Define Your Year: Set the Tone for the Life You Want to Create

Define Your Year: Set the Tone for the Life You Want to Create

Welcome to another Classes with Katelyn—I'm so glad you're here. Today, we’re diving into one of the most powerful pages in the Define Planner: Define Your Year. This spread is more than just a beginning-of-the-year reflection—it’s your chance to realign with who you’re becoming and how you want to move through the months ahead.

So grab your planner, a pen, and maybe a warm cup of tea. We’re going to get intentional, reflective, and honest. This is how you set the tone for a year that feels like you.

Start with Self-Awareness: Balance Your Plate

Before we jump into the prompts, let’s revisit a past Define exercise: Balance Your Plate. In this activity, your “plate” represents how you currently spend your time and energy—career, relationships, rest, social life, creativity, movement, and more.

If you’re unsure how your time is being spent, this is the place to start. You can’t shift what you don’t first acknowledge. Once your plate is drawn out, ask yourself:

“Does this reflect the life I want to live?”

Are the things that matter most getting enough of your attention—or are they starving for it?

Prompt 1: What Four Areas of My Life Need More Balance?

Look at your plate. Where are you overextended? What areas are being overlooked?

This prompt helps you name what feels “off.” Maybe your career is taking more than it gives. Maybe your relationship needs more intentional time. Maybe fitness or joy has been pushed aside.

Examples:

  • Career travel is dominating your schedule, but not adding value.

  • Social time outweighs quality time with your partner.

  • Fitness and self-care don’t even make the plate.

Balance is about more than time management—it’s about values management.

Prompt 2: What Are My Priorities This Year?

Once you’ve identified the imbalances, it’s time to realign. Your priorities are what you're actively choosing to make space for this year. These should connect to your values and vision—not just what's loudest or most urgent.

Keep it focused. Choose 3–5 guiding themes or commitments. When everything is a priority, nothing is.

Examples:

  • Prioritize health through better sleep and movement

  • Spend more quality time with my partner and family

  • Be more present and consistent with those I care about

  • Spend more time doing what I love

Prompt 3: What Am I Ready to Let Go Of to Create Space for Growth?

Growth isn’t just about what you add—it’s also about what you release. Let go of what no longer fits the life you want to live.

Consider:

  • Habits you’ve outgrown

  • Relationships that feel draining

  • People-pleasing tendencies

  • The fear of failure or change

Letting go creates room for peace, joy, and alignment.

Prompt 4: What Routines Do I Want to Establish or Strengthen This Year?

Your priorities only become real when you live them. This prompt bridges intention and action.

Look at your top priorities and build simple, supportive routines that help you stay aligned.

Examples:

Priority: Prioritize health
Routine: Phone off by 9:30, bedtime tea, morning walk while listening to a podcast

Priority: Quality time with partner
Routine: Connection night once a week, being home for dinner

Priority: Presence with loved ones
Routine: No-phone dinners, focused check-ins

Priority: Doing what I love
Routine: “Joy hour” each week—reading, baking, creating, exploring

Prompt 5: What Challenges Might I Face—And How Can I Prepare?

We all face resistance. This prompt helps you anticipate obstacles and build strategies before they show up.

Examples:

Challenge: I have a hard time saying no
Strategy: Use a pause phrase—“Let me check and get back to you.”

Challenge: I overbook myself
Strategy: Set boundaries like “only two social plans a week.”

Challenge: I don’t prioritize fitness
Strategy: Commit to one daily walk. Make it easy, visible, and consistent.

By identifying your common patterns, you build resilience instead of just willpower.

Prompt 6: What Am I Looking Forward To This Year?

This is your joy prompt. It’s your reminder that this year is not just about goals—it’s also about excitement, connection, and meaning.

Ask yourself:
What are you genuinely excited about?

Examples:

  • A planned vacation

  • Starting a creative project

  • Deepening friendships

  • Seeing personal growth

  • Feeling more at peace

Let yourself look ahead with hope.

Wrap-Up: You’ve Defined Your Year

Look back at everything you just wrote. This page holds so much clarity—about where you are, where you want to go, and how you plan to get there.

This isn’t about rigid resolutions. It’s about purpose.
It’s about alignment.
It’s about making space for what truly matters.

Keep this page close. Revisit it whenever you feel stuck or distracted. Use it as your compass.

You’ve just taken a powerful step toward a year that feels like yours.
I’m so proud of you.

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