Three Questions to Plan Your Q1

You have 2 days until 2026.

Most creative professionals will either be completely checked out, frantically finishing projects, or making big ambitious plans that fall apart by February.

Here's a better approach:

Question 1: What's your ACTUAL capacity?

Not theoretical. Not what you wish. Not what you think you should handle.

Your actual, realistic, sustainable capacity.

Real capacity = hours available × energy available × focus available

For most creatives, this is 20-30 hours per week of actual productive work. The rest is meetings, admin, context-switching, recovery.

Do the math for Q1:

• How many projects can you actually deliver with excellence in 13 weeks?

• How many client relationships can you maintain well?

• How much new business development can you do while serving current clients?

Choose projects that fit your capacity, not cramming capacity to fit projects.

Question 2: What are you saying NO to?

Every YES requires multiple NOs.

If you say YES to 5 major projects, you're saying NO to prospecting, team development, systems improvement, strategic planning.

Make a list:

• What will I NOT do in Q1?

• What opportunities will I decline?

• What "good ideas" will I postpone?

This isn't pessimism. This is strategy.

Question 3: What needs to be TRUE by March 31?

Not what you want to accomplish. What needs to be TRUE.

Bad: "Complete 8 client projects"
Good: "We have a repeatable system for delivering projects with margin"

Bad: "Grow revenue 25%"
Good: "We're serving 2-3 ideal clients who value our work and refer others"

See the difference? Output vs. systems and sustainability.

Your action step:

Answer these three questions before January 1st. Write them down. Share with your team. Use them to evaluate every Q1 opportunity.

This is what "better not more" looks like in practice.