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How I'm Planning 2025 for Focus, Productivity, and Intentional Growth

Wendyy Nguyen

Hi friends,


Welcome back to the creative blog! Today’s post is all about planning the year ahead. While I’ll be sharing how I’m planning for 2025, this framework can be used to plan for any year moving forward.


Over the past few years, my approach to planning goals and dreams has evolved significantly. I used to set ambitious New Year’s resolutions in January, only to abandon or forget them within a few months. This cycle left me feeling frustrated and unmotivated. Often, I’d think, "Oh well, I have the rest of the year to work on them anyway," but without a clear plan, the year would slip by with little progress.


In the last two years, I’ve experienced two major mindset shifts that have transformed how I approach my goals:


  1. Every day is an opportunity to move toward our goals. We don’t have to wait for a new week, a new month, or a new year to start again. Progress can happen one small step at a time, no matter when we begin.

  2. A “New Year’s Resolution” without a plan is just a dream. To achieve any goal, it needs to be planned into our lives. This includes taking consistent action and measuring progress along the way. As the saying goes, “A failure to plan is a plan to fail.”


I’ve also learned an important third principle along the way:


  1. Follow the plan, not your mood. Often, we let excuses get in the way of action. Thoughts like “I’ll start tomorrow” or “I don’t have the full hour I planned, so I’ll skip it altogether” can derail us. But even small actions, like using those 15 minutes instead of skipping, can build momentum.


When we keep the promises, we make to ourselves—especially when no one is watching—we build trust and confidence in our ability to follow through. Something, no matter how small, is always better than nothing.


With these principles in mind, I’ve broken down how I’ll be planning 2025 into several sections below. I hope it inspires you to create a year filled with purpose and progress!


step 1: the vision board


Last year, I made a digital vision board, but I didn’t look at it as much as I would’ve liked—it was tucked away in my Notion template and easily forgotten about. This year, I’m taking a different approach by creating a physical vision board. I plan to keep it somewhere visible so I can see it daily, helping me stay inspired and motivated as I work toward the goals I’ve set for myself in 2025.


When it comes to creating a vision board, you can include anything that resonates with your aspirations and dreams. Popular categories to consider are:


  • Health

  • Relationships

  • Goals and dreams

  • Hobbies

  • Financial goals

  • Adventure and travel

  • Personal growth

  • Your dream home

  • General encouragement or inspiring quotes


This year, I’ve curated images and visuals for my vision board to align with the life I want to build in 2025. Here's what I'm including in my 2025 Vision Board:


  • Art & Development: This section reflects the artistic direction I want to pursue, including the type of artwork and collections I aim to create. It encompasses the colour palettes, style, and overall feel I want my art to embody in 2025, as well as the skills I want to develop and the artwork that inspires me.

  • Personal Growth & Development: Here, I’ve included elements that promote learning and expanding my knowledge. I believe continuous learning keeps our minds sharp and enriches our lives. For me, this means setting goals for reading a specific number of books or audiobooks and exploring topics I’m eager to dive deeper into.

  • Business: This section outlines my business goals for 2025, including the value I want to provide through my products, the marketing channels I plan to establish, financial milestones, and the kind of person I want to be as a small art business owner: intentional, creative, and consistent.

  • Health: I’ve included visuals to represent the lifestyle I want to embrace, such as regular exercise combining cardio and weights, and a balanced approach to meals. Maintaining a balanced diet has been challenging with my FIFO lifestyle and this year, I’m determined to stay on track and prioritize healthy eating.

  • Mind, Body & Spirit: This section is dedicated to self-care practices that nurture my mental and physical well-being, keeping me grounded and mindful. Meditation and yoga have been integral to my routine, and I plan to continue prioritizing these in 2025.

  • Abundance & Money: This section serves as a reminder of the abundance in my life and the abundance still to come. Growing up with immigrant parents shaped my mindset, often making me view the world through a lens of scarcity. In 2025, I want to continue shifting toward a more abundant mindset—one that embraces opportunities and gratitude.

  • Quotes: This section features quotes that inspire me to stay consistent, positive, and motivated. I’ve chosen words that remind me to focus on my goals, embrace challenges, and celebrate small wins.

  • Travel: Travel is an important part of my vision for 2025. This section includes the places I want to visit and the adventures I hope to have. While building my art business alongside my full-time job, I also want to make time for regular travel and moments in nature to recharge and find inspiration.

  • Family & Friends: This section is filled with photos of my loved ones. One of my goals for 2025 is to stay more connected with family and friends, whether through regular visits, calls, or quality time together.

  • Wishlist: Finally, I’ve included items I hope to purchase this year, such as new shelving and boxes for my studio, art supplies, and even long-term dreams like a future home and a dedicated art studio space.


