Hi Adam!

We're basically four working weeks from 2026. Even as I write that, it feels wrong to me, but my calendar confirms we're basically through 2025 now. Which means it's a great time to start thinking about how to succeed and continue moving your career forward next year.

You probably spend most of your time just trying to get through the current day, or even the current meeting, and it's difficult to zoom out and think about the entire next year. Still, I think it's worth it and it won't take you very long.

But where do you even begin? This is a perfect opening for some "analysis paralysis" to creep in and prevent you from getting anything done.

When things feel overwhelming, it helps to simplify them so you can get un-stuck and make some progress.

Here's an easy method I use to evaluate what's working and plan for future progress.

Start.

What's one thing you can start doing that will make your job easier, make you more productive, save you time, or otherwise make things better?

This doesn't have to be something big—it can be very small.

Maybe you'll start clearing your inbox every Friday afternoon before you leave the office so you don't have to spend half of every Monday trying to remember where you left off on Friday.

Or maybe you'll start blocking 15 minutes every morning to map out your plan for the work day.

Or you could start documenting anything you have to do more than once so it's not so painful the next time.

Pick something small and start doing it.

Stop.

What's one thing you can stop doing that has made work more challenging so far this year?

Your workload might be easier to manage if you stop saying "yes" to every meeting invite.

Or maybe you can stop using your busy work schedule as an excuse for skipping workouts.

Look for something small and annoying and see if you can cut it out of your routine.

Continue.

What's one thing you did this year that worked?

Maybe you started a daily 15-minute stand-up meeting that helps keep your team members on the same page.

Or you might have started working from home some Fridays so you can make sure to enjoy the weekend, and it really paid off.

Do more of that.

The great thing about "Start. Stop. Continue." is that it's useful for lots of different situations. You can use it to evaluate your progress so far this year and plan for next year, or you can use it when you finish a small project before you start your next one.

Here's to making the most of 2026!

Josh