2026 Goals That Actually Work for Your Creative Brain
Last week, we dug into your 2025 wins (even if your tracking was less than perfect), and I hope you discovered some surprises in that review process. Maybe you realized you created way more than you thought. Maybe you identified patterns about when you're most productive or which activities drain your energy. Maybe you finally saw how much you actually accomplished despite feeling like the year flew by in a blur.
Now comes the fun part – and the tricky part. How do you take all those insights and turn them into a 2026 plan that actually works? One that doesn't fall apart by February? One that honors both your business ambitions and your actual human life?
I learned this lesson the hard way a few years ago when I was sitting in a gorgeous Parisian apartment, laptop open at 11 PM, trying to run a coaching call while my family was out experiencing the city without me. The time difference meant my normal afternoon calls happened during their dinner time. I'd planned every aspect of my business year perfectly – except I'd forgotten to plan for my life first.
That trip to Paris changed how I approach annual planning forever. Now, I'm going to share the goal-setting method that's kept my business growing for eight years while still allowing me to be present for the moments that matter.
The Backwards Planning Method That Changes Everything
Here's where most creative entrepreneurs go wrong with planning: they start with their business goals. "I want to make six figures." "I want to launch four new products." "I want to grow my email list to 10,000." Then they try to squeeze their life around those goals.
But what if you flipped that completely?
What if you started by blocking out your life first, then built your business goals to fit within the space that remains?
I know this might sound counterintuitive – maybe even a little scary if you're worried about scaling back your ambitions. But stay with me, because this approach has actually helped me achieve more in my business, not less.
Here's how it works:
Step 1: Block Your Non-Negotiables First
Get out that wall calendar with the Post-it notes we talked about last week (or whatever calendar system works for you). Before you add a single business goal or launch date, block out:
Family commitments: Vacations, school breaks, important birthdays, anniversaries. That Paris trip? It goes on the calendar first now, with buffer days on either side so I'm not scrambling to prepare right before we leave or playing catch-up the moment we return.
Personal health: Regular doctor appointments, dental cleanings, that weekly yoga class that keeps you sane. If you don't schedule these first, they'll get pushed aside when business gets busy.
Creative restoration time: This one's crucial for creative entrepreneurs. When do you need to step away and refill your creative well? For me, it's the week between Christmas and New Year's, plus a full week in summer where I don't touch my computer.
Seasonal energy patterns: Remember that energy audit from your 2025 review? Use it. If December is always exhausting for you, don't plan a major launch for January. If spring makes you feel wildly creative, that's when to schedule your most ambitious projects.
Step 2: Identify Your Available Business Seasons
Once your non-negotiables are blocked, look at what remains. You'll probably notice natural "seasons" emerge in your calendar – chunks of focused work time between personal commitments.
In my business, I've identified four main seasons:
Winter Focus (January-March): Perfect for deep creation and course development
Spring Launch (April-May): High energy for launching and promoting
Summer Light (June-August): Maintenance mode with lighter commitments
Fall Harvest (September-November): Another high-energy period for launches and enrollment
Your seasons might look completely different, and that's perfect. The point is to work with your natural rhythms, not against them.
Step 3: The Power of Three (Not Thirty)
Now here's where we get strategic about goals. Instead of creating a list of 20 things you want to accomplish in 2026, choose three. Yes, just three major goals for the entire year.
I can hear some of you panicking. "But Anne, I have so many ideas! So many things I want to create!"
I get it. Our creative brains are idea machines. But here's what I've learned: accomplishing three meaningful goals is infinitely more satisfying – and profitable – than half-finishing ten.
Your three goals should be:
Specific enough to measure: Not "grow my business" but "add 2,000 email subscribers"
Aligned with your seasons: Launch-heavy goals go in your high-energy seasons
Building on what worked in 2025: Remember those insights from your review? Use them.
For example, my 2026 three might be:
Create and launch the next level of Pattern Design Academy (Winter/Spring)
Grow the Creative Business Mastermind to 20 members (ongoing with pushes in Spring/Fall)
Develop a new entry-level offer for beginners (Summer creation, Fall launch)
Step 4: The Supporting Cast System
Your three main goals are the stars of the show, but they need a supporting cast. These are the ongoing activities that keep your business humming along:
Weekly blog posts (like this one!)
Email newsletters
Social media presence
Client work or membership support
Regular income streams
The key is to systematize these as much as possible so they don't drain energy from your three main goals. Batch create content, set up templates, use scheduling tools. Make the supporting cast activities as automatic as you can.
