Stop Just “Doing”: A Founder’s Guide to Intentional Planning for 2026

Right now: is exactly the moment to pause, step back, and plan how you want to deliver 2026 for your business. Simply rolling into the new year doing more of what you did last year may feel safe, but it is rarely the best way to grow a business. 

Founders may have a five-year vision in mind, yet in reality a large number are so busy dealing with today’s emails, clients, and fires to put out that any actual planning never quite happens. This article is about creating space to think, decide, and move into 2026 with intention rather than momentum alone.

The objective of planning is to ensure you have a clear path to success. That you have thought through what you want to do this year. We are overwhelmed by the sheer amount if work and input, which is most often the cause of why your best laid plans die a silent death.

Remember my article on the Pinball solution? If you haven’t read it then here’s a link to it here.

If you recognize yourself in the above description, then how about taking a different tack to 2026. Spend some time creating an achievable plan for the year.

I recommend you make a list of things you want to do for your business. It can be as long as you like and can cover more than 1 year of planning. Now prioritize them, which year should you do this in, select the top 10 for 2026 and add major dependencies to each of those. If that increases the top 10 by more than 50%, then reduce the initial top 10 to a top 5. Now redo the dependencies.

A major dependency is where you have a campaign you want to start but you have to re-do your website completely. Or you might need to apply for licenses to sell something and that process could be difficult and time consuming. If that is the case you need to look at the value of this for your business. Ask yourself will this cost, time and effort give you ROI that will materially improve and/or grow your business. If yes then map it out and plan it.

Selecting your Top 10 which you must achieve in 2026 and which will drive your business forward will help you deliver growth and then free up time later to pick up on the rest of the things on the long list.

Some things will take months to accomplish, and some things only take 2-3 weeks to do. This means you should be making the things that move your business forward that only takes 2-3 weeks as your first batch of actions. This could be things such as:

1. Design and launch new Newsletter format
2. Update your customer policy
3. Lock in new public training dates for 2026
4. Research project that increases your efficiency
5. Post job ads to increase your team
6. Create an onboarding process and teach someone in your team to deliver it

Once you have your long-term strategic list in place you need to break that down into quarterly targets so you can see what you need to do when in the year. Here is what that could look like:

Planning can feel uncomfortable. It forces you to make choices, say no to ideas you like, and accept that not everything will happen this year. But without those choices, the year will simply fill itself up.

Over the years, I’ve realised that many founders understand this in theory, but struggle to do it alone. That’s why I’ve created a practical workshop where we sit down together and work through this process step by step. You will leave with a clear long list, a realistic set of priorities for 2026, and a way to turn those priorities into daily actions using the 4-MDT approach. This is not about motivation or vision boards, it is about building a plan you can actually execute.

I have a which 4-MDT plan for every working day of the week. This means I make a list of the 4 most important things that I must achieve today.  This list is my must do list for the day. Anything on the list must be something that moves my business forward.

We all have tendencies to procrastinate and then either do nothing or focus on things that really are not important in the grand scheme of things. I certainly do. You might listen too much to people who are trying to move their things forward with the help of your network. This list is based on the question do I really need to do this today?

For example: I must speak to so and so about a connection he has that might help me in 3 months’ time.

Do I know for a fact that this person can help bring my business forward. Are they selling me a dream?  Is it guaranteed that they will invest in me, that their priorities are aligned with mine to the extent that they can directly and positively impact my revenue stream? 

If the answer is no, then it should NOT go on the 4-MDT list.

Or I might need to pay a bill, but I need to get some details in place before I will be ready. The due date is in 3 weeks. Should I spend the time today or can I do this next week when I have cleared other must do items. 

I love writing articles, whitepapers and content. This means I spend time researching and writing. This passion is good for me, for people who read what I write and learn from my experiences. BUT should I prioritise that over other activities in my business? Not if my business is CMBN and we need to drive other things forward. If the paper is part of a campaign that needs to start right now then yes. It’s all about where in the process an action fits and when it will be needed. Should I pay salaries before I submerge myself into trawling social media for new clients?

Remember that the items on the 4-MDTs is not the only thing you should do today – they are the things that must be done today. If you finish them by 11am hurrah, now you can spend time addressing items on the long list or bring things from tomorrow’s 4-MDT list forward and do those today.

The long list is where everything goes. It is not a plan, a priority list, or something you need to tidy up. It is simply a place to capture all the ideas, tasks, improvements, and changes that sit in your head when you think about the year ahead. This can include growth goals, new services, hiring plans, systems you want to fix, marketing ideas, things that annoy you, and even activities you want to stop doing. The purpose of the long list is to get everything out of your head and onto paper so you can see it clearly.

What makes the long list powerful is that it removes pressure. You are not committing to doing everything on it. You are creating visibility. Once everything is written down, it becomes much easier to recognise that not all items are equal and that many simply cannot happen at the same time. The long list gives you options and context. It becomes the raw material from which you decide what belongs in this year, what can wait, and what no longer deserves your time at all.

The long list gives direction. The 4-MDT list gives execution.

2026 does not need to be bigger, busier, or more exhausting than last year. It needs to be clearer. When you know what matters, what can wait, and what must be done today, decision-making becomes easier and progress becomes visible. Planning is not about predicting the future, it is about giving yourself a structure that helps you move forward even when things change.

Sample from my 2026 planning tool

If you would like help building your 2026 plan in a structured and supportive environment, I invite you to join my upcoming planning workshop on January 14th. We will work through your priorities together and translate them into actions you can start using immediately. Contact us for registration details.