By creating a vision board that reflects every aspect of your life, you can have a daily visual reminder of what you're working toward in 2025. I hope this inspires you to create your own and dream big for the year ahead!


step 2: REFLECT & set intentions


Reflection is essential for meaningful planning. I use journalling me clarify my intentions and connect deeply with the person I aspire to be. Without deliberate reflection, it’s difficult to set meaningful goals and chart a purposeful path forward.


“I AM” Affirmations


These affirmations embody the identity of the person we strive to become. For instance, one of my affirmations is: “I am a driven, focused, intentional, and productive person who consistently achieves my goals.”


Specificity is key to making some affirmations actionable. For example, I also affirm: “I am a fit and healthy individual who exercises five days a week.”


Identity-based affirmations are transformative because they guide behaviour and choices. As James Clear states, “real change is identity change.” By affirming the identity we want to adopt, we align my actions with our long-term vision.


define your Ideal day


The idea of “building the life we want” can sometimes feel overwhelming because it’s such a broad and abstract concept. By reflecting on what an ideal day looks like, we can break down that vision into tangible, day-to-day steps. Often, when we feel behind or misaligned, it’s because our daily routine doesn’t reflect what we imagine as our ideal day or week. Identifying and working toward that ideal day can help us stay on track.


For example, reflecting on when you’re most productive can make a huge difference. Ask yourself:


  • Are you more productive in the morning or afternoon?

  • When do you have the most energy?


Scheduling harder or more focused tasks during those high-energy times ensures you make the most of your productive hours.


For me, my ideal day starts with a 15 minute meditation followed by 4–5 hours of deep, focused work without distractions or my phone nearby. The rest of the day is more relaxed, including self-care activities like exercise and yoga. To make this vision actionable, I use a time-blocked schedule. This allows me to clearly see my priorities, focus on what matters most, and eliminate distractions that don’t align with my ideal day. This is an example of what my ideal day looks like:

Daily Schedule of my Ideal Day
My Ideal Day

IDENTIFY PRODUCTIVITY BARRIERS


This section is where I take time to reflect on what holds me back from becoming the person I want to be. It’s about identifying the habits, thought patterns, or distractions that keep me stuck and finding ways to let go of them. Sometimes, we experience guilt or frustration because we repeatedly give in to temptations or unhelpful habits. Writing these down and reflecting on them can help us notice patterns and understand why we feel the way we do. This clarity makes it easier to identify actionable steps for moving forward.


For me, the biggest distractions are often:


  • Spending too much time on my phone or browsing the internet outside of the time slots I’ve set.

  • Disabling blocking apps to “just check” social media or browse for “five more minutes.”

  • Letting self-care and exercise slip when I get overly focused on my business.


By consistently reflecting and making adjustments, I’m able to improve my productivity, reduce distractions, and live more intentionally.


clarify YOUR WHY


Behind every goal is a reason for getting started in the first place. Understanding our why is essential. Our motivations act as a compass, guiding us through challenges and keeping us consistent even when motivation wanes. These motivations are deeply personal and help us stay focused on the bigger picture.


For example, my motivations include:


  • Achieving financial and location freedom through my career.

  • Spending my life doing work I love.

  • Cultivating a better work-life balance to spend more time with loved ones.


Once I’ve identified my core motivations and why's, I create “I Can” affirmations to embody the life I’m building. These affirmations are designed to inspire and motivate me, such as: “I can travel and explore new places often,” or “I can spend my days creating art and growing my art business.” Visualizing and emotionally connecting with these affirmations keeps me aligned with my goals, even on difficult days.


uncover WHAT YOU WISH YOU HAD MORE TIME TO DO


This reflective statement uncovers areas of life that may have been neglected. By identifying these desires, I can bring them into focus and make space for them in my daily routine. For instance, if I wish I had more time to read, I might incorporate reading into my morning coffee ritual. If I long to try a new hobby, like pottery, I could sign up for a class during a free afternoon. Recognizing these aspirations helps me prioritize and integrate them into my life intentionally.


Journaling, reflecting, and staying aligned with these affirmations and questions help me build clarity and purpose as I plan my goals for 2025. They create a strong foundation for living a life I love, one step and one day at a time.


step 3: break down goals


I organize my goals into yearly, monthly, and weekly categories using tools like Notion and Milanote. Here’s how I structure them:


YEARLY GOALS


I organize my yearly goals in Notion, dividing them into categories that align closely with those in my vision board. Breaking goals into clear, actionable steps makes them more achievable. For example, if my goal is to read 25 books in 2025, I can plan to read at least 2 books per month and calculate the number of pages I need to complete daily or weekly.


