What are you like sticking to your new years resolutions?
Only 8 percent of people actually stick to their New Year resolutions, according to research from the University of Scranton.
For project managers, this tells us something important. Good intentions alone rarely turn into action. If we close the year on autopilot, we start the next one the same way. Ending the year with intention gives you the confidence and clarity to start 2026 well.
Plus, when you do finally wrap up for the Christmas holidays, you can properly switch off and enjoy yourself.
To help finish the year well, here are a few tips:
1. Run a “Lessons Ready to Use” retro
Just because the year is coming to a close, naturally people start to slow down and want to just finish up, especially when there's a lot of socials happening.
What about running a retrospective with lessons that you'll capture, that you can implement when everybody's back in the new year?
It doesn't have to be big or that formal, just a short review that captures the standard three things:
- What you wanna keep doing next year
- What you wanna stop doing next year
- What you wanna change next year
Not a big end-of-year ceremony. Just a short review that captures three things: what you want to repeat, stop and adjust next year.
Ask a simple but powerful question like, "What do we want to not do again next year?"
2. Identify one process that created the most friction
Linked to that last powerful question. Pick the one thing that trips you up and the team the most this year.
Could be estimates coming late, vague approvals, whatever it is. Find it. And list the things you can do to improve it or potentially fix it next year.
This doesn't have to be a big process change. It could be a simple 10-minute check-in with the question, "What else could we do to ensure we get the approvals when we need it?" before every deliverable.
3. Protect your January runway
Naturally, we slow down in December. But the problem is, this often means we're pushing either problems or more work into January.
January can be a really tough month because you're trying to play catch-up on December as well as keeping the momentum needed on your projects.
Do some prioritisation. Work on the things that really matter in December. Ask yourself, "Will the January version of me appreciate me doing this?" Yes or no?
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
Peter Drucker
4. Plan your first week of January now
You may have read my simple tip for planning the next day starts the day before with a simple checklist of 5-10 things you want to work on the next.
It's the same with January. What does your first week look like? Create your checklist while you are still really into the details, so you can start the new month with momentum.
A simple version could be:
- Confirm priorities with the team
- Check dependencies that may have changed over the break
- Send a reset update to clients with agreed goals for Q1
5. Decide the one behaviour you want to improve
Analyse your own behaviours, the behaviours that are holding you back and the things you want to change in the new year.
Examples:
- “I communicate too late”
- “I avoid difficult conversations”
- “I scatter my time across too many tools”
Pick one behaviour and set a simple weekly reminder for it.
First step: Add a repeating Friday reminder: “How did I show up this week?”
Ending the year with intention sets you up to lead, not react. Capture lessons, fix one recurring blocker, protect your January runway, plan your first week now and choose one behaviour to improve.
Small steps done before the break make the new year smoother and more focused.
Have a great week, Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Ben 💪🏼
