You don’t need Feb 1 to reset your goals ... [🐝U]

Author

EG Orren
January 25, 2026

We’ve got 1 more week left in January …
How’s 2026 been treating you?
How are things with your business goals?

If things aren’t quite where you wanted them to be…
or maybe you haven’t been able to find the momentum you were expecting
& your enthusiasm is starting to fizzle…

Keep going.
You don’t have to reset on February 1.
(no matter how many social media posts you see encouraging that!)

Remember that your “freedom & flexibility” that you long for isn’t just a cool vibe or feeling …

It actually involves a schedule.

Structure creates freedom (whether we like it or not!)

I didn’t want to believe this for a long time when I started working for myself.
I wanted freedom to feel free … not to feel planned.
But what I kept noticing was this quiet frustration at the end of the day…
I was tired, busy, & still felt behind.
not getting clients (or making $$)

I’d shut my laptop at night thinking
“Tomorrow I’ll do better.”
& then tomorrow would come (& go) & fill itself before I had a say.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth most “freedom & flexibility” messaging skips:

Freedom doesn’t come from less structure.
It comes from more of the “right” structure.

Have you noticed that when your days aren’t planned, they get filled anyway?
→ with other people’s priorities
→ by busywork that feels productive but doesn’t move the business forward
→ even “stuff” that you don’t even remember doing.

“The day got away from me”
“I don’t know where the day went … or how I spent it”

That’s how you end up exhausted & without much to show for it.

Not because you’re lazy.
Not because you “don’t want it enough.”

But because reactive days are quietly stealing your momentum
& killing your confidency by convincing you it’s your fault.

If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.
The more things you do, the more you can do.

Lucille Ball

Motivation can fade. Good systems don’t

Most people wait to feel motivated before they act.
→ January 1st with New Year’s Resolutions
→ February 1st restarts

That works great… to get started.
But it doesn’t necessarily see you through.

Momentum doesn’t come from hype or fresh starts.
It comes from small, boring wins done on purpose.

1 small focused block of time.
1 immediate priority protected.
1 planned decision … so you don’t have to force yourself (or beat yourself up) later.

This is going to seem contrarian but …
Motivation, clarity & confidence … they ALL follow action
Not the other way around.

Your calendar’s already deciding for you

If something isn’t on your calendar, it’s usually not a priority.
It’s a hope.

& hopes are too easy to bump when “life happens”.

Show me your calendar, and I’ll show you your success.

Your calendar doesn’t care about your goals.
It only reflects your choices.
& what you’re committed to.

This is good news:
→ You don’t need a new plan.
→ You don’t need February.
→ You don’t need to “get back on track.”

You just need to decide what gets protected.

My calendar hasn’t been working the way I’d hoped…

& if I’m honest, the cost isn’t just “less progress.”
It was that low-level guilt that follows you around all day.
Knowing there are things that matter…
& watching yourself avoid them anyway.

There are things I know NEED to do to grow my business that I left off the calendar
& surprise surprise, they’re not getting done!
→ checking & responding to LinkedIn DMs
→ engaging with other people’s posts on LinkedIn & Facebook groups

So I’m changing it.
& you can too!

Start here … (it’s simple, doable, & effective)

1. Identify your 1 non-negotiable business action
The thing that actually moves the needle (not the thing that makes you feel busy).

For me, that’s showing up on LinkedIn (& in the DMs)

For you, that could be the course you bought..,
or doing the thing you keep telling yourself you’ll “get to”

2. Put it on your calendar first
Not “if there’s time.”
Not “after everything else.”
First.

My “work day” with LinkedIn is scheduled on the calendar for 6:30-7am.
every day.
& on days I have very early 6am calls, or I’ve scheduled time to write this newsletter,
I’ve moved it to an earlier time.
It’s STILL 1st thing.

3. Decide what you’re not doing during that time
No inbox.
No scrolling.
No “quick checks.”
No hitting the snooze button.

Boundaries create focus. Focus creates progress.

This is what “keep going” looks like …

Not grinding harder.
Not working longer.
Not pretending you’re fine when you’re tired.

It looks like:
→ choosing structure on purpose
→ protecting your energy
→ designing days that support the life you’re building — not fight it

Craig Ballantyne wrote his 1st book (that turned into a bestseller) by writing for just 15 minutes a day … 1st thing in the morning … before everything else.

It was scheduled.
He started small.

Again, not grinding harder or working longer.

1 small scheduled block of intentional beats a week of chaotic ones.

He created The Perfect Day Formula …
that lead to The Perfect Week Formula …
which made his business Unstoppable.
(note: these links are to his FREE PDF downloads to the book … by opting for his newsletter)

You’re closer to that consistent momentum (& success) than you think.

Want help setting this up?

If you want a 2nd set of eyes on your calendar
so you can figure out what actually belongs there
& get rid of things quietly sabotaging your momentum.

I’m happy to help you get it started.
Especially if you’re tired of feeling like you should be further along by now.

This isn’t for someone looking for another productivity hack.
It’s for someone ready to protect what actually matters …
Turning the business you’ve been dreaming about
into something that actually supports your life

No pressure.
No shame.
Just clarity and a plan you can actually follow.

Jump into the LinkedIn conversation by commenting on my post …
or reply to this email.

or both!

Make it a great “restart“ week!
EG

PS:

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