“2026 Goals (Part 3): How to Turn Your Plan Into Automatic Momentum”

December 27, 2025

You now have:

  • A clear 2026 vision

  • 3–5 non-negotiable outcomes

  • A North Star metric

  • 90-day Objectives & Key Results

  • A basic scoreboard & weekly meeting

Now we solve the real problem: doing this consistently after the January motivation wears off.

The truth about habits (it’s not 21 days)

You’ve probably heard “it takes 21 days to form a habit.” That’s… not true.

  • A classic study found habits took anywhere from 18 to 254 days, with an average of ~66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.Scientific American+1

  • A 2024 meta-analysis found median habit formation times around 59–66 days, with huge variation (some habits took nearly a year).PMC+1

Translation:

If you’re trying to build new routines for your school, you should think in terms of months, not weeks. And that’s normal.

That’s why we combine habits, calendar blocks, and if-then plans.

Step 1: Identify the 3–5 habits that would change everything

Look at your 2026 plan and scoreboard. Ask:

“What 3–5 recurring behaviors, if they happened almost every week for the next 12 months, would make these goals nearly inevitable?”

Examples for school owners:

  1. Daily CEO Time (45–60 minutes):

    • No email, no Slack. Just working on high-leverage projects: workforce board relationships, systems, hiring.

  2. Weekly Numbers Huddle (30 minutes):

    • Non-negotiable. Turn the scoreboard green or figure out why it’s red.

  3. Workforce/partner outreach (2–3 hours per week):

    • Calls, emails, in-person visits, and follow-ups with boards and nonprofits.

  4. Student outcomes review (1–2 hours per week):

    • Reviewing completions, withdrawals, feedback, and employer comments.

  5. Team coaching (1 hour per week):

    • Role-playing enrollment calls, handling objections, tightening scripts.

Pick no more than five. You don’t need 20 habits. You need a few important ones that run in the background of everything else.

Step 2: Use “If-Then” planning so you don’t rely on willpower

Simple example:

  • Instead of: “I’ll try to follow up with workforce boards more.”

  • You set: “If it’s Tuesday at 10am, then I’m on the phone with workforce boards for 30-60 minutes.”

For each of your 3–5 habits, write a clear If-Then rule:

  1. Weekly Numbers Huddle

    • If it’s Monday at 9:00am, then we pull up the scoreboard and do our 30-minute numbers huddle before anything else.

  2. CEO Time

    • If it’s a weekday at 8:30am, then I work on one strategic project (no email) for 45 minutes.

  3. Workforce Outreach

    • If it’s Wednesday at 2pm, then I work through my list of workforce contacts until 4pm.

  4. Student Outcomes Review

    • If it’s Thursday at 11am, then I review completions, dropouts, and placements and send action items to the team.

  5. Team Coaching

    • If it’s Friday at 1pm, then we run a 60-minute training/role-play session.

Put these directly into your calendar as recurring events.

Step 3: Design your environment so the habits are easy

Habits are easier when the environment helps you instead of fighting you.

Ask:

  • Where do I need visual cues?

  • Where do I need to remove friction?

  • Where do I need to make the “wrong” behavior harder?

Examples:

  • Put your scoreboard where every staff member walks by it daily.

  • Create saved email templates & call scripts for workforce follow-ups so outreach is “copy–paste + personalize,” not starting from scratch.

  • Use a shared digital dashboard (Notion, Airtable, Google Sheet) bookmarked on every work computer.

  • Turn off notifications during CEO time and the numbers huddle.

  • Create a Slack/Teams channel called #2026-scoreboard where you drop weekly screenshots of progress.

Your goal: make the right behavior obvious, easy, and satisfying.

Step 4: Stop doing it alone (mentors, coaches, and peers)

You already know this, but the numbers back it up:

  • Around 92% of small business owners say mentors and coaches directly impact their growth and survival.

  • About 70% of entrepreneurs with mentors survive five years or more—double the rate of those without mentoring.Luisa Zhou

For 2026, decide:

  • Who is holding me accountable to this plan?

  • Which community or coach will I lean on when things get messy?

  • Who on my team will own tracking and updating the scoreboard each week?

Even if you’re a solo owner, you don’t have to do this solo.

Step 5: Build a simple monthly “reset” ritual

Once a month, do a 90-minute reset:

  1. Review the scoreboard for the last 4 weeks.

  2. Ask:

    • Which Objective is on track / off track?

    • Which habit was most consistent? Least?

  3. Update your 90-day plan if reality has changed.

  4. Re-read your December 31, 2026 story.

  5. Write down 3 big moves for the next month:

    • Example:

      • Lock in 1 new workforce board

      • Hire 1 admissions rep

      • Clean up our student follow-up system

Over a year, that’s 12 structured “course corrections” instead of waiting until December to realize you missed the mark.

ACTION ITEM – School Owner Homework

  1. Choose 3–5 habits that drive your 2026 outcomes.

  2. Write If-Then rules for each and put them in your calendar.

  3. Create or join at least one structure of accountability (coach, peer group, mentor).

  4. Schedule a monthly 90-minute reset for all of 2026.

  5. Print your 2026 story and keep it visible where you work.

Do this and 2026 becomes less about “trying harder” and more about running a system.

Reader Corner (for non-school owners)

Same exact playbook for your life:

  • Choose 3–5 habits tied to your 2026 goals:

    • Walk 8–10K steps/day

    • Track every dollar you spend

    • Read 10 pages every night

    • Eat at home 5 nights a week

  • Write If-Then rules:

    • If it’s 7pm, then I put my phone in the kitchen and read for 20 minutes.

    • If it’s Sunday at 5pm, then I review my bank accounts for 15 minutes.

  • Use a simple tracker:

    • A calendar you check off

    • A notes app

    • A whiteboard on your fridge

  • Once a month, do a personal reset:

    • Look at your numbers

    • Adjust your plan

    • Re-read your December 31, 2026 letter

Until next time, control what YOU can control, take action on something, and don’t forget to smile. Like what you read? Here’s how you can help:  Share this newsletter with friends who could use a boost. Sharing is caring! Connect with me on X (formerly Twitter) – let's chat and support each other. Find me at @Trade Schools Secrets-WIOA Whisperer (https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.NbFuuwrtVixC8Mrf9ptxWPFTyHDJSKDjK8e4SiFVNG2reUm4WnA7xtBzxLoOtWj3axNA33kzNBRJPXJYMwXXF6bpcDrkWs1tRqSACEtUaX