Hello my beautiful people!
January is already heading towards the end, but I believe it’s never too late for us to get on track and plan how we want our new year to unfold. That’s because the transition from one year to another holds absolutely (repeat after me: a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y!) no power to make anything change. It requires work, discipline, and focus on our part to actually make a difference in our lives. And while I love the "new year, new me, new opportunities" vibe, the reality is that it doesn’t matter if you start on January 1st, March 9th, or December 15th. As long as you make a decision and stick to it, you’re going to experience all those desired changes in your life! Agreed? Haha
But as the new year unfolds, it’s easy to get lost in the hustle of running a small business, feeling overwhelmed and uninspired—and letting another year pass by without taking full control of your business (and your life at times).
Many of us have vision boards and lists of goals ready by December, but as January rolls in, we often find ourselves overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin. That’s where planning with clarity comes in. After listening to a marvelous (I’ve been loving that word lately, haha!) podcast episode from a Brazilian creator I adore (if you want to test your Portuguese, you can listen to it here), I followed her experience and used ChatGPT to help me create actionable goals that align with my values, reduce stress, and keep my business focused.

This is how the process looked like:
Step 1: Start With Questions That Shape Your Vision
To kickstart my goal-setting process, I asked ChatGPT to guide me through 10 questions, each one designed to help me identify what truly matters for me and my business. The questions focused on my core values, non-negotiables, and the type of life I want to live. This deep reflection was key to ensuring that my goals align with my purpose.
Here’s and example of the prompted inspired by Lela Brandão:
’I want to create my goals and vision for 2025. Please guide me through this process by asking 10 questions, one at a time. After I answer the last question, I’d like you to write a story describing what my dream life would look like in 2025. Additionally, create an affirmation for me to use throughout the year and outline my top 5 goals, categorized into key areas of my life.’
Step 2: Define Realistic and Actionable Goals
It’s tempting to come up with lofty goals, but the key to success is creating goals that are both realistic and actionable. I set 5 main goals for the year that I could actually see myself working toward. Instead of vague aspirations, these goals are grounded in reality and can be broken down into manageable steps.
Step 3: Break Goals Into Quarterly Actions
To avoid feeling overwhelmed, I asked ChatGPT to help me break these goals into actionable steps for each quarter—Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. This approach allowed me to focus on smaller chunks, helping me stay on track without getting lost in the details. I then added all of this to my Notion planner and calendar for easy access.
Step 4: Stay Aligned and Focused
With a clear vision and actionable steps in place, it’s easier to stay focused on what matters. Aligning my goals with tools like ChatGPT helped me reduce stress and maintain a sense of direction throughout the year.

The Benefits of Clear Goal-Setting
Clarity and Focus: By having a clear roadmap, I can focus on the right actions and avoid distractions.
Reduced Overwhelm: Breaking goals into quarterly steps ensures that I don’t get caught in the overwhelm of doing everything at once.
Accountability: Having set goals keeps me accountable and motivated to make progress, one step at a time.
Step 5: Stay Organized
After the whole process was complete, I decided to input all the information into my planner—I use Notion for that since this tool helps me keep everything in one place: business, personal life, agenda, projects, etc. Comment below if you’d like to learn more about Notion!
After all, planning for 2025 doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With the right tools and mindset, you can create a clear vision for the year ahead and take actionable steps to achieve your dreams.
Whether it’s using ChatGPT to help shape your goals or simply taking time to reflect on what matters most, creating a structured plan is key to turning your visions into reality.
Let me know: Have you ever used any productivity tools? If yes, which ones?

I understand that, after reading this blog post and even trying the method I’m sharing with you, you may still feel overwhelmed, thinking it’s just another task on your never-ending list. If you’re feeling like that, I can help!
Send me a message here, and let’s chat about solutions for your business’s presence on
Social Media! <3
xoxo
Ingrid from The Lab