Here’s how I categorize my yearly goals:


  • Personal Growth & Development: This category focuses on learning and self-improvement. I outline specific goals like the number of audiobooks and physical books I plan to read, as well as any programs or courses I aim to complete during the year.

  • Relationships: This includes setting intentional goals for nurturing my relationships, such as planning regular date nights, scheduling trips to visit family interstate, or spending more quality time with loved ones. It also involves personal growth within relationships—such as improving honest communication and letting go of habits like reactivity or taking things personally.

  • Finances: I set clear financial targets for the year, including income goals for my business, spending habits to refine, and savings milestones I want to reach.

  • Career & Business: This section is dedicated to my artistic and entrepreneurial goals. It includes completing art tutorials, launching specific collections, uploading vlogs, sending newsletters, publishing blogs, and participating in business-related courses or programs. Essentially, it captures all my creative and business aspirations for the year.

  • Attitude & Mindset: Here, I focus on self-care practices to nurture my mind, body, and spirit. These include habits and routines that support mental clarity and emotional well-being.

  • Health: This is where I set fitness and health-related goals, such as the number of weekly workouts, running milestones, or incorporating specific activities into my routine to maintain a healthy lifestyle.


By organizing my goals into these categories, I can focus on what truly matters and create a roadmap for the year.


Here are my Yearly Goals for 2025:


Yearly Goals Notion
Yearly Goals for 2025

MONTHLY GOALS


Similar to my yearly goals, my monthly goals also live in Notion. I use the same layout and categories, but with one key difference - I get much more specific. Monthly goals allow me to break down my larger yearly objectives into actionable steps.


For example, one of my yearly goals is to read 12 books by the end of the year. To make progress, I choose a specific book to read or finish during the month. This way, each month's goals contribute directly to the bigger picture.


By setting more specific monthly goals, I can measure my progress and consistently work toward achieving them, one step at a time.


Here are my January Goals for 2025:


Monthly Goals Notion
January Goals for 2025

WEEKLY SCHEDULE


I organize my weekly schedule in Milanote because I prefer its Kanban system over Notion’s. Milanote is easier to use and suits my workflow better. Plus, its aesthetic appeal is a nice bonus! My weekly spread includes each day of my week off-site, along with a separate list of on-site tasks. Since my time on-site is limited, I keep those tasks simple and flexible for when I can squeeze them in. To add more structure and inspiration, I include sections like "This Week's Agenda," "Productivity Notes," and motivational quotes. These help me stay clear-headed and motivated throughout the week.


To plan my week, I break down my monthly goals into smaller, actionable steps. I start by adding any social events or appointments to see where I have the most free time. From there, I work backward, slotting in tasks based on my availability. Life is unpredictable, so I try to stay flexible and adjust when unplanned events arise.


Here is my schedule for Week 1 & Week 2:


Weekly Schedule Milanote
Week 1 & Week 2 Schedule

DAILY PLan


If you've read my previous blog about productivity tips (you can check it out here), you'll know I’m a big fan of time blocking. Instead of using a traditional to-do list, I assign specific tasks to blocks of time throughout my day. This method not only makes it clear when I’m staying aligned with my goals, but it also reduces the time spent transitioning between tasks. I waste less energy deciding what to do next and can focus on actually getting things done.


With my weekly schedule finalized, planning my day becomes straightforward. I usually write out my daily plan the night before using either a Daily Planner or a Daily Desk Pad—right now, I’m using the MiGoals Daily Planner and MiGoals Daily Desk Pad. Writing it out ahead of time means I can jump straight into my day without losing momentum. That said, life happens! On the occasional day where I can’t plan ahead, I’ll take about 15 minutes in the morning to map out my schedule.


MiGoals Daily Focus Pad for Productivity
MiGoals Daily Desk Pad

My daily plan is built around my “Ideal Day,” which I try to stick to as closely as possible. I also incorporate any habits I’m working on into this schedule. To stay consistent, I use a separate notepad to track my habits on a weekly basis. This way, I can see how I’m progressing and adjust as needed.


Here’s an example of my daily schedule for the Wednesday of Week 1:


My Ideal Day Notion
Daily Plan.

step 4: adjust & reflect regularly


Life is unpredictable, and flexibility is key. I regularly review my goals and progress, making adjustments as needed. Reflecting on what’s working and what isn’t helps me stay intentional and productive.



By combining vision boards, thoughtful reflection, clear goal-setting, and regular reviews, I’m building a year filled with purpose and progress. I hope this inspires you to plan your year with clarity and intention. Let’s make 2025 our best year yet!


Happy planning!

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