Start the Year Strong: Creating a Family Strategic Plan for 2026

I’ve spent my whole life making plans. As a kid, I kept lists tucked around my bedroom—outfits for the week, steps for cleaning my room, even a rotation for which Lisa Frank stickers I would use next. While most kids were making a mess, I was organizing my world one handwritten checklist at a time.

Not much has changed.

As an adult, I found myself in roles that built on the same strengths I had as a child: project management, goal-setting, and strategic thinking. Today, I still work in a consulting capacity, helping organizations create long-term plans and track their progress. Somewhere along the way, I realized something important—why not use those same tools at home?

So, a few years ago, my husband and I started building our “Family Strategic Plan.” And I can tell you from experience: when you run your life with intentionality (and plenty of grace), incredible things start to happen.

As we roll into a fresh new year, here are my tried-and-true tips for setting meaningful family goals—and actually achieving them. 1. Dedicate Time for the Discussion Put it on the calendar. Seriously. Family planning isn’t something to squeeze in while driving home from basketball practice or stirring taco meat. Choose a time when you can be present, prepared, and free of distractions. Treat it like a meeting you’d never cancel. Bring notes, ideas, and an open mind. This simple step alone changes the tone of the conversation. When something matters, you make room for it. 2. Start With Long-Term Goals (3–5 Years) Dream big. What do you want life to look like in three to five years? Maybe it’s buying a new home. Taking a bucket-list family vacation. Completing a major home project. Paying off debt. Increasing retirement savings.Think about the big picture first. Long-term goals help you identify what matters most so you can plan for the year ahead. 3. Categorize Your Goals to Create Family Pillars This is where strategy really comes to life. Group your long-term goals into categories—or as we call them, family pillars. You can choose whatever pillars best fit your household, but ours look like this:

Engagement: How we stay connected—family activities, traditions, date nights, vacations, moments that strengthen relationships.

Financial: Retirement planning, saving, investing, increasing net worth. Community: Volunteering, school involvement, giving back, modeling generosity for our kids.

Health & Wellness: Nutrition, exercise, mental health, preventative care, habits that support long-term well-being.

Pillars give structure to the plan and prevent the conversation from drifting into a list of random wishes.

4. Narrow It Down: Pick 1–2 Goals Per Category for This Year

This is the hard part because everything feels important. But if everything is a priority…nothing is. Choose just one, maybe two, meaningful goals per pillar. Make them realistic and measurable. For example, if your five-year goal is to add $50,000 to your retirement fund, your one-year milestone might be saving $10,000. Small, consistent steps add up quickly. And hitting milestones builds motivation.

5. Make an Action Plan for Each Goal

Goals are dreams until you pair them with actions. For each goal, decide one concrete thing you’ll do to move the needle. The more aggressive the goals, the more aggressive you will need to be with your action steps. Example: If you want to reduce spending, choose a weekly action—like making coffee at home instead of buying it. But the key is this: transfer the savings into your investment or savings account. Otherwise, that money magically disappears. Document your actions. A shared Google Doc or Excel doc works beautifully.

6. Schedule Quarterly Check-Ins

This might be the most important step of all. Every few months, meet to review your progress and hold each other accountable. These check-ins aren’t meant to be stressful—they’re a chance to reconnect, celebrate progress, adjust actions where needed, and stay aligned. Some couples do this over dinner. We’ve done it over lunch dates, sometimes with spreadsheets…sometimes with paint samples. No judgment. What matters is the commitment to pause life long enough to make sure you’re still building the life you actually want.

Happy New Year! Here's to a strategic, successful 2026!

Kate Hendrickson