Introduction
Welcome back to the weekly newsletter & Happy New Year!
New year. Clean slate. One plan. Instead of vague wishes, we’ll set one core objective in four areas: Health, Career, Family & Friends, Personal Development; and make them work together. This is your one-page map for 2026. Simple, sharp, doable.
Big lists often don’t work. A Year Goal Matrix focuses your firepower. One clear target per life area removes noise, prevents goal collisions, and keeps your week aligned. When each box has a single win, progress compounds without chaos. Here’s how to design yours for the whole year, and actually live it.
Weekly highlight: The Year Goal Matrix
Bucket lists feel inspiring, then stall. A matrix forces trade-offs. One outcome per box means clarity. Clarity drives action. Action builds momentum. Momentum, repeated, becomes your year.
The four boxes to fill
- Health: choose a capability or metric that improves everything else (e.g., “Run a 5K in 26:00,” “Sleep 7h average,” “3 strength sessions/week all year”).
- Career: anchor to value, not ego (e.g., “Deliver X project with Y impact,” “Own a higher-difficulty problem,” “Earn role scope increase”).
- Family & Friends: design presence, not just events (e.g., “Weekly no-phone dinner,” “Monthly 1:1s,” “Quarterly trip with parents”).
- Personal Development: pick one skill that multiplies you (e.g., “Data storytelling,” “Executive writing,” “Public speaking - 10 reps”).
Make targets measurable and weekly-driven
Year goals die when they’re distant. Convert each to a weekly controllable.
- Health: “3 runs/week” makes “5K in 26:00” inevitable.
- Career: “Deep work 2×60 min on the flagship project before noon, Mon–Thu.”
- Family & Friends: “One planned connection slot every Wednesday evening.”
- Personal Development: “Two 45-min practice blocks; one public output per week.”
Align goals so they don’t fight
Conflicts kill consistency. If Career needs early deep work, set Health training before or after work, not across it. If Family night is Wednesday, defend it in the calendar and shift development or work to Tuesday/Thursday. Treat the week as a puzzle: pieces must fit.
Build proof as you go
Don’t wait for December. Capture light proof tied to each box: pace screenshots, shipped project links, calendar photos from family nights, short learning outputs. Proof fuels belief; belief fuels consistency.
Quarterly checkpoints without drama
Keep the frame tight: “Continue / Tweak / Replace.”
- Continue if the weekly controllable works.
- Tweak if the metric is right but the method drags.
- Replace only if life changed and the target no longer fits your North Star. No guilt - just clean decisions.
Example matrix (clean and realistic)
- Health: 3 strength + 1 cardio session/week → mid-year: body-weight pull-ups ×5.
- Career: Lead cost-to-serve reduction, target –8% by Q4 → 4× deep-work blocks/week.
- Family & Friends: Wednesday dinner + one monthly 1:1.
- Personal Development: Executive writing → publish one memo each Friday.
The mindset that sustains it
Small wins, defended time, boring consistency. You don’t need hype. You need a clock, a calendar, and the discipline to protect them. One page. Four boxes. Fifty-two calm, repeatable weeks.
Application
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Draft your matrix: one sentence per box (Health, Career, Family & Friends, Personal Development).
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Define the weekly controllable for each. Keep it observable.
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Block the week: place the controllables first; let everything else fit around them.
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Set quarterly checkpoint dates now (end of Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec).
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Create a proof folder with four subfolders. Drop quick evidence each week.
Summary
A Year Goal Matrix turns 2026 into four focused wins, powered by weekly controllables. No clutter. No guessing. Just alignment, proof, and steady lift. Fill the boxes. Guard the time. Let the year compound.
All the best in 2026,
Maciej
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