The end of the year always brings out the goal-setters. People break out their notebooks, create vision boards, and declare they’re going to drink more water, take more naps, or finally learn to use the fancy settings on their camera.

And then there are conference planners… who simply hope their session grid behaves.

Our goals always look a little bit different. We don’t fantasize about climbing mountains or becoming morning people. We fantasize about receiving PowerPoints before the deadline and not having to chase the same speaker four times for a headshot. While everyone else tries to reinvent themselves, we’re just over here saying, “This year, I’m labeling my spreadsheets correctly from the start.” Revolutionary, truly.

Some of the goals rolling around in my brain include things like reducing the number of “final” versions of the session grid, resisting the urge to create new spreadsheets at 10 p.m. just because I suddenly had a thought, or trying not to save important notes in places like a napkin, or a post-it that will vanish before morning. I’d also love to ask speakers for presentations no more than five times… although we all know that one’s more of a hopeful fantasy than a plan.

But mixed in with the humor, there’s always something real. We want to celebrate wins, even the tiny ones. We want to protect our sanity, even when budgets and BEOs suggest otherwise. And we want to give ourselves grace because this industry is equal parts rewarding and exhausting.

So as the year wraps up, here’s a little fill-in-the-blank moment just for you:

2026 Planner Goals:

• One thing I will improve: __________
• One thing I will stop doing: __________
• One thing I will celebrate this year: __________
• One boundary I will protect: __________
• One new habit I want to build: __________

Whatever 2026 brings — more conferences, more attendees, more spreadsheets, more surprises — I hope it brings a little more breathing room too. New year, same chaos, but maybe… just maybe… a little more joy sprinkled in.

Happy almost-2026.

– The Anonymous Planner