In the beginning of a new year, it feels like change is in the air. We get fresh calendars, new planners, and the reminder that the world is full of possibilities. At the same time, as busy moms juggling meal planning, work, and parenting, time flies by! How do we make sure we’re truly intentional about our goals and dreams? I am about to share one of my favorite activities to do in the new year— the January letter.

This simple, life-changing practice helps you clarify where you want to go in the coming year. I honestly think it might be better than goal setting and I love goal setting!

Listen Below For The Entire Episode On The Systemize Your Life Podcast

What Is A January Letter?

A January Letter is more than just a list of resolutions. It’s a visualization exercise where you describe your life as if you’ve already achieved your dreams for the year. Think of it as writing a letter to your future self, detailing what your life looks like at the end of the year.

You essentially pour your hopes, dreams, and intentions onto paper. You’ll be surprised by the impact such a simple, fun practice can have on your life.

Before I go too far into what a January Letter is, let me explain why it is such a powerful practice.

How The January Letter Began

I’m honestly not sure who first came up with this idea.  I actually learned about this from my husband. He is a firefighter but he also has a real estate investing business that he does on the side. He has some incredible mentors and coaches that he’s worked with over the years. One of them actually talked about this with him and he brought it to me.

Not long after that, I ended up working with a coach who had me do a similar exercise. Both exercises changed my life so much that I actually use those two tools in this inside of my Systemize Your Life course.

They are absolutely life-changing. The first time that I ever did this with my husband, we sat down together and came up with our own individual thoughts and ideas. I honestly had never gone through something so intimate with myself.

The first year that I did this was the first year that I was going to start this business. I had a lot going on personally. There were also a lot of things that I was hoping to accomplish, a lot of big dreams and desires. I had no idea if I could do it to be honest.

I’m the type of person that needs to know something before I do it. I have a hard time doing things that I am uncertain about. When I know something, I can’t un-know it. I can’t undo it. You’re not going to get me away from it.

Why Write a January Letter?

Writing a January Letter transformed my ability to know that I could do something. Seeing, believing, feeling and dreaming about this life that was different life that I was actually living was so powerful.

I didn’t know how long it would take me to ever get to that place but I felt like it wasn’t really that far off. Every time I popped in my earbuds to listen to a podcast, watch some kind of webinar, read a book or watch a documentary on Netflix, I was inspired. I felt like other people were moving mountains in their life and I thought, why not me?

The transformation didn’t happen right away. It took a year, but the process of writing a January letter has indefinitely changed my life forever. All those things I was dreaming about, thinking about, believing in, I was able to achieve because of the January letter. No, it’s not just because of the January letter but has a lot to do with it.

Your Dreams Exist For A Reason

“You have dreams on your heart for a reason. They’re not just there to be dreams. They’re there to be lived.”

Every single day of your life you hold yourself back from living those dreams. You convince yourself that they’re just a dream.

That is the woman I was for so many years. The woman that believed that my dreams were not really actually something I could accomplish, even though as an adolescent and a young adult I accomplished nearly everything that I set out to do. I had confidence then that I could achieve whatever I put my mind to, because again, when I know, I know.

But when it came down to being a mom with a job, needing to cook meals and keep the house clean, for some reason I put myself in a box. I didn’t understand how to make these big things happen when I became a wife and a mom.

I knew I could but I didn’t know how. There was just this huge barrier between me and what I thought was this grandiose crazy life. I don’t know how that transition happened but I bet that you’ve had that happen to you too. We get stuck behind those dreams.

Whether you’re 65 or 25 or somewhere in between, it’s never too late to really sit down and have a moment with those dreams. You can take the time to realize that maybe those dreams are actually there not to just to dream about but to live. That is what the January letter did for me. It gave me a glimpse of what life could be and helped me trust that I could get there.

How To Write A January Letter

Here are 4 simple steps to help you write your own January letter.

1. Grab Your Materials

Pour a cup of coffee (or your favorite drink), get your bullet journal, paper planner or just a piece of paper and something to write with. Set aside uninterrupted time, around 30 minutes to an hour, for you to reflect and dream. This doesn’t have to be stressful. All you need is a quiet space to be alone with your thoughts.

