How I Plan My Year With Fred
January used to overwhelm me
Every year I would sit down with big energy and a long list.
By March, half of it felt irrelevant. By June, I had forgotten what "Quarter 2 priorities" even meant.
So I changed how I plan, and Fred is basically the app I wish I had years ago.
Step one: vision before goals
Before I set a single goal, I open my vision board in Fred.
Not a corporate strategy deck. Just the themes that matter this year:
- Health that feels sustainable, not punishing
- Creative projects I actually want to finish
- Friendships I want to invest in
- Fulfilling, not constant hustle
The vision board is emotional and visual. It reminds me why I am choosing certain goals, and what to say no to. It helps me to create a picture of how my life will look like from a bird's-eye perspective this year.
Step two: one or two focus goals per month
I do not try to fix my entire life in January.
Each month, I pick one or two focus goals, the ones that deserve real attention right now. Everything else can wait, live in the background, or get added later.
This keeps the year realistic. I am ambitious, but I am not pretending I have unlimited bandwidth.
I try to set one goal for every month in advance, to have a guide for the year, but leave enough room for air.
Step three: monthly reflection (the part that changed everything)
At the end of each month, I look back:
- What moved forward?
- What stalled, and why?
- What surprised me in a good way?
Sometimes I close a goal because it no longer fits. That's when I use Fred's "on-hold" function. Goals are never failed in Fred, because I believe that this sets the wrong vibe.
Even when setting a goal and doing just one step towards that goal, it's already a success. And maybe you will come back to that goal in a few years.
Sometimes I double down on goals. The year stays alive instead of frozen in a January spreadsheet.
Step four: add goals as the year unfolds
Life does not follow an annual plan.
A new opportunity appears. A friendship deepens. A spark of inspiration ignites. You realize you want something you did not name in January.
That is normal. I add goals throughout the year when they feel right, not when a calendar tells me to.
Regular check ins beat yearly guilt
The magic is not the perfect plan. It is checking in regularly.
Seeing progress, even small progress, matters. Celebrating a finished step matters. Noticing that you have been showing up for three weeks in a row? That matters a lot.
Fred helps me see that without turning life into a fully fledged plan.
A year plan that breathes
My year plan is not a contract. It is a direction.
The vision board captures how I want the year to feel. Focus goals keep each month manageable. Reflection keeps me honest. And flexibility leaves room for real life.
If that sounds more fulfilling and purposeful than your last New Year's resolution list, good. Fulfillment and purpose is kind of the point.
From Grapefruit by Yoko Ono:
Map Piece
Draw an imaginary map.
Put a destination mark on the map where you want to go.
Go walking on an actual street according to your map.
If there is no street where it should be according to the map, make one by putting the obstacles aside.
When you reach the goal, ask the name of the city and give flowers to the first person you meet.
