Most New Year’s resolutions feel like surfing when you paddle into waves with no plan.

2026-01-01

Most New Year’s resolutions feel like surfing when you paddle into waves with no plan. A lot of effort. Not much forward motion. And by mid-January, you’re tired. But if you answer the three questions below and commit to the answers, the quarter starts to feel different. Less thrashing. More cruising. Like you’re finally catching the wave instead of fighting the ocean. Instead, you need a simple strategy for how you’ll move forward, and it begins with three questions. Take 15 minutes this week and answer them. Write the answers down. 1) What should I keep doing? What’s already working that I’m tempted to abandon because it feels “too small”? Maybe it’s planning tomorrow the night before. Maybe it’s double-checking numbers so there are no surprises. Maybe it’s starting the day with 60 minutes of uninterrupted work before Slack opens. Progress usually comes from repeating the boring things long enough to compound. 2) What should I stop doing? What’s quietly draining time and attention? Putting out the same fires instead of building a system. Saying yes to every request and turning my week into other people’s priorities. Avoiding a hard conversation that would save months of slow frustration. A lot of growth is subtraction. 3) What should I start doing? What’s one small habit that would change the trajectory of the next 90 days? A weekly debrief: where did my time actually go? A protected deep-work block on the calendar, every day. A standing “decision hour” each week so I don’t carry open loops in my head. The point isn’t motivation. It’s ownership. No one is going to design my quarter for me. If I don’t choose what matters, my calendar will choose for me. What’s one thing you’ll keep, one thing you’ll stop, and one thing you’ll start this quarter? hashtag # productivity hashtag # leadership hashtag # execution hashtag # habits hashtag # focus hashtag # startups