting them on the calendar will make you feel that much more prepared for the year ahead. Also, it is worth checking out the recommended health screenings based on your age and family history.  

Be Intentional about Career Goals 

It can be easy to lose track of your career or development goals, but the start of a new year is a good time to check progress. Also, if your company’s training budget restarts at the beginning of the year, this might be the best time to put in a request for a conference, certification, or training program! 

1. Think ahead about your career goals for the year. Is this the year that you’re really hoping to be promoted? If so, do you know the promotion criteria for the next role you want? Is there anything you need to do to make a promotion more likely? Consider scheduling a meeting with your supervisor to ask about what specific activities they’d recommend you focus on, whether that’s reviewing feedback or identifying training or stretch assignments. This not only ensures your supervisor is aware of your goal, but can give you important feedback on the likelihood and timing for a potential promotion.  

2. Prioritize your own development. Regardless of whether you’re thinking about a promotion, focusing on your own professional and personal growth is important. This might be the year to get involved in mentoring, either as a mentor, mentee, or both! If there are specific learning activities that you think would benefit you and your organization, now is the time to research and make those requests. Whether you want to travel to a conference, get a certification, or attend online training, researching options, developing a solid business case, and preparing for the event will make it more enjoyable and impactful. 

3. Check in on your team’s goals. If you’re a supervisor or team leader, it can also be a good opportunity to check in with your team on what they want to accomplish this year. Proactively starting that conversation can help them get started on the tips above and ensure that you’re both on the same page and working together. 

4. Start making this year’s accomplishment list. Just when you thought you checked everything off your list, it is time to start a new one! Depending on the timing of your performance cycle, this might be the perfect time to start capturing new project accomplishments, kudos, and other notable activities that you’ll want to reference in your next performance review. Starting early (and setting aside time to periodically update your progress) will make the next performance process that much easier, especially when you can barely remember the beginning of this year! 

These are just a few ideas and best practices to get you started off strong for 2026. What suggestions do you have for kicking off a new year? Here’s to a happy and healthy 2026! 

Jessica Milloy is the Chief Operating Officer of FMP, LLC. Jess is from Alexandria, Virginia and enjoys traveling, cooking, and time spent with family and friends