The Monthly Reality Check
Here's where the Post-it note system becomes even more powerful. At the end of each month, do a quick reality check:
Move the Post-its: Did that project take longer than expected? Move the Post-it notes. No shame, no judgment, just adjusting to reality.
Check your energy: Are you trying to push through a natural low-energy time? Give yourself permission to slow down.
Celebrate progress: Did you move forward on one of your three goals, even a little bit? That's worth celebrating.
Adjust the plan: Life happens. Kids get sick. Opportunities arise. Challenges appear. Your plan should be flexible enough to accommodate reality.
The Permission Slips You Need for 2026
As you create your 2026 plan, I want to give you some permission slips that took me years to give myself:
Permission to do less: Fewer offers, fewer launches, fewer products can actually lead to more income when you focus on doing them really well.
Permission to say no: Every yes to one thing is a no to something else. Choose your yeses carefully.
Permission to repeat what works: You don't need to reinvent everything every year. If something worked in 2025, do it again in 2026.
Permission to rest: Rest is not a reward for finishing everything. It's a requirement for sustaining everything.
Permission to be human: You're not a machine. You're a creative human running a business. Plan accordingly.
Your 2026 Planning Action Steps
Ready to turn your 2025 review into a 2026 plan that actually works? Here's your homework:
Today: Pull out your calendar and block your non-negotiables for 2026. Every family trip, every school break, every personal commitment goes on there first.
This Week: Identify your three main goals for 2026. Write them down. Put them somewhere you'll see them daily.
Before December 31: Map out your business seasons and assign each of your three goals to the seasons where they make most sense.
January 2026: Don't try to do everything at once. Focus on starting strong with just one of your three goals.
The Bottom Line
Remember that Paris trip where I was stuck on Zoom calls instead of enjoying dinner with my family? That never happens anymore. Not because I work less – my business has actually grown significantly since then. But because I finally learned that planning my life first doesn't limit my business success; it enhances it.
When you honor your personal needs and natural rhythms, you show up to your business with more energy, more creativity, and more focus. You make better decisions. You create better work. You serve your customers better.
Your 2025 review gave you the insights. Now it's time to use them to create a 2026 plan that honors both your business dreams and your actual life.
Because here's what I know for sure: The best business plan is the one you'll actually follow. And the plan you'll actually follow is the one that treats you like a human being, not a productivity machine.
So as you sit down to plan your 2026, start with life first. Block those family trips. Schedule that creative restoration time. Honor your energy patterns.
Then, and only then, add your business goals.
Trust me, your future self (and your family) will thank you.
Three Ways to Work with Me
If you're ready to take your creative confidence to the next level, there are three ways I can support your journey:
To get started in surface pattern design: Grab a copy of my From Doodles to Dollars® workbook. This is a downloadable PDF with the step by step instructions for how to turn a doodle or sketch into a repeating pattern. You’ll create your very first repeating pattern and gain the foundation skills to begin expressing your artistic voice in a new, exciting way.
If you've already made repeating patterns in Adobe Illustrator and you want to up-level your skills: Join the self-study version of my Pattern Design Academy® program. You get the complete program, with lifetime access and $500 off the regular price of $1,997. Click HERE for details.
If you're already running a successful creative business and you want guidance on how to expand online: Apply for my Creative Business Mastermind. This program is limited to 20 students and is designed to help you scale and achieve greater profitability using my proven 6-part framework.
Your creative voice is valuable. Your artistic perspective matters. The world needs what you have to offer.
Right now, in this season of reflection and giving, it’s the perfect time to begin trusting the voice that's been waiting patiently inside you all along.
The sketchbook is ready. The season is perfect. Your voice is calling.
What’s the perfect next step for you?
xo,
Anne
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
If you enjoyed this blog please share it with your friends, family and creative colleagues. Check out my favorite resources by clicking the red button below.
The Creative Business Spark Podcast.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.
Create your very first repeating pattern by following my Three Golden Rules. Grab this downloadable PDF workbook and get started today.
Get started for just $10.00. Click HERE for details.
Up level your surface pattern design skills and learn at your own pace in The Pattern Design Academy® Self-Study Program!
Get $500 off at checkout. Click HERE for details.
The Creative Business Mastermind is my highest level program. Learn how to implement the 6-part framework I used to build my creative business from scratch.
By application only. Click HERE for details.
MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
