Turning Clarity into Action

By the time we reach the planning section of the New Moon Reset, you’ve already grounded your nervous system and reflected on what’s been working and what hasn’t. You’re clearer, calmer, and more connected to yourself than when you arrived.

This is intentional.
When your mind is clear, your strategy becomes clear.
When your emotions are regulated, your decisions become aligned.

Only then do we shift into planning.

The planning portion of the Reset isn’t about building a giant to-do list. Instead, you will craft a one-page, emotionally aligned monthly plan that supports the kind of month you want to have at work, at home, on your team, or in your personal life as a leader.

Let me walk you through how that works.

Guiding You Toward a Clear Monthly Goal

The very first outcome of the planning section is clarity around your overarching goal or intention for the month. This doesn’t need to be a big professional milestone or a complex project. You might be thinking about work. You might be thinking about a project at home. You might be thinking about how you want to show up as a leader in your household, your community, or your team.

And when I say “leader,” I don’t mean job titles.

A leader is simply someone who guides others and this can be your colleagues, your family, your kids, yourself. Everyone in this session is a leader in some form.

Some people might choose something like:

• “I want to wrap up this marketing project.”
  Others might choose:

• “I want to feel prepared for our family vacation.”
  Or even:

• “I want this month to feel restful and steady.”

Your goal statement is a single, clear sentence that reflects how you want to feel and what you want to experience in the next 30 days.

And reflection plays a big part in this.

If last month you felt overwhelmed, rushed, or stretched thin, then part of your goal-setting process is deciding that you’re not bringing that energy into this new cycle.

Your clarity from earlier in the session becomes your compass.

Using HeartMath to Create Emotional Alignment

One of the frameworks I weave into this section is a HeartMath technique called Freeze Frame. It helps you contrast:

• how last month felt, and

• how you want this month to feel.

If you can name the emotional state you’re aiming for, your planning automatically becomes more honest and more aligned.

Writing Your Goal Statement + Success Criteria

Once your emotional landscape and overall intention are clear, we translate that into:

1. A Monthly Goal Statement

A short, powerful articulation of what you’re working toward.

2. Success Criteria (a.k.a. What “Good” Looks Like)

In the agile world, we call this acceptance criteria.
It simply answers:

“How will I know I achieved this?”

If your goal is to feel prepared for a vacation, then we define what “prepared” actually means for you.
If your goal is to complete a project at work, we define what “completed” actually looks like.
If your goal is to feel more rested, we define what “rested” feels like in your lived experience.

Without this step, goals stay vague. With it, they become doable.

Then (and only then!) do we identify the steps.

This is where the one-page monthly plan really shines.

We list the few actions that support your goal and your success criteria.
Not a massive project plan.
Not a 45-item list.
Just the steps that move you toward the version of the month you want to have.

To-do lists never end. They’re not meant to.
But a monthly plan with a clear goal and real success criteria ends.

You get to finish it.
You get to celebrate it.
And you get to feel momentum instead of the endless cycle of “next, next, next.”

Why the One-Page Plan Is So Effective and Approachable

The one-page format works because:

1. It limits complexity.

You literally cannot overfill a single page.

2. It forces prioritization.

Only the most aligned steps make the cut.

3. It adapts to your real life.

Every month is new. Every cycle meets you where you are.

4. It creates momentum.

Small steps, clear direction, and completion you can see.

How Nimble Up’s Frameworks and My Background Shape This Work

I’ve been doing strategic planning for almost as long as I can remember. Truly!

I was the 12-year-old with a job so I could buy matching dishes for my future apartment. Planning is my happy place. It’s how I navigate the world, and I’ve studied it formally through certifications, college coursework, and years of organizational experience.

But more importantly, I love it.

I can’t go on vacation without asking my friends, “What’s your plan for the next quarter?” My hairdresser and I talk about our words for the year.

This is just how my brain works and I bring all of that joy and expertise into this process.

Nimble Up frameworks like Agile project management, Scrum principles like timeboxing, and HeartMath techniques all weave together to help leaders plan in a way that is grounded, honest, and energizing.

And, as I always remind people:
This isn’t a magic pill.
You won’t know everything after one session.
Clarity is built over time, through repetition, practice, and habit.

But if you stay on the path and keep clearing space for what you want, you will get where you’re trying to go.

A Common Question: “Wouldn’t it be more productive to spend the whole two hours planning?”

My honest reaction?
No. Absolutely not.

If we spent two entire hours planning, your list would become far too long, far too cluttered, and far too disconnected from what actually matters.

When we timebox—something Scrum teaches beautifully—we get to the point faster. The fluff falls away. The most important ideas rise to the surface. The clarity from movement and reflection prepares your brain to identify what truly matters in a matter of minutes.

Think of movement and reflection as clearing the cobwebs. Then, when I say, “You have two minutes to write,” the right things come forward.

What Comes Next

In the next post, we’ll begin transitioning toward the invitation. Why this Reset exists, what makes it meaningful, and how leaders can join and benefit from the monthly rhythm.

And if you’re someone who has felt overwhelmed by planning or tired of endless to-do lists, I would love for you to experience this for yourself. There’s something powerful about walking into a session cluttered and walking out with a single, clear plan that feels like it belongs to you.