Your 90-Day Sprint: Planning Q1 2026 for Success

Stop setting goals you'll abandon by February. Here's how to make Q1 2026 the foundational quarter.

The Problem with January

It's December. And if you're like most leaders I work with, you're already thinking about 2026.

New year. Fresh start. This time will be different.

You'll finally get on top of your workload. Set better boundaries. Stop bringing work stress home. Lead with more confidence and less overwhelm.

Sound familiar?

Here's the pattern: Ambitious goals in January. Buried under urgent demands by February. Quietly abandoning most of them by March. And by April, telling yourself you'll start fresh next quarter.

The cycle repeats because you're setting goals for a leader who has unlimited stamina, uninterrupted focus and predictable workloads.

You're not that leader. You never will be. And pretending you are is why your plans keep failing.

What I Learned the Hard Way

I spent over 20 years in corporate environments – 12 of those in learning delivery and operations leadership. I know what Q1 looks like for leaders like you.

New strategic priorities from the C-suite. Budget planning. Team restructures. Year-end performance reviews bleeding into January. Stakeholders returning from holiday with "urgent" requests. Your team looking to you for direction while you're still catching your breath from December.

And somewhere in all of that, you're supposed to execute your personal goals too.

For years, I did what everyone does: I set goals in January. I pushed harder. I told myself I just needed better discipline. And every year, I ended Q1 exhausted, behind and wondering why it never achieved permanence.

It wasn't until after my burnout in 2020 – when my body forced me to stop that I realised the problem. I wasn't failing because I lacked ambition or capability. I was failing because I was designing goals for perfect conditions that never came.

The fact remains, Q1 is never calm. It's never predictable. And planning like it will be is why you’re engineering a setback.

Your Reality-Based Q1 2026 Plan

Forget resolutions. Forget aspirational goal setting. Here's how to plan Q1 in a way that generates benefit when you're leading in a high-pressure environment.

1.     Choose Three Goals Maximum – And Make Them Non-Negotiable

Most leaders create a wish-list disguised as a plan. I know – I did this for years. The result was constant guilt for what I wasn't achieving.

Pick three goals that genuinely change how you lead – not just how much you do.

Ask yourself:

~ What's draining my energy, clarity or confidence right now?

~ What would make the biggest difference to how I show up at work?

~ What would I regret not addressing in Q1?

Broad focus guarantees stagnation.

Example goals that work:

Establish one protected thinking block per week (no meetings, no interruptions)

Stop checking emails after 7pm

Delegate three recurring tasks that don't need my direct involvement

Notice what these have in common? They're specific, measurable and designed to remove friction – not add more to your plate.

2. Design Your Q1 for Reality, Not Ideal Conditions

Goals fail when the path only works on perfect weeks. And after 23 years in corporate environments, I can tell you: perfect weeks don't exist in Q1.

Design your goals for:

~ Busy weeks when your calendar is back-to-back

~ Low-energy weeks when willpower is scarce

~ Unexpected crises that pull you into firefighting mode

~ Workloads you can't fully control

Ask yourself: "If next week turns into chaos, can I still make progress on this goal?"

If the answer is no, your goal isn't realistic – it's aspirational. And aspirational goals don't survive contact with reality.

Practical example:

Instead of: "Exercise 5 times per week"Try: "Move my body for 20 minutes, 3 times per week – even if it's just a walk between meetings"

The second version survives chaos. The first doesn't.

3. Build Accountability That Isn't Based on Willpower

Self-accountability sounds empowering. But in practice, it's just figuring it out alone with no safety net.

The practical formula for Q1 achievement:

~ Structure that removes decision fatigue: Block time in your calendar for your goals like you'd block time for stakeholder meetings. If it's not scheduled, it won't happen.

~ Boundaries that protect your capacity: Decide in advance what you'll say no to. Q1 is when requests flood in – you need your "no" ready before you're asked.

~ Someone who'll call out your stories: You need someone who'll challenge you when you say "I don't have time" or "This isn't the right quarter" or "I'll start properly in April."

Trust me on this: I tried the solo route for two decades. It destroyed me. You need people in your corner.

This is why I work with leaders one-on-one for three months. Not because change takes three months – but because Q1 requires a trusted source who knows your patterns and won't let you slip back into old habits when pressure mounts.

4. Review Weekly, Adjust Without Guilt

High-performing leaders don't wait until March to admit something isn't performing as intended. They engage in rapid, unapologetic iteration.

Set a 15-minute weekly review:

~ What worked this week?

~ What didn't?

~ What needs to change for next week?

Your goals aren't a test of character. They're tools. And tools evolve.

If something isn't working by mid-January, change it. Don't wait until March to acknowledge reality.

The Cost of Not Planning Differently This Time

You've been here before. December planning. January optimism. February overwhelm. March abandonment.

How many more years are you going to tell yourself you'll make it work "this time"?

Here's what another failed Q1 costs you:

Your confidence: Every unmet goal takes something from you. By April, it's not the lost time that hurts – it's that you've stopped believing you're capable.

Your energy: Pushing through Q1 without structure means you hit Q2 critically depleted. This isn't leading; it's just damage control.

Your team: When you are stressed, scattered and paralysed by doubt, your team feels it. They stop trusting your decisions because you don't trust them either.

Your health: Constant low-level stress compounds. What feels manageable in January forces you to stop by March. (I know – this was my pattern for two decades before my body made the decision for me.)

Why Work With Me in Q1 2026?

I've spent the last 7 years coaching leaders through exactly this: the gap between the goals they set and the reality they're living.

Here's what makes my approach different:

I've lived your world. 23 years in corporate environments, 12 in learning delivery and operations leadership. I'm not projecting what Q1 demands; I've already done the groundwork.

I specialise in sustainable change, not quick fixes. This is about intelligence over intensity: designing methods that hold up when everything else is shaking.

I'm direct. You won't get gentle encouragement. You'll get honest feedback and practical tools that pay off in high-octane environments.

I ensure my actions translate directly into meaningful progress. Not 10 goals. Not vague aspirations. Three specific targets that alter your leadership style – not just your to-do list.

Make Q1 2026 Different

The leaders who succeed in Q1 won't be the ones who hustle harder.

They'll be the ones who planned for the reality of leadership – not the fantasy of it.

Three months. £875. The structure and support to make Q1 the quarter that takes off.

Book a free intro call to discuss how we can work together.

Or download the Stress Test to see where you stand right now and what needs to shift before Q1 starts.

You'll set goals for Q1 2026. Everyone does. But will yours survive past February?

You can't afford a repeat of past Q1 struggles. So commit to planning for success this time.

Want support to finish the year with clarity and control? My Stress Shifter Newsletter gives you practical tools to manage stress and reclaim your leadership edge.

Feeling like you've been holding back? Download Back to Bold – 3 quick, practical reclaims to step back into your presence and confidence.

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