We’ve all heard of a "post-mortem," an analysis of why something failed after it’s already dead. But in a Designed Year, we use a Pre-Mortem. We are going to step into a time machine, travel to December 2026, and imagine that your year was a total disaster. You didn't hit your goals, you didn't keep your rhythms, and you're right back where you started. Why did it happen?
This isn't about being negative; it’s about being strategic. By identifying the potential "assassins" of your goals now, you can build the shields to stop them. Most failures are predictable. You know your patterns; you know that you tend to quit when you get busy at work, or when you feel lonely, or when you hit a plateau. Today, we turn those "Known Threats" into "Solved Problems."
In Your Guidebook on Page 44, perform the Pre-Mortem Exercise. List the top 3 reasons why your 2026 might fail. (Be honest! Is it social media? Is it a lack of childcare? Is it your own fear?) For each reason, create a "Safeguard." What can you put in place now to prevent that from happening? If "distraction" is a threat, a safeguard might be "Deleting social media apps on weekdays."
BONUS | The 10-Minute Reset: Pick your #1 threat from the list and create one physical safeguard for it today. If your threat is "forgetting your goals," print out your North Star and tape it to your fridge.
