Setting goals as a Christian looks different than the typical New Year’s resolution frenzy that dominates January. Instead of chasing productivity for its own sake, biblical goal setting grounds our ambitions in God’s purposes—anchoring our identity in Christ rather than our accomplishments.
3 weeks into 2026, and I’m not making resolutions. Instead, I’m embarking on a focused 12-week sprint that targets 3 key areas: spiritual disciplines, physical stewardship, and intellectual growth. I want to do this not just for self-improvement, but for aligning my daily actions with the calling God has placed on my heart.
This approach is inspired by Reagan Rose’s recent video “How to Actually Achieve Your Goals in 2026” from his Redeeming Productivity channel, combined with the focused execution framework from Brian Moran’s The 12 Week Year. Reagan’s framework examines six life domains—spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational, economical, and vocational—and challenges us to ask: which areas need the most intentional focus right now?
If you’re looking for a Christian approach to goal setting that balances ambition with surrender, intentionality with dependence on God, this framework might help you make the next twelve weeks count.
Last year, I used this same framework to reflect on my calling. You might want to check out that post too.
The Framework: Seven Domains + Twelve Weeks
Before diving into my specific goals, let me share the framework I’m using.
The Seven Life Domains
In his video on achieving goals in 2026, Reagan Rose from Redeeming Productivity outlines 7 key domains for holistic life assessment:
- Spiritual – Your relationship with God
- Physical – Your health and stewardship of your body
- Intellectual – Your learning and mental growth
- Relational – Your connections with family, friends, and community
- Economical – Your financial stewardship
- Vocational – Your work and calling
- Recreational – Your leisure
Rather than trying to pursue our goals in all seven areas at the same time (a recipe for overwhelm), Reagan encourages us to identify which 2-3 domains need the most attention in our current season. This is wisdom—trying to transform everything at once usually means transforming nothing.
The 12-Week Year Structure
The execution framework comes from Brian Moran and Michael Lennington’s The 12 Week Year. The concept is simple but powerful: break your year into four 12-week “years.” This creates natural checkpoints that maintain urgency without the sprawl of 365-day timelines.
Instead of losing momentum by March (like most New Year’s resolutions), the twelve-week framework keeps you focused. We are 3 weeks into my first 12-week cycle of 2026, which means I still have 9 weeks of concentrated effort ahead.
If you’re new to this concept, Shortform has an excellent summary that breaks down the key principles in about 20 minutes of reading. (Full disclosure: I’m a Shortform partner, so you’ll get 20% off your subscription and I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Together, these frameworks provide both clarity (which domains matter most right now) and focus (a compressed timeline that prevents procrastination).
For this quarter, I’ve identified 3 domains that need intentional attention: spiritual, physical, and intellectual. Let me walk you through why each matters and what I’m committing to.
Goal #1: Cultivating Spiritual Disciplines Through Gratitude and Prayer
In Reagan Rose’s framework, spiritual is deliberately placed first, because our vertical relationship with God grounds everything else. Without spiritual rootedness, the other domains become either burdens we carry alone or idols we worship.
The Problem I’m Addressing
Looking back at 2025, I was busy doing many things, but I didn’t have time to slow down and reflect. Specifically, I struggled to reflect on two critical things:
First: Thanksgiving for God’s blessings. When I finally paused to look back, I realized there was actually much to give thanks for in 2025. Yes, there were challenges, but we too often focus so intently on the negative that we blow it out of proportion while overlooking the positive.
Second: Actively praying with expectancy. I found myself praying on autopilot—going through the motions rather than praying with the expectation that God would actually answer.
The Biblical Foundation
Recently, while reading Genesis, I was struck by Jacob’s journey. Running from his brother Esau, insecure and vulnerable, he encountered God in a dream at Bethel.
Upon waking, Jacob made a vow: if God provided for him and brought him safely back to his father’s house, then the God of Abraham and Isaac would become his God, and he would build an altar.
That took twenty years.
Twenty years of ups and downs, family drama, and being manipulated by his father-in-law Laban. Finally, when Jacob returned and reconciled with Esau, he recognized that God had answered his prayer. He built an altar and called it “El Elohe Israel”—the God of Israel.
What strikes me is this: sometimes we need to consciously pray—not letting our prayers become rote repetitions, but praying with genuine expectancy that God will answer. If we are not actively praying, we are not actively trusting God. We’re living on autopilot.
My Specific Commitment
For the next twelve weeks, I’m establishing two daily habits:
- A gratitude journal – Recording specific ways God has blessed me each day
- A prayer journal – Writing down specific prayer requests so I can later recognize when and how God answers
Current progress: Honestly? I’d give myself a 5 out of 10. Some days I’m consistent; other days I forget or rush through it. But that’s exactly why I need the structure of a twelve-week commitment—to move from sporadic effort to established habit.
The ultimate goal: To train my heart to recognize and respond to God’s presence, remembering what I’ve prayed for so I can see God working in my circumstances.
Goal #2: Reclaiming Physical Health Through Stewardship
The Reality Check
Towards late 2025, I let myself go physically. Between the stress of my career transition and starting my part-time master’s course, I fell into unhealthy patterns. I convinced myself I needed coffee and comfort food to cope with the new routine. I stopped tracking calories, exercised inconsistently, and dealt with minor injuries by avoiding the gym altogether.
The result? I gained at least 7kg, pushing me close to 90kg when my ideal weight is 75kg.
