As the year comes to a close, it’s tempting to slow down, let old habits take over, and wait for January to make changes. But what if you approached the final three months with intention instead? Building new habits during this period can set the stage for not only ending the year strong but also ensuring the next year begins on solid ground.  My goal at the end of this article is to convince you to decide to adopt new habits starting this fall season and not wait until January.

The Importance of Setting Goals and Building Habits

Goals give us direction, and habits provide the daily structure to reach them. Whether you’re aiming to improve your health, personal development, or finances, setting specific goals ensures that you’re always moving forward. Habits are the building blocks that help you make consistent progress toward those goals.

While it’s important to set new goals all year round, the last quarter of the year presents a unique opportunity. The holidays and the excitement of wrapping up the year can easily pull us away from focusing on personal growth. However, this is exactly when setting and maintaining good habits can be most powerful. Instead of letting the chaos of the season overwhelm you, use it as a time to double down on building habits that will serve you well into the next year.

Selecting Five New Things to Learn

 To make the most of these final months, consider selecting five new habits or skills to focus on. Think about the areas in your life that you’d like to improve, whether it’s learning a new language, improving your health, or enhancing your time management skills. The key here is variety: select habits that round out different parts of your life.

One of the most important habits to include should be financial. The holiday season can be an expensive time, and the new year often brings financial stress if spending gets out of hand. By including a financial habit in your list—whether it’s tracking your spending, saving a specific percentage of your income, or cutting back on impulse purchases—you can ease the burden of both the holiday season and January. This ensures that you don’t start the new year in a financial hole, allowing you to avoid unnecessary debt and start the year with financial peace of mind.

Introducing the ACCT Framework for Habit Formation

To help guide your habit-building process, you can follow a simple yet powerful framework called ACCT: Awareness, Clarity, Consistency, and Transformation. In this blog, I'll give you a brief overview, but if you’re interested in diving deeper into how to implement each step, I’ve created a detailed 10-minute video explaining the framework in full.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the ACCT framework:

1. Awareness: The first step in habit formation is becoming aware of the areas in your life where you want to grow.

2. Clarity: Once you’ve identified your areas of focus, get clear on what you want to achieve. Define your goals in specific terms, and make sure they align with your bigger picture.

3. Consistency: The most crucial aspect of any habit is consistency. Commit to small, manageable actions every day, and keep showing up even when it feels tough. Consistency over time leads to lasting change.

4. Transformation: If you stay committed, transformation naturally follows. By the end of the year, these habits won’t feel like chores—they’ll be part of your lifestyle. You’ll see visible results in your personal growth and financial health.

Set the Tone for the Upcoming Year

By focusing on building new habits now, you’re not just finishing the year with a sense of accomplishment—you’re setting the tone for the year ahead. Start by choosing five new habits or skills to work on, making sure one of them is financial. Use the ACCT framework to guide your process, and by the time the new year rolls around, you’ll already have the momentum to carry you forward.

Instead of letting the holidays weigh you down or feeling burdened by finances in January, you’ll enter the new year empowered, knowing that you’ve already taken the steps to set yourself up for success.

Get access to your quick guide to building new habits here.

Your Money Life Coach Christiane,