Year-End Reset: Business Planning Tips and 3 Questions to Ask Before January Hits

Everyone's making goals for 2026.

Resolutions. Revenue targets. Vision boards. The whole new-year-new-you playbook.

But before you start planning what's next, you need to finish what's now.

Not in a "work harder through the holidays" way. In a "get honest about what's actually working" way.

I've spent the past decade supporting C-suite executives, and December is when the real work happens. Not the busy work. The honest assessment.

Because the best business planning tips don't start with "what should I add?" They start with "what should I stop?"

Here are three questions I ask every client before we plan their next year. These questions cut through the noise and get to what actually matters.

They're uncomfortable. They require honesty. And they'll tell you more about what needs to change than any goal-setting workshop ever will.

Business Planning Tips: Start With Subtraction, Not Addition

Most year-end planning sessions go like this:

"What are your goals for next year?" "What new projects do you want to launch?" "What revenue targets are you setting?"

All valid questions. But they're starting in the wrong place.

Because here's what nobody tells you: Addition without subtraction is just burnout with a plan.

If your plate is already full, adding more goals doesn't make you more successful. It makes you more overwhelmed.

The best business planning tips I've learned start with one principle: Before you add anything new, remove what's not working.

That's what these three questions do. They force you to look at what you're actually doing—not what you wish you were doing, or what you think you should be doing—and make decisions based on reality.

Question 1: What Did You Stop Doing This Year That You Don't Miss?

This one always surprises people.

You probably stopped something in 2025. A weekly meeting that faded away. A service you quietly discontinued. A marketing channel you abandoned. A process you simplified.

What was it? And more importantly—why don't you miss it?

Because that's your answer. That thing you stopped was never as essential as you thought it was.

And whatever replaces it in your life now is more valuable.

Why This Question Matters

We hold onto so many things out of habit, not necessity.

"We've always done it this way." "Clients expect it." "What if we need it later?"

But when something naturally falls away—when you stop doing it without really deciding to stop—and nothing bad happens? That's data.

That's evidence that the thing wasn't as critical as you thought.

What This Looks Like in Practice

One of my clients realized halfway through 2025 that she'd stopped posting on Twitter. She'd been "too busy" for six months. And you know what happened?

Nothing.

Her revenue didn't drop. Her client pipeline stayed full. Nobody even mentioned it.

She'd been spending 5 hours a week on Twitter because she thought she "should." But when she actually stopped, she realized those 5 hours were better spent on client relationship building—which is how she actually got business.

That's 240 hours a year she was spending on something that didn't matter. And she only realized it by looking at what she'd naturally stopped doing.

Another client stopped attending industry networking events. It felt like failure at first—like she was falling behind her peers.

But when she tracked it, she realized she'd never gotten a single client from those events. She'd gotten clients from referrals and direct outreach.

The events were just making her feel busy. Not making her business grow.

How to Use This Business Planning Tip

Look at your calendar and task list from January 2025. What were you doing then that you're not doing now?

Make a list. Then ask yourself:

• Why did I stop?

• What replaced it?

• Do I miss it?

• Did anything negative happen because I stopped?

If the answer is "no, nothing bad happened," that's a green light. You can keep that thing off your plate in 2026.

And if something did replace it, pay attention to that. Because whatever you naturally gravitated toward is probably more aligned with what actually works for you.

Question 2: What Are You Still Doing That You Shouldn't Be?

Harder question.

What's on your plate right now that makes you think "I really need to hand this off" every single time you do it?

Not the things you don't mind doing. The things that actively drain you. The tasks that make you procrastinate. The responsibilities you resent.

Those are the things you need to delegate, automate, or eliminate in 2026.

Not eventually. In Q1.

Because every quarter you hold onto tasks that don't serve you is a quarter you're not spending on what actually moves the needle.

Why This Is One of the Most Important Business Planning Tips

Most people know what they should stop doing. They just don't stop doing it.

They know they should delegate email management. But they keep doing it themselves.

They know they should stop attending that useless weekly meeting. But they keep showing up.

They know they should discontinue that service that's more trouble than it's worth. But they keep offering it.

Why? Usually one of three reasons:

Reason 1: Guilt "If I stop doing this, I'm letting people down."

Reason 2: Fear "What if something goes wrong without me?"

Reason 3: Identity "I've always been the person who does this."

All emotional reasons. Not business reasons.

What This Looks Like in Practice

I had a client who was still doing her own bookkeeping. She hated it. Every month, she'd procrastinate for two weeks, then spend a weekend catching up.

I asked her: "Why are you still doing this?"

"Because I need to understand my finances."

