Be Prolific

Goal setting used to take me days.
This year, it took me a few hours.
That’s because I’m not deciding which goals to strive for.
I’m just walking the path that’s aligned with my vision.

Results are a byproduct.

Going into 2026, instead of setting goals, I’ve scheduled routines.
I’ve accepted that short daily practices yield results long term.
(Despite my inner voice urging me to “do more” at once.)
Achievement doesn’t come from Herculean effort.

It comes from essence.

A runner runs.
A writer writes.
A creator creates.

When you’re clear on vision, alignment comes down to two things:

Do more of what’s working.
Do less of what’s not.

This post is about getting clear on what is essential for you in 2026.

Ask yourself, “What do I want to be true in…5 years, 1 year, 90 days?”

Write down your answers. Don’t spend too much time. Then make two lists:

Pick one habit from each list to focus on this quarter.

You’d be surprised to see how small habits produce big results in a year.

To that end, I’ve found it helpful to have a Maxim.

So when you notice you’re getting off track, you can bring yourself back to center.

My Maxim this year is Be Prolific. 

It’s my reminder to do more writing and less scrolling. 

Pull up your calendar and add time blocks for your ideal day.

Within each block, list 2-3 activities you could work on.

Here's what this looks like for me:

This gives you structure while still having flexibility to work on what’s energizing.

And it’s helped me break the hyperfocus-crash cycles I used to operate on. 

You can pick up where you left off in the next block without the pressure to finish at once.

I’m most creative in the morning. So I’m committed to creative output first thing.

Then I open my calendar for meetings after 11a.

This way, I’ve done what I need to do first before playing with others.

I discovered this rhythm through keeping a journal.

Just like you debrief campaigns with your team to improve performance, debriefing with yourself keeps you moving forward. 

I used to write 10 goals and 10 blessings every day. 

That morphed into keeping a daily log of 3 wins before bed (which often includes losses reframed as lessons).

This serves as the basis of my monthly reviews where I scan daily wins for patterns and decide what to do more and less of the next month….

Which feeds into my next 90 day plan. (Here is the template I use.)

Last February I added 3 pages of stream of consciousness journaling in the morning. Handwritten. No editing. Just raw thinking on paper.

I picked up this habit from reading The Artist’s Way and it completely changed my creative output. 

- Get a mirror of your thinking patterns and stories
- Sharpen your intuition
- Release emotions before they cloud your day
- Receive directives for what matters

It’s the most powerful tool I’ve found to stay connected to vision and take aligned action.

That’s why I started an The Artist’s Way Book Club.

The next Artist Way Book Club starts Monday, Jan 12th and goes through March.

I send a newsletter per week on the chapter ahead.

Then we meet twice a month. Once online. Once in person. (Austin, TX)

Since this book is meant to be read over 12 weeks, we’ll meet a total of 6 times between January and March. 

12 weeks, as you know, is about 90 days.

It’s a long enough period to build new habits, shed old ones, and reset your trajectory.

If there’s a creative project you want to achieve in 2026, this will help you.

(And you’ll have an amazing group of peers to support the process.)

Or if you simply want to recover your sense of creativity, you’ll come away with a new perspective to live as an artist every day.

Message me if you want in!

I’d love to have you be a part of it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and cheers to 2026 🥂

-Annabel