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How to Plan Your Best Year Ever: A Guide to Designing a Life You Love

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably started a new year with big dreams and even bigger goals—only to feel frustrated when life pulls you back into the same old patterns. I’ve been there. But I’m here to tell you: This year can be different. When I finally took the time to design my life with intention, everything changed. That’s what I want for you.

In my book Level Up Your Life, I share the tools I’ve used to create a life of purpose, joy, and balance. Here’s how you can use these strategies to plan your best year ever.

Step 1: Get Clear on Your Most Important Things (MITs)

Before you dive into resolutions or goal-setting, take a step back. Ask yourself: What truly matters most in my life? When I first did this exercise, I realized that I had been spending so much energy on things that didn’t align with my values. It was a wake-up call!

Here’s how you can find your MITs:

  1. Make a List: Write down everything that’s important to you—family, health, career, friendships, hobbies, self-care. Don’t hold back.

  2. Narrow It Down: Circle your top eight priorities. Then (this is the hard part!) choose just three. These are your Most Important Things. They’ll guide how you spend your time, energy, and focus.

  3. Put Yourself First: Your well-being needs to be at the center. You can’t show up for your family, career, or passions if you’re running on empty.

Once you have your MITs, compare them to your daily schedule. Are you spending time on what matters most? If not, it’s time to make some changes.

Step 2: Assess Your Life with the Wheel of Life

Here’s how it works:

  1. Draw Your Wheel: On a blank piece of paper, draw a circle and divide it into eight sections. Each section represents an area of life—like health, relationships, career, and personal growth.

  2. Score Yourself: Rate how satisfied you feel in each area on a scale of 1 to 10. For example, if your health is thriving, you might give it an 8 or 9. If your friendships feel neglected, you might rate it a 3.

  3. Reflect and Focus: Once you’ve rated each area, connect the dots to create a visual “wheel.” It’s probably not perfectly round—mine wasn’t! Use this insight to choose one or two areas to work on this year.

You don’t have to fix everything at once. Small, focused changes can make a huge difference over time.

Step 3: Dream Big with “Have. Do. Be.”

Most resolutions fail because they’re vague and uninspiring. Instead of setting generic goals, I use a simple but powerful exercise I call “Have. Do. Be.” This is your chance to dream about the life you want and start mapping out how to create it.

  1. What Do You Want to Have? Write down the things you want in your life—both tangible and intangible. For me, this included a peaceful home, meaningful work, and more quality time with my family.

  2. What Do You Want to Do? Think about the experiences you want to create. Maybe you want to travel, build a stronger relationship, or take up a new hobby.

  3. Who Do You Want to Be? Reflect on how you want to show up in the world. Do you want to be calm, focused, or adventurous? For me, this exercise was a game-changer in aligning my goals with the person I wanted to become.

Step 4: Turn Your Vision into Action

Now that you have a clear picture of what matters most, it’s time to turn those dreams into action. Start by setting aside dedicated time to plan your year. I like to do this during the quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s, but you can do it anytime. Find a space that inspires you, grab your journal, and start mapping out your goals.

I break my goals into smaller, 90-day “sprints.” Focusing on one quarter at a time keeps me from feeling overwhelmed. Pick just a few habits to work on each month, and track your progress in your journal.

This Is Your Year

Planning your best year ever isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. It’s about aligning your time and energy with the things that truly matter, and finding joy in the journey.

You don’t have to wait for some big life event or perfect moment to start. The life you want is created one day, one habit, one choice at a time. Let’s make this year the one where you finally Level Up and live the life you’ve always imagined.