If you want 2026 to be the best year of your life, watch this

If you want this year to be the best year of your life, I'm going to share with you what I wish I knew years ago. to design my year in life to unfold exactly the way that I wanted to. to design my year in life to unfold exactly the way that I wanted to. And this year, don't make the same mistakes. like so many others that stop them from achieving their goals. like so many others that stop them from achieving their goals. You see, most people don't fail because they lack ambition or discipline. They fail because it never designed their year with intention. And in this video, a little walk you through exact steps. that you can use this year to plan your next 12 months ahead. to create an incredible year ahead. to create an incredible year ahead. And not with those vague resolutions that you can't stick to.

But with a clear, actionable framework and plan that will help. you build a life you love, create work that matters, you build a life you love, create work that matters, and protect the time that actually makes life worth living. And throughout this video, I also share the questions and prompts. that change everything for me and to help you design this year. to be your best one ever, so you can look back and realize. this is the year that changed everything for you. I've also created a free planning template, a worksheet that will help you follow along in the exercises in this video.

So download it for free. The link in the description. before we start the planning process, you have to create this first baseline of where you are. And this is what I like to call the, reality scorecard. And this is how you stop guessing about your life. It shows you your starting point in a way that you can't really argue with, because is the truth of where you are at the moment. So when you say, I want a better year, this exercise turns into something. you can actually design. And it's not something that's super complicated, and it's just based on. the ten areas of your life that we can all relate to.

I’m not going to lie, but unfortunately is not going to be super comfortable. It will be hard when you have to face problems that expose your own. weakness or areas that you need to improve. But honestly, there's a saying that another level. of the devil and success and growth, it comes from bigger challenges. That's only going to make you stronger and better. So the ten areas are physical health, family life, social life. Love, spiritual. Your hobbies, emotional health, careers,

financial security and learning and growth. The scores from 1 to 10. So, one being the most improving needed and ten being, well, pretty much. perfect ten. So if you're extremely happy and fulfilled in those areas, which I think is great. But let's be honest, life is not perfect. And it's not about getting perfect tens in every area of your life. And I think it's important to score it without lying to yourself. Right. So I'm a recovering perfectionist. I pretty much grew up in the family that wants me to score A+ on everything.

So I found being truthful on this to myself really not very easy back then. And it's it's really needed to be. brutally honest with yourself because this is different. This is where you're scoring your reality, not your aspiration. And I recommend that you pause this video as you're scoring the areas in your life. And really taking that time to reflect on what's going well. and what you think could be improved. Because being truthful will help you have that much more accurate baseline.

And I also want to share something personal here. And that is, as humans we all have limited amount of time and energy. So this exercise isn't here to make you feel like you're inadequate. and that you're not doing enough in every area of your life. If anything, doing this exercise. It made me reflect on what's really mattered in my life. and what is actually essential. So, for example, years ago when I started my side hustle. while I was working full time, I started spending a lot of the time. I had on the weekends and then evenings working on my business.

But unfortunately, that also meant my social life was pretty much on hold. And I think this exercise really made me realize that I need. to carve back my time to spend my friends who I actually really missed. So while I hate that word balance, which is in this current hectic world. that we live in, it's impossible to achieve this perfect balance. But this exercise, it really helps you to decide on what is essential.

and what is priority for you to dedicate more of your energy. and time towards the areas of your life that is lacking, that right now. And a couple questions that I love to ask myself after I do. this exercise every single year is what is the one change. that will raise my lowest score by at least one point in the next 30 days? So this makes the process really achievable and actionable. So for example, when I did this exercise years ago to get back in touch with my old friends, I sent out five dinner invites to those who I wanted to catch up with,

and we had a great time catching up over this cozy meal, and it was nothing drastic, but it brought so much joy back into my world. And joy for me is the key here because I think in life, what is the point of all. when we're not enjoying the life that we're designing for ourselves? So remember to put some more joy back into your life, rather than just chasing the goals of your life. So the other question that I asked myself was, what will I stop doing to make room for the areas that I want to focus on?

And for me, when I want to make my health a priority, after quite a few years of just constantly falling sick all the time, I decided to stop scheduling meetings before or during lunch time. when that is the ideal time for me to fit in the workout. It just work for my schedule and also having a break from my work. And this brings me to this next point, which is that this exercise will allow you. to discover the areas of your life that needs change or improvement. But there are things that are within control.

What you can do right and where things are not. So the key is to give yourself the agency to create this amazing year. and just change your life to the way that you want, within the limits of what you have. And this is when I realize that limits are actually really what sets us free. So let me explain what this means. When I was at this stage years ago, when I was laid off. the second time during a financial recession. And instead of blaming the economy or that maybe I chose the wrong industry,

I realized that none of this complaining. really improved any of my future prospects. If anything, it just wasted my energy and time on something that I can't control. So I decided to invest our time and energy. in things that I could actually change, no matter how small. So, like reaching out to friends and family who worked in industries. that I was curious about. And talking to people at events, trying and experimenting. with learning new skills and registering for that class I always wanted.

which eventually helped me to switch into tech. and working at companies like Google. So this is what I like to call this circle of control. and circle one are really the things that you can directly change. Maybe write these things down on what they are, these could be your habits, what you're putting on your calendar, your environment, the people you surround yourself with. Setting your boundaries. So circle two are things that you can't control, but you can influence.