The physical impact was immediate—brain fog, inability to focus, constant fatigue, and diminished productivity. I realized something crucial: my physical health directly enables my spiritual, intellectual, and vocational goals. If my body isn’t functioning well, nothing else can operate at its best.
Why Physical Fitness Is a Spiritual Issue
No, it’s not about making myself look good (although my wife did say on several occasions that she would certainly prefer that!). It’s really about stewardship. Paul writes that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). My body needs to be fit and useful so I can be fully present for my family, my church, my students, and my colleagues. It’s about honoring God with the physical vessel He’s given me.
When I’m physically depleted, I can’t think clearly. I can’t pray with focus. I can’t serve with energy. Physical health creates capacity for everything else God is calling me to do.
My Specific Commitment
For the next twelve weeks:
- Daily short workouts – I’m using an app called BetterMe to do this
- Active calorie tracking – Being honest about what I’m consuming
- Daily weigh-ins – Monitoring progress to stay accountable
I’m already seeing results. The discipline of tracking and weighing myself daily provides immediate feedback that helps me make better choices throughout the day.
The ultimate goal: Not just hitting a number on the scale, but ensuring my body is healthy and functional so I can live a life of service—being there for my family, church, students, and colleagues with the energy and clarity they deserve.
Goal #3: Sharpening My Mind Through Graduate Studies
I’m now in my second semester of a part-time Master’s in Education (Learning Sciences and Technologies). But I needed to revisit a fundamental question: Why did I sign up for this in the first place?
Stewarding the Gift of Teaching
The answer: Teaching is my gift. While I’m far from perfect at it, it’s something that comes naturally to me. If God has given me this gift, shouldn’t I hone it? Shouldn’t I deepen my understanding of how people actually learn?
This ties directly back to my decision to step down from my senior teacher position. As I shared in my last newsletter, that $2,000 pay cut was intentional—creating space and time for this kind of deep learning and reflection. It was uncomfortable, but it’s proven to be exactly where I’m meant to be.
The Questions Driving My Learning
I’m fascinated by questions like:
- How does the brain process and retain information?
- What truly motivates learners—whether students, young adults, or my own children?
- How does collaboration enhance learning?
- How can AI augment our learning without diminishing our humanity?
- What does it mean to teach in a way that honors how God designed us to learn?
This master’s program is helping me think like a researcher, exposing me to academic frameworks around these questions. Yes, it consumes significant bandwidth and headspace. Yes, I wish I had more time to write about these discoveries.
The Tension I’m Navigating
Here’s the challenge: While I pursue intellectual growth in educational theory, I also need to balance it with growth in God’s Word and theological depth. I don’t want my mind sharpened at the expense of my soul.
That’s why the spiritual domain is my first priority. My intellectual pursuits must flow from and be grounded in my relationship with God—not replace it.
My Specific Commitment
For the next twelve weeks:
- Quality time reviewing lectures and readings
- Disciplined completion of assignments to improve analytical writing
- Continued blogging and podcasting to process what I’m learning
- Integration, not isolation – Ensuring my theological reflection keeps pace with my academic learning
The ultimate goal: To emerge from this course as a better writer, explainer, and educator—someone who can help others learn more effectively while maintaining a Christ-centered approach to education.
The Morning Routine That Holds It All Together
How am I actually implementing these goals? My morning routine is the linchpin:
- Physical first: Quick workout right after waking to activate my body
- Spiritual foundation: Bible reading and journaling (gratitude + prayer)
- Intellectual engagement: Course work during available pockets throughout the day
This sequence matters. Physical movement wakes me up. Spiritual grounding centers me. Then I’m ready to engage intellectually with clarity and purpose.
Why Christian Goal Setting Looks Different
Here’s what makes this approach distinctly Christian:
It starts with identity, not achievement. My worth isn’t determined by whether I hit these goals. I’m already beloved in Christ—nothing I do can make God love me more or less.
It emphasizes stewardship, not self-improvement. These aren’t goals to make me better so I can earn God’s favor. They’re about stewarding the gifts, calling, and body God has entrusted to me.
It requires dependence, not just discipline. I can create the structure, but ultimately, transformation comes from God. My prayer journals aren’t just productivity tools—they’re expressions of my dependence on Him.
It allows for grace when I fail. I’m currently 5 out of 10 on my spiritual goals. That’s okay. The point isn’t perfection; it’s progress rooted in God’s grace.
An Invitation to Join Me
If you’re reading this and feeling the weight of a year that’s already started—perhaps already sensing that 2026 might slip away like 2025 did—consider this your invitation to try something different.
You don’t need to adopt my specific goals, but ask yourself:
- Which 2-3 life domains need focused attention right now? (spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational, economical, vocational, etc.)
- What habits, if established over twelve weeks, would create the most significant impact?
- How can you structure your goals around stewardship rather than self-improvement?
- What does faithfulness—not just productivity—look like in this season?
Twelve weeks is enough time to build real momentum but short enough to maintain urgency. It’s long enough to see genuine transformation but compact enough not to lose focus.
Resources to Go Deeper
Reagan Rose’s Framework:
- Watch: “How to Actually Achieve Your Goals in 2026“
- Explore more: Redeeming Productivity
The 12 Week Year:
- Quick summary: Shortform’s 12 Week Year Guide (I’m a Shortform partner – save 20% with this link)
- Full book: The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran
Related Reading:
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to resources I personally use and recommend. If you purchase through my Shortform link, you’ll receive 20% off your subscription and I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps me continue creating free content like this. I only recommend resources that have genuinely helped me in my own journey.
