What it Looks Like to Start Small with Your Goals This Year

Little by little adds up.

Legacies start with one small seed. 

Progress, not perfection. 

Break it down to get it done. 

Celebrate every tiny win.

If you’ve spent any time around the Cultivate What Matters community, you’ve likely heard us repeat one of these phrases. And — because you’re a smart, perceptive human who’s lived a bit of life — you nod right along as we do. Yes to starting small! Yes to stacking tiny wins! Yes to ditching perfection and just getting started!

But when it comes to starting small in your own life, maybe it feels more complicated. Are you doing enough? Are you doing it right? What does breaking down a yearly goal look like, anyway?!

Good news: there’s no one right way to break down a goal. If you’re moving forward toward a destination that matters and pivoting along the way, keep going! But because it can be helpful to swap stories with others on the journey, in today's blog post we’re sharing how a few members of Team Cultivate have started small on their 2026 PowerSheets® goals. We're with you every step of the way, and hope today's post gets your wheels turning about what small steps might look like in your life! 

Emily, our Director of Content

Very excited about what I have planned for this year! Here are a few of my goals and their starting steps.

• Speak words of affirmation over John and my children. I'll spend a few minutes brainstorming what messages feel most important to communicate to each and write a little list somewhere I’ll see it every day. (Maybe a post-it on my bedside table!) I know keeping it in sight will help it flow from desire to action.
• Celebrate June’s tenth birthday in a meaningful way with a weekend trip. First steps include brainstorming ideas with my husband; setting aside some time to read through ideas and resources I've collected; getting clear on our why for the trip (what is the goal? Why are we doing this? What do we hope to accomplish?); booking a place to stay; and creating a first draft itinerary.
• Create our next five-year photo book. This is pretty straightforward: block time on my calendar (likely two work sessions!), upload photos from each year, and lay out the album.
• Improve my bloodwork results. Far less straightforward! The habits of a brisk 30-minute walk and having a protein drink with my afternoon snack are already in the works. I've also ordered right-size jump ropes for myself and the kids and invited them to learn a few tricks with me.
• Invite others into our home. We'll brainstorm a list of people we'd like to have over as a family, then send out invites for February!

Rachel, our Copywriter

My word for 2026 is “rhythm” so you’re going to see a lot of routines as part of my goals for this year! 

• Create a home office I love being in. I’ve ordered cabinetry from IKEA and paint samples and have scheduled a handyman to come out to the house to help with the install. I still have a long ways to go to turn this space into an office but I’m proud to have taken some of the first steps.
• Travel somewhere new. I’ve actually already tackled this one! I took a girls trip to Mammoth Caves National Park in January. Now I’m onto planning my next adventure—a birthday trip in May!
• Finish my book and take it out on submission. I’m about 60% through this draft. My faithful steps have looked like scheduling time to write each week, planning at least one writing session a week with a friend, and looking into conferences to attend this year where I can pitch to literary agents.
• Celebrate along the way. I made a “joy plan” to remind myself of big and small ways I can sprinkle in celebrations throughout the year to honor progress (or simply to be inspired and refreshed!). Having it as a guide has already helped me to slow down and honor the little things more.
• Create healthy routines. One of the things I’ve learned about myself is time in nature nourishes my soul. So one of my healthy habits for this year is to go hiking once a month. I’ve already done three hikes in January (whoo-hoo!). Now I need to schedule an outing for February and pray we have good weather!

Alli, our Marketing Specialist

• Celebrate 10 years of marriage! It's crazy to be at this milestone already! The first small steps here were to choose a few days for a getaway, choose the location, and line up childcare. We've actually tackled those steps already in January, and are now entering into the next phase of planning for our rapidly approaching little trip away!
• Make progress on three larger financial goals. Starting small here means mapping out anticipated deadlines for each of these—hoping to fulfill one this winter, the next this spring, and at least 50% of the third by the end of the year. The next step is to re-evaluate our monthly budget to see what can be moved around or cut back on for the year ahead. Knowing where our money is going  (eventually!) really makes delayed gratification much easier!
• Plan a full family trip to see my best friend's family. I could cry tears of joy thinking about the finish line of this goal! Over the years, we've made solo trips happen when we can, but it's been quite a while (and multiple children added) since we've been able to get both of our whole families together. This goal may or may not quite come to fruition in 2026, BUT the goal is to plan it—when, where, how, map out finances and logistics, and put something on the calendar—even if the trip itself doesn't happen until 2027.
• Welcome our third baby! Surely the largest goal of 2026, and one where I've really been focusing on starting small and little-by-little progress. This goal will encompass some home+space goals (preparing areas of our home to function better with another newborn, moving our older two into a room together, etc.), family goals (as we all adjust to a new normal), and health+wellness goals (as I prepare myself physically and mentally both now and postpartum). I've been keeping a running brain dump doc to add all the miscellaneous thoughts to, and I'm taking a little time each week to look through it and select the next small action items to move forward.

Katie, our Designer

I have a few Finish Line goals within each of my goals and lots of little goals along the way. I’m excited to see all my little steps add up over time!

• Be more intentional about dating my spouse. I’ve already started penciling in dates on the calendar that are either meaningful or simply help create a good monthly rhythm. I found a babysitter and we already have our January date set.
• Create memorable holiday keepsakes. I originally wanted to tackle a tree skirt, stockings, and an advent calendar, but decided to scale back to a tree skirt and stockings this year. My first step is finding coordinating fabrics that feel timeless and can hold a lifetime of memories.
• Create a welcoming home by nurturing warmth and order. Since we’re currently in a rental, there is only so much I can do. My first step was creating a list of chores that often get forgotten and breaking them into weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and bi-monthly rhythms.
• Take care of my vessel. I’m a big list person, so this goal started with breaking down what taking care of myself actually looks like. The next small step is slowly adding pieces of that list into my routine so I do not get overwhelmed by an all at once approach.

Lauren, our Director of Marketing

One of the main focus areas for me in 2026 is my family. Each child has some sort of milestone ahead and it is important to me to support and encourage them well. I am kicking off the year with a few Finish Line goals, clear steps and key projects that need to be completed before we can confidently move forward.

• Complete my daughter's tween room transformation. This is her birthday gift from December that’s been lovingly in the works. We have finished painting and moved in the new furniture. Next up is painting her closet (this weekend!), adding the final wall touches (right after the paint dries), and hanging her blackout curtains. (A girl needs her beauty sleep!) I am excited to create a space she truly loves!
• Register my middle child for his driving course by the end of January. To get this one started, it's just me and some paperwork ahead. Ha! I'll also begin some loving self-talk to gear myself up so I can support him as gracefully as possible as he learns this new skill.
• Create (and follow) a college planning roadmap with my oldest. Between school research, campus visit planning, test scores, and application prep, there is a lot to consider! This month, my husband and I are working with our oldest son to create a roadmap—a realistic plan for the year that fits with his sports, part-time work, and studies while getting him excited for what's ahead. The hope is we will have some fun along the way, too! 

Looking for even more ideas? Here are a few past blog posts you might love:

How to get started on a health and wellness goal
How to get started on a finance goal
How to get started on a spiritual growth goal
How to get started on a family goal

Friend, you don’t have to have it all figured out here at the start of the year. You don’t have to have a perfect plan. You don’t have to know steps A, B, and C, and you certainly don’t have to know steps X, Y, and Z. Just keep taking the next step forward—little by little, you’ll get there.

We'd love to hear: what has starting small looked like so far in your goals this year? What small steps are you celebrating right now? Tell us in the comments!