A Better Way to Plan for 2026

As promised, this week I want to talk about planning for 2026. Before we get into the details, I want to share one simple recommendation. Let go of annual planning. It does not work. It is the business equivalent of buying a gym membership in January. There is plenty of excitement at the start, but most of it fades a few weeks later.

You need a plan built around productivity. Something simple, practical, and easy to follow with confidence.

Here is how to build it.

Start with your goal
Decide on the one outcome you want to achieve next year. Make it clear enough that it gives you direction. For most agents this is GCI or number of transactions. At the end of the day we all want to grow our income and our business, and everything else flows from that.

Define your business priorities
These are the activities that keep your business healthy. For most agents the core priorities are finding new business, converting leads to clients, serving the clients already in motion, and staying in touch with your past clients so they send referrals and return when they are ready to move again.

List five strategies for each priority
These are the groups of actions that create real movement. Keep them simple, repeatable, and easy to place into your schedule. Think about the clusters of activity that support each priority. For example, should you be doing one unsolicited CMA each week for a past client?

Create a weekly plan of action
This is where your strategies turn into daily activity. Ask yourself a simple question. Can you complete one or two action items each day that belong to one of your strategies? You will still deal with the fires of the day, but if you complete that one or two actions, you made real progress.

Protect three hours each week for income producing work
Only three hours. Make them non negotiable. When you consistently protect this time, your business grows. I have seen this pattern again and again in top performers.

Rewrite your list every week
Do not carry it in your head. Refresh it. Rewrite it. Realign it. This keeps your attention on what matters now. What needs to be dialed up? What needs to be dialed down?

After twelve weeks, pause. Review your results. Reset your priorities. Take a week to breathe. Then start a new twelve week cycle with fresh focus.

This approach works because shorter cycles create clarity. Weekly planning builds urgency. Small actions create consistency. And consistency wins every time. If you’ve read the Atomic habits, the author says “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” This gives you a system you can rely on.

I have been teaching this in several offices over the last week, and tomorrow I will be sharing it with the largest group I have spoken to here in Toronto. From the bottom of my heart, I hope every one of them walks away with a plan they can trust.

Here is to shaping your own plan for 2026.

Wishing you a productive week ahead.