25/5 Breakout-Year Planning Method
Narrow ambitious plans to five priorities, then execute them in sequence
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 98%
This method converts an overwhelming annual wish list into a focused execution system. Begin with a complete brain dump of roughly 20 to 25 possible initiatives, then identify the five that matter most and treat everything else as a do-not-touch list. Rank the chosen objectives, revisit that ranking when evidence exposes a constraint, and build an order of operations for the leading objective. That sequence should reflect dependencies rather than preference: generate demand before hiring someone to process it, for example. Execute the first action, then the second, without splitting attention across unrelated goals. The same system structure can then be adapted to later priorities. If five objectives still feel overwhelming, reduce the plan to one and apply full attention until meaningful progress is achieved.
Origin
Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show, where Jasmine Star described the annual planning process she used with her COO and the president of Social Curator.
Core principles
- 01Focus requires deliberately rejecting worthwhile work.
- 02Every priority needs a system and a defined sequence.
- 03Dependencies determine what should happen first.
- 04Concentrating on one objective can outperform divided attention.
- 05Priorities should change when new constraints become visible.
How to run it
- 1
Brain-Dump the Possibilities
List every initiative, repair, experiment, and capability that might be needed to reach the annual goal. Do not organize or filter the list yet.
Pro tip Ask key team members to prepare their lists independently before the planning session.
Watch out Filtering ideas too early can hide dependencies or structural gaps.
- 2
Choose the Top Five
Mark the five initiatives with the greatest strategic importance. Move every other worthwhile idea to a deliberate do-not-touch list.
Pro tip Judge initiatives by their contribution to the larger result, not by how exciting they feel.
Watch out Calling more than five initiatives priorities defeats the method.
- 3
Rank and Challenge the Priorities
Order the five priorities and invite people with different perspectives to test the assumptions behind them. Reorder the list if they identify a missing prerequisite or customer gap.
Pro tip Include both visionary and operational thinkers in the review.
Watch out Do not defend the original ranking merely because it was clear in your own mind.
- 4
Map the Required Actions
For the top objective, brain-dump every action, resource, role, and decision required to complete it. Make hidden prerequisites visible.
Pro tip Phrase each item as a concrete action rather than an abstract ambition.
Watch out A goal without its component actions is not yet executable.
- 5
Set the Order of Operations
Arrange the actions according to what must happen first for later actions to work. Use dependencies to create a sequential flow.
Pro tip Ask what would become useless or premature if an earlier step were missing.
Watch out Hiring or scaling before demand and infrastructure exist can waste resources.
- 6
Execute Sequentially
Start with the first required action and progress through the sequence. Adapt the system for the remaining priorities only after establishing a workable flow.
Pro tip If the full plan feels overwhelming, focus exclusively on the first objective.
Watch out Switching repeatedly among goals dilutes attention and creates the feeling of spinning your wheels.
In the wild
Jasmine entered planning expecting a funnel revamp to be the leading initiative. Her team identified a substantial gap that customers would have to jump, so the priorities were reordered. Instead of chasing the desired annual result immediately, the team prioritized building the missing pieces of the flywheel that would make later scale possible.
→ The plan shifted from optimizing a visible funnel to repairing its structural prerequisite.
A business wants more leads and lists content, networking, paid advertising, sales capacity, and a setter as possible actions. It orders those actions so demand generation begins before hiring a setter who would otherwise have no deal flow to process.
→ Resources are added only when the preceding system can make them productive.
Common mistakes
Treating Every Good Idea as a Priority
Useful initiatives still compete for finite attention. Keeping all of them active prevents the top objectives from receiving meaningful focus.
Executing Before Sequencing
Starting with the most visible or exciting action can leave essential prerequisites unfinished. Build the dependency order before doing the work.
Protecting the Original Plan
New evidence may reveal a gap that invalidates the initial ranking. Reorder priorities rather than forcing the team to execute a flawed plan.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for founders and teams planning a demanding year with many plausible opportunities.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for urgent crisis response where priorities must change hour by hour.
From the transcript
“Then mark your top five. And once you mark your top five, everything else on the list is do not touch.”
“Once you've prioritized each one has to have a system. Each one of them has to have a flow. There is an order of operations.”
“If you focus on one goal, you will be unstoppable if you don't stop.”
From the episode
Plan Your Breakout Year: Identify Top Objectives and Build a Winning Team