Turn Your Goals Into Wins in 2026 With Small Every Day Actions
Happy New Year and welcome to the IP Industry Insider, a weekly newsletter where I provide brief tips for IP attorneys to build their brand and book of business, on and off of LinkedIn.
Take a few minutes this week while business is slower to write a list of accomplishments from this past year. They can be big or small - career goals, client achievements, things you’ve checked off your to-do list, challenges you’ve overcome, etc.
Save this list of accomplishments in a place where you’ll be able to find it or post it above your computer. Look at it when you’re having a challenging day, you feel imposter syndrome sneaking up, or you’re falling behind on your 2026 goals.
Then take a few minutes next week to start thinking about your goals for the coming year.
First think about your big dreams - the things that motivate you to get out of bed every day. Maybe you want to spend more time with your family, work from anywhere in the world, get another degree, become a partner, buy a vacation home, send your kids to college debt free, or play more pickleball.
Then think about three quarterly goals that could support this vision. Say your vision is to buy a vacation home, which requires doubling your book of business in 2026. Quarterly goals could be to engage a certain number of clients, bill a certain number of hours, delegate a certain amount of work, etc.
Then map out consistent daily and weekly actions that support your quarterly goals and follow the SMART format (specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time bound). Say your goal is to double your book of business in 2026 and to do it by a ¼ in Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. Start by setting aside 15 - 30 minutes per day to work on business development activities:
Email or call 3 referral contacts or potential clients each week to check in or follow up,
Post on LinkedIn 3 days a week,
Substantively comment on 3 LinkedIn posts per day,
Send 2 messages to a LinkedIn contact per week,
Attend 1 networking event per week and connect on LinkedIn with the attendees,
Have 2 coffee dates (virtual or in-person) per month,
Have a meeting with your marketing team each month,
Spend 30 minutes per week thinking about your accomplishments and progress in order to adjust your goals, etc.
Keeping your accomplishments in view and breaking down your vision and goals into small bites, makes your yearly goals achievable and provides you with small wins to keep you motivated.
If you want to read more about habit formation and goal setting, I recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear and The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran.
If you want someone to work with you to form a 2026 plan and keep you accountable to it, schedule a call in my profile to discuss my business development 1:1 coaching program for attorneys. With accountability and a plan, my clients routinely secure more clients and have more industry exposure.
Happy New Year!
