Forget New Year’s Resolutions
For the final post in the Money Mondays series, I wanted to reflect on the journey we’ve taken over the past 12 weeks while diving into The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. Now that we are in a new year, it feels like the perfect book to tie everything that we have covered so far together.
When I started this series, I wanted to share insights from the books that shaped my own journey in personal finance, productivity, and goal-setting. Each book has been a stepping stone, and The 12 Week Year provides the framework to pull it all together. Instead of setting traditional New Year’s resolutions that often fade by February, this approach challenges us to focus on short, impactful cycles that drive real results.
Using this book’s framework—and building on lessons from Atomic Habits, 168 Hours, and others—I’ve started crafting a new way to approach my goals. If you’re ready to rethink how you set and achieve goals, here are my key takeaways from The 12 Week Year:
📚 Key Takeaway #1: Ditch Annual Thinking
Traditional yearly goals can lead to procrastination because they give the illusion of plenty of time. By breaking the year into 12-week cycles, you create urgency and keep your focus sharp.
Key Tip: Treat each 12-week period as its own year. At the end of each cycle, take time to reflect, relax, and regroup before starting fresh. This approach builds momentum and ensures continuous progress. To make this visual and more fun I made a vision board for what I want the first 12 week year to be and made it my laptop screensaver. Now every time I open my laptop to work, I see it and it helps me feel more motivated to work on all my projects.
📚 Key Takeaway #2: Focus on Execution, Not Knowledge
The authors argue that the gap between success and failure isn’t usually a lack of knowledge but a failure to execute, highlighting how your results are a direct reflection of your consistent actions.
Key Tip: Track your weekly progress and score yourself. Honest self-assessment highlights what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs adjusting, keeping you accountable for your goals. I have now scheduled a reflection meeting with myself on Sundays so that I can reflect on what went well the past week and plan the new week to better align with goals. In this time I also block out time for social activities and rest in the coming week as I want to bring more balance into my weeks this year.
📚 Key Takeaway #3: Plan Strategically with Time Blocks
Effective time management is essential to the 12-week plan. The authors suggest using three types of time blocks: performance time, dedicated, focused time to work on your goals; strategic buffer blocks, time for unplanned tasks or interruptions; and breakout blocks, downtime to reflect, relax, and recharge.
Key Tip: Linking to the time blocking in the last tip, intentionally plan your week using these blocks. Protect your focused time while allowing flexibility to handle the unexpected.
📚 Key Takeaway #4: Understand the Emotional Cycle of Change
Achieving goals isn’t just a physical journey—it’s an emotional one. The book outlines five phases: Uninformed Optimism (the excitement of starting something new), Informed Pessimism (realising the challenges and feeling doubt), Valley of Despair (the toughest part, where many give up), Informed Optimism (gaining confidence as you see progress), and Success and Fulfilment (reaching your goal and enjoying the results).
Key Tip: For each of your goals, reflecting and recognising which phase you’re in and push through the hard moments. Success often comes right after the "Valley of Despair". I find speaking to friends, family and mentors in this time really helps to stay consistent.
📚 Key Takeaway #5: Accountability is Ownership
Accountability isn’t about consequences—it’s about taking ownership of your commitments. Building accountability as a habit helps you stay consistent and reliable.
Key Tip: Before committing to anything, consider the cost and whether you can deliver. Surround yourself with people who value accountability to create a supportive, high-performing environment. This year I want to create a community where we hold each other accountable, this starts my sharing my goals with close friends and family but also the community on here and on the podcast. My aim is that we support each other in achieving all our goals this year.
📚 My Biggest Takeaway
The most important lesson I learned from The 12 Week Year is that success starts with mindset. It’s not just about doing the work—it’s about believing your goals are achievable and building systems that make execution second nature. Breaking down goals into smaller cycles has helped me stay motivated, see progress, and avoid the overwhelm of long-term thinking.
Reflecting on Money Mondays
This series began as an experiment—sharing my journey through books that shaped how I approach personal finance, productivity, and goal-setting. From Atomic Habits to Money: A User’s Guide, each post has been about learning and growth.
I hope you’ve taken something valuable from these posts—whether it’s a new way to manage your time, better financial clarity, or simply the inspiration to set and achieve your goals. For me, The 12 Week Year has been the perfect conclusion, tying together everything we’ve discussed over the past 12 weeks. As we begin the new year, I encourage you to reflect on what you’ve learned, set meaningful goals, and embrace the power of consistent action.
What’s one goal you want to achieve in the next 12 weeks? Let me know in the comments! Thank you for joining me on this journey—I can’t wait to see what you achieve.