When I first did mine, I did it pen to paper and then I typed it up and printed it out later.

2. Picture Yourself A Year From Now

It doesn’t actually matter what day or month you are in. This exercise is powerful any time of year. We actually have students do this anytime they start the Systemize Your Life program and then post it in our Facebook group so we can get excited with them.

Picture your life a year from the current date and write a letter to your future self.

3. Include Specific Details

Be vivid and specific in your letter. You can describe a day in your life or describe things you did throughout the year. For example:

• “Wow, I can’t believe it! I got on the scale this morning and realized I finally did it. I gained 10 pounds of muscle. Going to the gym 3 days a week has really paid off.”
• “My mornings now feel calm and productive—I have a morning routine that includes 10 minutes of journaling before the kids wake up.”
• “This year, I started my LLC and even hired the first person to join my team.”
• “I pulled my kids out of school to homeschool and we are loving it because we get more time together and our kids can learn in a way that fits their personalities.”

The clearer your descriptions of how you want life to be, the more tangible it becomes. Take the time to really visualize what you want and how it would impact your life.

4. Read It Often

A January Letter is not a set it and forget it type of thing. You want to re-read it to yourself every day if possible. I usually print mine out and put it in the front of my paper planner. You could also hang it up on your wall or put it on your desktop. You want it to be somewhere that you will see often so you remember where you want to go this year.

Your January Letter is there to encourage inspire you to actually live in accordance with things that are on your heart. The practice of reading it often makes sure we’re not going to fall into the old way of living or the box that we put ourselves in. We’re not going to live within the limitations that keep swirling around in our heads. We want to actually be living the things we are dreaming of and working toward them.

The Life-Changing Power of the January Letter

So here’s what ended up happening and why I got super inspired to write a January Letter. The coach my husband was working with said that he was driving down the road one day with his wife in the car and he suddenly just pulled over. They were on their way to the beach and they were going there at a certain day of the week. He wasn’t working and it was for a very certain experience that they wanted to have. In that moment, he realized he was literally living his January Letter.

He pulled over and he read it to his wife. She had never heard it before and it was just such an emotional moment for both of them. By way of action, believing and being dedicated, they ended up actually creating the things that they had been dreaming of.

I can tell you that for 5 years, this has actually happened to me too. Not everything happens perfectly. Sometimes my January Letters have really lofty things that I don’t have any control over and they don’t happen. That’s okay. For the most part, when I sit down and write my January Letter, it’s because I’m dreaming of things that have been intentionally placed into my heart. They’re there for me to grow into.

I never want to go another year in my life where I don’t continuously grow into the woman that I was designed to be. I want that for you too. There is so much potential, so much possibility. Even if it’s just 2% more or 1% more, that’s amazing. The whole point is to not stagnate not progress.

Write Your January Letter

If it’s January and you’re already listening to podcasts and doing the things, setting goals and buying the planners, make it worth it. Be so unbelievably intentional with where you put your time and the thoughts that you let yourself think every single day. Even if it isn’t January, you can still start this process of living with intention.

Take your thoughts captive. Choose what you allow to circle around in your brain. The things that you tell yourself, the things that you’re believing in and the things that you’re hoping for every single day are the things that you will inevitably work towards.

I hope that you sit down and write a January Letter so that you can really visualize and achieve the dreams that are in your heart and mind. When you’re done with your letter, post it in our free Facebook group so that we can all cheer you on!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find more tools for setting and achieving goals?

I did a whole series about what I do every January to set myself up for success each year. Here are a few of the other episodes.

4 Steps To Making A Vision Board That Inspires Big Change

Top 10 Habits Busy Moms Should Ditch

Need A Better Budget? 3 Steps To Save More and Argue Less Over Your Finances

You can also go to our podcast vault and search for the words or phrases you’d like to learn more about to get even more information.

Which paper planner do you recommend?

I absolutely love the Dream Planner by Horacio Printing. I have been using it for years and it is the perfect compliment to my time blocking systems and my goal setting systems. If you use my link you can even get a discount at checkout.