Ending Well, Beginning Better: Your New Year Reset Guide

Your guide to ending the year with clarity and beginning the next with intention

We’ve arrived at the end of another year, and 2026 is already coming into view. Ready or not, it’s on its way. And while the holiday season has a way of filling every spare minute, this is actually the perfect time to slow your pace, look back on the year you’ve lived, and gently turn your attention toward the one ahead. 

Our bodies, minds and souls need a reset — now’s the perfect time to curate your own. 

In this post, I’m sharing my year-end system for doing just that.

By nature, I’m a planner, and I cannot — no matter how hard I try — wander into a new year with no goals. Some years are more intense than others, but I think it’s healthy to continue growing. I know I’m not perfect and never will be, but I do strive to grow areas that have room for improvement. 

The issue?

I’m never going to naturally grow in those areas without intentionality and focus — and divine intervention. So every December, I carve out a few slow, restorative days to prepare my heart, mind and systems for the year ahead. It’s not a rushed checklist or a productivity bootcamp — it’s a reset that helps me reflect deeply on the year I just lived while building a thoughtful, aligned vision for the one to come.

If you’re ready to start your own intentional planning tradition, here’s a look at what I do and why it has worked for the last eight years and counting.

But first, set a time block. Here’s why.

Because this process only happens if I intentionally make space for it, I give it its own time block on my calendar. It’s a practice I’ve discussed ad nauseum in other blog posts and podcast episodes, but that’s because it works. 

Your calendar determines your priorities, and I’ve decided this is a priority for me. Setting aside time on my calendar ensures I prioritize it and avoid scheduling work deadlines or other events over it. If you have PTO, take it!

Tips:

• Start small. For me, this time began as a simple morning at a coffee shop with my planner. As my roles and desires changed over the years, so did the components of my planning time.

• Have kids? This is much easier to accomplish before their winter break begins. Schedule time while they’re still in school so you can be fully present.

• However you decide to begin — or evolve what you may already be doing — allow for flexibility. This time is best utilized when you are aware of your needs.

I will pause here to note that my faith and spiritual development have evolved the look and feel of my New Year Reset over the years. You will see this theme throughout the components of my reflection and planning time. This has occurred because I’ve been flexible and open with how I spend this time each year.

Core Components of My New Year Reset

Each year looks different and is dependent on the year I’ve had or where exactly I want to go in the following year. These components allow for an all-encompassing reset experience that affects all parts of my life — family, work, faith, hobbies and more. Each one is incorporated to a degree (some more than others), which helps me enter the new year refreshed and ready to tackle new challenges.

1. Wellness & Renewal

I always kick off this time with some form of self-care — a massage, pedicure, facial, etc. I find it helps relieve any stress I may be carrying from a busy season at work or a fully booked holiday schedule. This is the perfect way to release the year that’s passed and look toward what lies ahead—entering the new one restored rather than depleted. 

2. Reflection

Before I set new goals, I pause long enough to look back at what I hoped to do or become in the current year.

Reflection isn’t about dwelling on the past—it’s about learning from it. 

I complete an Annual Reflection page in my planner, honestly answering questions like What were the top three moments of the year? Summarize your year in a sentence or two. What lesson(s) did you learn this year? What, if any, key decisions did you make? List some blessings you have witnessed this year. 

Other reflection activities include:

• Rereading old notes from the quarterly and monthly pages in my planner

• Looking at milestones and revisiting accomplishments

• Reviewing the vision board I created at the beginning of the year and assessing how much I was able to manifest

• Acknowledging disappointments that shaped me, as well as moments of pride and joy

This practice gives necessary context before moving forward, but it must be a time of honesty and humility. I’ve learned that I can’t plan where I’m going until I understand the journey that brought me here.

3. Prayerful Discernment

While I’ve always incorporated prayer into my planning time, this intentional time to be quiet with God is a newer addition to my New Year Reset, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite parts of the entire process — so much that I also allow similar time during my quarterly reviews.

This time has no expectations other than to make space to hear the still small voice.

Here are some ways I cultivate that:

• Guided prayer

• Bible study — usually expanding on a recent passage I’ve studied or devotional I’ve heard

• Scripture meditation — I love using this verse mapping technique by Daily Grace Co.

• Taking a walk in nature while listening to worship music

• Journaling to sense what God has taught me or highlighted over the past twelve months and where he’s leading me in the next. Sometimes it’s a theme. Sometimes it’s a verse. Sometimes it’s a conviction or an invitation.

