Planning For Friction: How to Set Up Your Year When You Know It Won't Be Smooth
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Planning For Friction: How to Set Up Your Year When You Know It Won't Be Smooth
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About this listen
You know your year won't be smooth. So why plan like it will be?
In this episode, I break down my 2026 planning strategy - not rigid annual goals, but quarterly focus that adapts to reality. Drawing from competitive powerlifting training, I share why backward planning works, how to maintain agency when life gets chaotic, and why 90-day sprints beat 12-month marathons.
What You'll Learn:
- Why structure creates agency (not rigidity) and the neuroscience of locus of control
- The powerlifting method: backward planning from specific outcomes
- Where to focus vs. where to allow variety - and why this matters for your brain
- Why quarterly reassessment beats rigid annual planning
- My Q1 2026 focus: Political voice acting and the strategy behind it
- How to choose YOUR Q1 focus (with examples)
Free Download: Quarterly Focus Planner
Research Cited: Amar, I.B., et al. (2023). The relationship between locus of control and pre-competitive anxiety. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1227571
Episode Callbacks: Episodes 5 (Decision Fatigue), 6 (Dopamine), 7 (Rewiring for Resilience)
Your Q1 Challenge: Before January 15, pick ONE concrete, measurable focus for your Q1. Work backward to weekly actions. Execute for 90 days. Reassess for Q2.
Contact: marco@thecognitiveperformer.com
Copyright 2026 Marco Rigazio