In today’s episode (and inspired by her recent girls’ trip!), I share 6 practices to help you think through your big picture goals and dreams. This episode feels relevant as we gear up for Reflection Season and starting to think about annual planning for 2026!
Practices discussed include:
- Inspiring reading (or audio)
- 100 Dreams List
- 10, 5, or 1-year Visioning Exercises
- The gift of a notebook just for dreaming and scheming
- Deep conversion with a partner or friend
- Clean up!
A few specific items mentioned:
Laura’s 100 Dreams List
Nuuna Notebook
36 Questions
Course notes:
Visit the course page to learn more about guided annual and seasonal planning experiences for 2026! Note: 2026 Planning By Season is essentially full and will be closed by tonight!
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5 Comments
Awww. Loved this episode. What an epic trip (I cannot reiterate enough how terrible the weather has been since you left; you two timed it RIGHT)!
And YAY for a shout-out about 36 Questions. Isn’t it so cool??? You’ll have to tell me if you and Josh do this.
I heard about the questions first in Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg. It is fascinating and so cool how quickly you transition into incredibly deep, meaningful questions.
The 36 questions were so interesting! I found myself pondering whether I’d rather lose my body or mind, and decided ultimately that if I had to pick, I’d pick mind. Because living in physical pain being unable to do anything while being aware of it is truly terrible. At least if I lost my mind I ostensibly would not care.
ooh we all struggled with that one. i think i said i’d rather lose my body because i figured by age 90 the body has to kinda go anyway and i’m so terrified of dementia but your argument is pretty sound, too!
I did the 36 questions with my husband back when we were dating. We did them on a trip during drives. He is not a sharer in general, so it was a nice way to talk about topics that wouldn’t have organically come up otherwise!
And I did a big clean out of winter clothes and the boys’ drawers yesterday which felt so good!!
I think what you’ll need to help me with, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger, is what I will do with the 6 things in this episode if I rarely list a set of goals for the whole year at the beginning of any given year. While I do know the things that I’ll need to do each year at the beginning of that year, I never plan to finish any of them by the end of the year, and hence, I don’t think any of them qualify as a “goal” of the new year.
Indeed, it helps when you point out that this episode is not meant for making next year’s goals, but just for getting ideas. The thing is, I do have ideas about the things that I’ll need to do each year at the beginning of that year, but there was never a time when I used all 6 methods in this episode.
And no, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to bring your microphone on your trip to Nova Scotia, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger.