Design Your 2026 Consulting Plan: A Guided Reset for HR Consultants
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If you’re close to wrapping up 2025 and you want to go into 2026 with clarity (instead of repeating the same “busy but not moving forward” cycle), this episode is for you. In this guided working session, I walk you through a simple, structured reset to help you reflect on what worked, decide what to leave behind, and create a focused plan for the next 12 months.
Whether you’re already an HR consultant or you’re preparing to make the leap in 2026, this is designed to help you start the year with confidence and direction.
Key takeaways
- A practical 2025 debrief: what worked, what didn’t, what to stop carrying forward
- How to design 2026 with intention (instead of drifting into it)
- The 3 goals every consultant needs: revenue, lifestyle, and impact
- How 90-day sprints keep you focused and reduce feast-and-famine cycles
- The first practical steps you can take this week
Why so many consultants start a new year without a real plan
It’s easy to hit January with good intentions and no structure - especially when you’re juggling client work, marketing, admin, and everything else that comes with self-employment. The result is often a year that feels “busy” but not strategically aligned.
A reset works because it gives you:
- clarity on what’s actually driving results
- a realistic focus (instead of trying to do everything)
- a plan you can execute consistently
Your guided 2025 debrief: what worked, what didn’t, what to leave behind
Before you plan 2026, you need a clean view of 2025. In this episode, I guide you to review:
- what brought you clients or momentum
- what drained your time without a return
- what you want to stop doing (even if it feels productive)
This matters because your 2026 plan should be built on evidence, not just hope.
The 3 goals every HR consultant needs: revenue, lifestyle, and impact
A strong consulting plan balances three outcomes:
- Revenue: what you need the business to generate
- Lifestyle: how you want your week to feel (time, flexibility, boundaries)
- Impact: the difference you want to make through your work
This is especially relevant for HR professionals leaving corporate life for more autonomy—your plan should support the life you’re building, not recreate the job you left.
How to use 90-day sprints to stay focused (and avoid feast-and-famine)
Annual goals are useful, but most progress happens in shorter cycles. A 90-day sprint helps you:
- choose a small number of priorities
- stay consistent with business development
- build momentum without overwhelm
It’s one of the simplest ways to reduce the feast-and-famine pattern many consultants experience.
The first practical steps you can take this week to start 2026 strong
To turn planning into action, I recommend you finish this episode with:
- one clear 90-day focus
- the weekly actions that support it
- a realistic first step you can take immediately (this week)
Resources and next steps
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If you want support, structure, and community around you in 2026, explore:
- Leap into HR Consulting® (Bootcamp , Academy + resources): https://www.leapintoconsulting.com
- You can also connect with me on LinkedIn and share your top 2026 goal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhg/
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