The Founder Checklist That Decides Your Q1

Here’s a simple year-end checklist to help founders address key issues before entering Q1.

Author

Glenda Carnate
December 23, 2025

Read time: 2.5 minutes

If you feel tired rather than clear, the issue is likely unresolved decisions, not a lack of motivation.

While the year appears to be slowing down, activity often increases. Piled-up meetings, messages become overwhelming, and many defer issues to January. However, most of the unresolved decisions continue to exist in the new year, often becoming more pressing and distracting from the main priorities.

The Founder Year-End Decision Checklist:

Print or save this checklist, and only mark items you have fully addressed.

1. The Decision You’re Avoiding

  • Is there a decision you’ve been putting off even though you know it’s necessary?

  • Are you labeling something as a 'timing issue' when it's actually uncomfortable to address?

2. The Tough Team Decisions

  • Is there anyone on your team you’re keeping out of obligation, even though you wouldn’t hire them again today?

  • Is there someone on your team you trust less than you’re willing to acknowledge?

3. The Focus Problem

  • Are you spending time on tasks that don’t actually drive the business forward?

  • If you had to drop one thing, what would it be?

4. Delegating What’s Holding You Back

  • Is there a task or responsibility you’re still handling that could be delegated to someone else?

  • What single decision would free things up fastest?

5. January Readiness

  • If January gets busy quickly, what is most likely to fall apart or become a problem first?

  • What decision fixes that now, not later?

Final Check:

  • Are you starting Q1 with a clear plan, or are you simply exhausted from last year?

💡Key Takeaway: 

Momentum comes from making decisions, not just feeling motivated. It’s better to get clear now than to scramble to solve urgent problems later.

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