And these could be things like your relationships, how you manage your workload with your team, your opportunities. through being proactive with reaching out to others. And then circle three, is there the things that you care about. but is totally out of your control? They call me other people's choices. What happened in the past or how fast the future is changing. And that's life is sometimes just unpredictable. So don't be like most people who live in this circle. Three to spend energy on this drama and what's going on, the news or.

any of their past regrets. Instead, spend your energy and focus building your year around. what you can control. So now pick one area from your reality scorecard that you want to improve. Let's say it's career or health relationships. Or maybe it's your emotional well-being. now write down the problem in just one sentence. Like, for example, it could be. I feel stuck in my career. I'm always tired. I feel I feel anxious on most days.

Then ask yourself these very simple prompts. What can I do today, though? How to move me forward. What can I schedule this week? What can I stop doing? What skills can I build? What system can I improve at work or at home? And once you reflected on the areas where problems are. you can address in your life. and where you want to really focus your energy and time to create that life. that you enjoy living while building towards your ambitions. And I think this balance is so important, is this is where you realize.

your greatest growth, because, as Ray Dalio once said in his book. principles, pain plus reflection equals progress. And the reflection stage of this planning that you're doing is really. what will lead you to rapid learning and evolving over time and everything. This world, right. It's constantly evolving. And as Ray said, it's a single greatest force in the universe. because it's the only thing that is permanent and it drives everything. So now you have done this assessment of where you are.

You have something that most people never really have and get is clarity. And you know what is working. You know what is drain your energy, your time. You know where the toxic people in your life. and you know where you can actually change. So now comes the part that creates real growth. You stop betting everything on one perfect plan. And this is what I like to call the multiverse method. It's really a simple exercise to help you design your ear without getting trapped. by this single version of success that we all have in our heads, right?

You're working backwards from testing different ideas and aligning your future. with what you're interested in pursuing And there might be more than one. So here's the setup. You're going to design three different versions of your life for this year. So three path, three timelines for you. all and even same date December 31st of this year. And you're going to imagine it is the last day of the year. You look back and you see what's changed. You think about what you decide to keep the same,

and you ask one question, which version of my life. love you, proud to have lived the next 12 months. I love when I do this because it's almost as if I'm traveling in time, but for my future self in 12 months time to see. which multiverse version of myself I want to live in the most. And this allows me so much freedom in thinking. so much bigger than what I am doing in January every single year.

And this is also the reason why I love films. Like Everything. Everywhere, all the ones where you see the main character, Evelyn, right? Who reminds me so much of my own Chinese American mother. So she explores the what if. So we all ask ourselves from time to time in our own lives, and to see the multiverse as a perfect place to pursue that. So have some fun with this process, and get yourself a sheet of paper. or on your notepad, on your computer, on your phone, and just write out three different stories of a multiverse version of you.

So the first one is whether to call the status quo, which could be the version of you that stay in your current situation. in the same city, the same work, the same routine. But you run the year with intention and you keep what works. You fix what you realize you need to actually improve, right? And you protect what is essential in your life. And here's a question for you. So if I kept most of my life the same, what would I change to make it feel better by December? The second one is what is called a pivot.

So this is a version of you where you choose. and complete alternative options in your work, your life. Maybe it's a new project you take taken on, or a new role, or a bold decision you take in or move across the other side of the world. But here's the question for you. If my current path disappeared, what kind of life would I build instead? And this one for me is so powerful because it forces creativity in your own head. It pulls the other you're thinking by default. It makes you reflect on things that you need to focus on. So skills you need to build, the people you surround yourself with,

and any risks that you need to take to make it happen. And this last one. But third one is called Becoming Limitless. And I want you to think really, really big here because this is where you can. imagine if you didn't care about what people think. You had unlimited financial resources and freedom, and you're allowed to want what you really want in life. What would that look like in the next 12 months? And here's also a question to reflect on if I could not.

fail and I did not need anyone's permission. What would I choose? and really why this works. Because the multiverse method. It removes the pressure of picking the perfect life and the perfect next steps. It gives you the room to explore without really drifting too far. It gives you the options without having that decision paralysis. It gives you a reflection. on your pain problems that lead to actual decisions and choices. And so for another movie reference here, but as said in inception, you mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.

And when you can clearly see the light that you want to look back on in December, it becomes so much easier to do the small, boring, daily things that makes it really real. Now the multiverse method. It gives you options. It shows you three lives that you could live this year. Now let's make one of those really real for you. And this is where people, they give up, they leave planning with a really nice feeling. Nice and fuzzy. And then by March, nothing changed. So we're going to do something really different here.