This time isn’t about doing it “right”, it’s about quieting the noise long enough to hear the whisper beneath it. Prayerful discernment realigns my heart, recenters my priorities and reminds me of what truly matters before I make plans for the year ahead.

4. Review Mission & Core Values

Before goals, vision boards or new ideas, I revisit my anchor. What matters most to me? What person do I want to be? 

I read my personal mission statement and core values, choosing to make any tweaks if I feel they need to be refined. If you have not defined a mission statement or core values for yourself, there are lots of resources out there to walk you through this exercise.

This step keeps me from setting goals that look impressive but don’t feel aligned. 

5. Vision Board

Now that I feel spiritually and emotionally grounded, I shift into creativity and the excitement of a new year and all the possibilities it brings. This is where my goals begin taking shape.

I use this vision board book & journal set to curate a beautiful, faith-filled vision for what I want the next year to feel like. To avoid “setting it and forgetting it”, I intentionally review my Vision Board every quarter. I find myself being transported back to the cold winter day I created it — filled with hope and eagerness to continue on my journey of growth.

6. Goals!

By this point, my mind, body and spirit are ready for goal-setting. It’s another topic I’ve written and talked about on several blog posts and podcast episodes (linked below if you’d like to dive deeper), but here is the basic structure of this time:

• Define areas of focus. First, I define 3-4 areas of focus based on my core values and mission statement. I typically choose between family, work, health, home, community, spiritual growth and a few others. I select those I’d like to spend intentional time in or see growth in the coming year.

• Why are these your areas of focus? I define a Why? statement for each one. If I get off course later in the year, these statements motivate me to keep going.

  • i.e. Why is home an area of focus? To cultivate a welcoming environment that fosters fellowship and rest. If I don't pay close attention, my home can turn into a cluttered pit of disorder and chaos.

• Identify objectives. Before I set tangible goals, I think of 1-2 objectives I would like to achieve. For example, some objectives for my health focus could be to stay hydrated and rested, and to balance nutrient intake.

• Set measurable goals. Then, I define 3-4 measurable goals for each objective. Continuing with the health example, my goals could be to:

  • Stay hydrated and rested

    • Average 7+ hours of sleep per night

    • Consume 500+ oz. of water each week

  • Balance nutrient intake

    • Average ≤30% fat intake per week

    • Track food consumption daily

• Prepare a system to track progress. After setting a few measurable goals for each objective and area of focus, I finish by ensuring my weekly planner pages are ready for tracking, as well as an Action Plan spreadsheet where I can review results and make revisions on a monthly and quarterly basis. 

  
  

Sound like a lot? The good news is you can choose to make this part of the process as complex as you would like. 

If you are new to goal-setting, start small. Choose one area of focus, set 1-2 objectives and a couple of measurable goals, and commit to sticking with it for 90 days. The results will depend on the systems you have in place to track your progress, so I encourage you to check out any of the following resources for additional inspiration and encouragement. You can do it!

✨ Crush Your 2023 Goals ✨ Planning for Success ✨ Time Budgeting, Part I 🎧 Planning for Success 🎧 On Purpose Productivity

7. Celebrate!

This is the part most people skip — but I think it’s essential. After time spent reflecting, praying, planning and setting intentions, I make space for celebration. Not a big production. Not something extravagant. Just something small and enjoyable to honor the work I’ve done and the season I’m stepping into.

Sometimes it looks like a solo movie date, where I sink into a plush seat with popcorn and let my mind rest. Other times it’s wandering slowly through my favorite store with no agenda or shopping list. It might be treating myself to something I rarely buy — a fancy latte, a cozy candle, a good dessert — or a lunch date with a friend. And occasionally, the celebration is simply finding a peaceful spot to sit, exhale, read a book, and enjoy the rare luxury of doing absolutely nothing.

However it takes shape, this moment is my way of marking the shift between what was and what’s next. A gentle closing of the old year. A hopeful opening into the new. A reminder that the work I’ve done matters — and so does the grace I give myself as I move forward.

Final Thoughts

Planning for a new year isn’t just about setting goals — it’s about stepping into the next season intentionally, aligned and refreshed.

This time to reset helps me slow down, reflect, pray, dream and build a plan rooted in who I am and who I want to become. It’s equal parts self-care, soul-work and creative strategy — and it sets the tone for my entire year.

If you’re craving a calmer, more intentional start to your next chapter, consider creating your own reset routine. It doesn’t need to look like mine — it just needs to feel like you.