Fair point. So I asked: "Do you understand them better now? Or are you just entering numbers into QuickBooks?"

She paused. "I'm just entering numbers."

She hired a bookkeeper. Spent 2 hours training them. Now gets a monthly financial summary that actually helps her understand her business—without spending 8 hours a month on data entry.

That's 96 hours a year she got back. For strategic work that actually grows her business.

Another client was still running social media for his company. "But I need to be authentic," he said.

So we tried something: His VA drafted posts based on his content guidelines. He reviewed and approved. His "authentic voice" remained intact, but he wasn't spending 6 hours a week creating content.

Within a month, he stopped reviewing drafts. The VA had his voice down. He'd comment occasionally, but the day-to-day management was off his plate.

How to Use This Business Planning Tip

Make two lists:

List 1: Tasks that drain you What makes you procrastinate? What do you dread? What leaves you feeling depleted?

List 2: Tasks you're doing out of habit What are you doing because "you've always done it" or because "everyone else does it"—not because it's actually serving your business?

For each item on both lists, ask:

• Does this require my specific expertise?

• What would happen if I stopped doing this?

• Could someone else do this 80% as well as me?

Then put a plan in place to stop, delegate, or automate each one. In Q1. Not "eventually."

Question 3: If You Could Only Focus on Three Things Next Year, What Would They Be?

This is the clarifying question.

You can't do everything. You know this intellectually. But you keep trying anyway.

So let's get specific: If you could only focus on three major priorities in 2026—three things that would genuinely move your business forward—what would they be?

Not ten things. Not "a few key areas." Three. Specific. Priorities.

Why Three? Why Not Five or Ten?

Because the human brain can really only juggle 3-4 major priorities at once before everything becomes a priority (which means nothing is a priority).

When I ask clients to list their priorities, they give me 15 things. All important. All legitimate.

But when I make them narrow it to three, something magical happens: They get clear.

Because suddenly they have to choose. They have to say "this matters more than that." They have to make hard decisions.

That's what good business planning tips force you to do. Make decisions.

What This Looks Like in Practice

One client gave me this list of 2026 priorities:

1. Grow revenue to $500K

2. Hire two team members

3. Launch new service offering

4. Improve client retention

5. Build email list to 10K subscribers

6. Streamline operations

7. Improve work-life balance

8. Attend three industry conferences

9. Get featured in major publications

10. Redesign website

All good goals. But when I asked him to pick three, he struggled.

"They're all important!"

So I asked: "Which three, if you accomplished them, would make everything else easier or unnecessary?"

He thought for a minute. Then:

1. Launch new service offering (this is what gets us to $500K)

2. Hire two team members (this is what streamlines operations and improves work-life balance)

3. Improve client retention (this makes revenue growth sustainable and provides testimonials for the new service)

4. 
   

Suddenly, 10 priorities became 3. And the other 7? They either became byproducts of the main three, or they weren't as important as he thought.

The Calendar Test: A Critical Business Planning Tip

Once you have your three priorities, do this exercise:

Look at your calendar for the last month. Color-code every meeting, every task, every project by which of your three priorities it serves.

Then add up the hours.

If you spent less than 60% of your time on your top three priorities, you have a prioritization problem, not a time management problem.

All the productivity tips in the world won't help if you're spending your time on things that don't actually move your business forward.

One client did this exercise and discovered he was spending:

• 15% of his time on Priority #1 (product development)

• 10% on Priority #2 (team building)

• 5% on Priority #3 (sales strategy)

• 70% on everything else (mostly reactive tasks and obligations)

No wonder he felt like he wasn't making progress. He wasn't. He was spending 70% of his time on things that weren't his priorities.

We fixed it. Delegated the reactive tasks. Set boundaries around obligations. Protected his calendar for the top three.

Within a quarter, revenue increased 40%. Not because he worked more hours. Because he worked on the right things.

Why These Business Planning Tips Actually Work

Most people plan their year by adding more. More goals. More projects. More revenue targets.

But addition without subtraction is just burnout with a plan.

These three questions force you to subtract first. To clear out what's not working before you pile on what's next.

Think of it like this: Your business is a container. It has finite capacity.

If the container is already full of stuff that doesn't matter, adding more good stuff doesn't help. It just creates overflow and chaos.

But if you empty out what's not working first, suddenly you have room for what does work.

That's what these questions do. They create space.

What to Do With Your Answers: Business Planning Tips for Taking Action

Take your answers and sort them into three categories:

STOP: Things You Need to Let Go

Things you're still doing that you shouldn't be. Tasks that drain you. Obligations that don't serve your priorities.

Action plan: Put a concrete plan in place to delegate, automate, or eliminate them in Q1.