We're going to shrink this timeline. And you're not planning for the next 12 months. You're now planning the next 12 weeks. And I learn about this through the planning method of the 12 week year. Because a year is too big for your brain to think about. And I think 12 weeks is close enough to create that urgency. and that clarity enough to create that focus. So we're essentially keeping this really tight loop between decisions and choices. and your results, and then really rapidly learning from them. So you already wrote down the three possible lives in your multiverse.

method exercise. Now you pick the direction of what you want this year to point towards. So right on this one sentence, this year is the year I forgot. So for example, let's say you really want to change your career this year. Then it would be the year where this year is. the year I change careers with a clear plan. And this one sentence, it just makes everything so much easier to make your decision around. Then choose 1 to 3 12 week goals.

to really make a super focused and make it really small. So the key is to make them measurable and within your control. For example, when I was publishing. YouTube videos on this channel, published 12 YouTube videos in 12 weeks. Or if you're looking but think about weight loss, lose four kilos by following a training plan four days per week, or save $3,000 by transferring automatically every payday. And a friend who was writing her book. And she said, write one chapter of my book by writing 100 words per day.

And really, for this, what you need are two things. the outcome and the weekly action. So the outcome is what you really want and the actions what you do. And for my YouTube channel, when I first started it, I couldn't. control how fast my channel would grow, but I could control the amount of output. So the amount of videos that I'm publishing a recording on my channel, and that made the whole sprint process here so much more enjoyable for me, because in that 12 weeks and longer, measuring myself against something.

that I couldn't control, like. how YouTube is going to show my content, or how many subscribers I would get. So stop feeling helpless and measure what you can do instead. So write them down and then schedule them. Make this super actionable and also non-negotiable, because now. you have this laser focus on what you want and what you want to build towards. So as the saying goes, a goal without a system, the plan is really just a wish. So in the book 12 Week year, I really loved applying this to my own life. And that is the three blocks method.

So the first thing is a strategic block every single week. This is a 2 or 3 hour block where you work only on one goal. Don't schedule the meetings the admin and unimportant stuff. Just focus on your deep work time to get the most important priorities done. And the second one is the buffer blocks. So these are short blocks of time in the week. that you can do, or the busy work that steals your day. So I do things like emails, admin, scheduling, all of my life tasks. I put them into this container so I can just take them off all in one go.

And as a busy mom, I do this for my daughter's school activities. I put the classes, I answer emails, I do online shopping for the whole family. It's amazing how so much of these things, if not careful, can easily drain. all your focus. And the last one, which is really important to you, is to remember that joy and fun is a big part of your life, right? Schedule those in too. They're called the breakout blocks. And this is the recovery time. So rest is non-negotiable to me. Go take a hobby class.

Get a walk around the neighborhood with those that you love. You need this time because rest is productive for you to. And at this point, this is where you create that. regular process of reviewing your weekly actions, what you've done, where you haven't done, what worked and what didn't. And then make sure to schedule that time with yourself like a 10 to 15 minute block. at the end of your week. It could be a Sunday night or Friday afternoon. And just ask yourself some of these questions to really review and optimize. So did I do the actions I planned in my weekly plan?

What got in the way? And what is the smallest change that makes next week even easier? And I found this part to be really revealing and fun for myself, because I never expect myself to get it 100% right all the time. Because perfection. As you know, I'm a recovering perfectionist. It simply doesn't exist in life. And mistakes are actually one of the best ways for us to succeed in life. It taught me to enjoy things before they're finished. And happiness doesn't always live at the end.

It lives in the middle two, in that in-between space of who we are and who we're becoming. So psychologists, they call this thing the arrival fallacy, the belief that happiness lives at the finish line. But really often that finish line feels so empty and misaligned with who we become. by the time we get there. I think the recent years especially taught me so much about this. So if there's one thing of becoming a parent and then running. a business have taught me is that parenting and growing a business.

Nothing is ever constant and that everything. is changing all the time because your children. or creating something from your vision, they're both living things. And the minute that you think. you got the hang of something, they grow and change again. And I'm so grateful for everything that I learned along the way. And I think just like in parenting or in business. and designing my life and intention, all these things help me to let go. the old version of myself that no longer applies in this stage in my life,

and embracing the newer version of me each year that evolves. with all the exciting changes that life can bring, which is usually unpredictable. And with each 12 week sprint that I do, I'm getting stronger. and more resilient, aligned with what I'm curious about. And while I enjoy and what I consider essential, but also I get to eliminate when I no longer need it in my life. And I think that is why I now treat my life a bit like an experiment.

So every 12 weeks I run this new experiment. I test new versions of this multiverse live that I designed, and it's made my goals feel so much more fun and flexible to give me permission. to try without attaching my identity to the actual outcome. If it works, amazing, keep it. If it does not, I still win. You just get some valuable data from the process and there's no failure here. So if you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed. or you're waiting for the perfect plan before you start this year,

I want you to do something really, really simple. Pick one sprint for the next 12 weeks. Run one experiment and give it the time you need it. So be curious about what happens. because what is the worst that could happen, right? You learn something new and interesting about yourself. and also your new life that you're trying out for size. So now it's your next move. It's time to start your year with the way that you intended to be, to tell yourself. a better story of what helps you to create the life that you want.

Ophelia aligned with who you're becoming. and enjoying that fun process every step of the way. So, in the words of Ferris Bueller, sorry for the movie reference. Life moves pretty fast if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you can miss it. So here's to a great year ahead and see you in the next video.