Not "I should probably stop doing this." But "By January 31st, I will have delegated X to Y person" or "By February 15th, I will have automated Z using this tool."

Specific. With deadlines. With accountability.

KEEP: Things That Are Working

Things you stopped that you don't miss, or things you're doing that align with your top three priorities.

Action plan: Protect these. Don't let new commitments crowd them out.

When someone asks you to take on a new project in 2026, ask: "Does this support one of my three priorities?"

If no, decline. If yes, consider what you'll stop doing to make room for it.

START: Things to Add (Carefully)

New things you'll add in 2026—but only if they support your top three priorities.

Everything else is a no.

Action plan: For each new initiative, ask:

• Which of my three priorities does this serve?

• What will I stop doing to make room for this?

• What's the expected ROI (time, money, energy)?

If you can't answer all three questions clearly, don't start it.

The Truth About Year-End Planning: Business Planning Tips for Real Impact

The best plan for next year isn't about doing more. It's about doing less, better.

It's about looking honestly at what worked, what didn't, and what you're going to change.

I've watched too many executives set ambitious goals in January, only to burn out by March because they never cleared space for those goals.

They just added new priorities on top of old obligations. And wondered why nothing changed.

Here's what changes things: Honest assessment followed by decisive action.

Not motivation. Not inspiration. Not a vision board.

Clarity about what's not working, and the courage to stop doing it.

The Timeline: When to Do This Year-End Assessment

You have three weeks left in 2025. Don't waste them pretending everything's fine. Use them to get clear on what's not, so you can actually fix it.

Here's the timeline I give clients:

Week of December 9-15: Answer the three questions. Be brutally honest. Write everything down.

Week of December 16-22: Sort your answers into Stop/Keep/Start. Make concrete plans for each.

Week of December 23-29: Share your plans with your team, your accountability partner, or your coach. Get their input. Refine.

Week of December 30-January 5: Finalize your Q1 action plan. Calendar everything. Set up systems. Prepare to execute.

By January 6th, you're not scrambling to figure out your priorities. You're executing on them.

Business Planning Tips: The Framework

Here's the complete framework:

Step 1: Honest Assessment (Week 1)

• What did you stop doing this year that you don't miss?

• What are you still doing that you shouldn't be?

• What are your three priorities for 2026?

Step 2: Categorization (Week 2)

• Stop: Tasks to delegate/automate/eliminate in Q1

• Keep: Priorities to protect and double down on

• Start: New initiatives that support top 3 priorities

Step 3: Action Planning (Week 3)

• Create concrete plans with deadlines

• Identify who will do what

• Set up systems and accountability

Step 4: Execution (Week 4)

• Calendar everything

• Communicate with your team

• Prepare to start January with clarity

This framework is one of the most effective business planning tips I can give you. Because it's based on subtraction first, addition second.

Real Client Results: Business Planning Tips in Action

One of my clients used this framework last December. Here's what happened:

Question 1 - Stopped without missing:

• Weekly team meetings that were just status updates (moved to async updates)

• A low-revenue service offering that took tons of time

• Daily social media posting on three platforms (consolidated to one)

Question 2 - Still doing but shouldn't:

• Managing own email (delegated to VA in January)

• Creating all presentation decks (trained team member)

• Vendor negotiations under $5K (set up approval process)

Question 3 - Three priorities for 2026:

1. Launch group coaching program (new revenue stream)

2. Build systems for client onboarding (improve retention)

3. Hire and train operations manager (scale the business)

Results by end of Q1 2026:

• Reclaimed 12 hours per week from delegation

• Launched group program to 47 founding members

• Reduced client churn from 30% to 8%

• Made ops manager offer (started in April)

None of this happened because she set better goals. It happened because she cleared space for those goals by stopping what wasn't working.

Start Here: Your Year-End Reset

You don't need to do this whole framework right now. Start with one question.

What did you stop doing this year that you don't miss?

Write down everything you can think of. Meetings. Projects. Services. Habits. Processes.

Then ask yourself: What does this tell me about what actually matters in my business?

That's your starting point.

Because the best business planning tips aren't about adding more. They're about getting clear on what to remove.

Ready to Plan Your Best Year Yet?

At Grace Anthony Virtual Assistants, we help busy executives implement these business planning tips through comprehensive year-end assessments and Q1 action plans.

We don't just help you set goals—we help you clear the space to actually achieve them by delegating, automating, and eliminating the tasks that don't serve your priorities.

Book a free discovery call and let's talk about what you need to stop doing in 2026 so you can focus on what actually moves your business forward.

Because the best plan isn't about doing more. It's about doing less, better.