January 12, 2026

Crafting Clarity: Curating Vision for the Busy SLP

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January 12, 2026

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OK, so you have your cute vision board, fitness goals, and maybe even a budget planner. You tell yourself you have a plan for the year, but do you really know the details of your career goals? Or did you just throw a magazine clip on a board, check the box, and move on? This year, I want to do things differently. Instead of vague ideas, I am focused on creating a clear, intentional vision that specifically outlines my professional goals as a speech-language pathologist.


Step 1: What is our big goal?

Before anything else, we have to identify the main goal for the year. Not ten goals. Not what sounds impressive to others. One clear priority that will have the biggest impact on your work life and overall well-being. This might be improving work-life balance, increasing clinical confidence, or creating systems that make your day-to-day workflow more manageable.


Step 2: How do I get there?

Once the big goal is identified, the next step is defining the requirements to achieve it. This means writing out the specific actions, habits, or changes that need to happen. Think step by step. What needs to be adjusted in your schedule, your caseload management, or your boundaries at work?


Step 3: Break it into quarters

Big goals become less overwhelming when they are broken into quarterly goals. Taking those steps and assigning them to realistic timeframes helps keep progress attainable and measurable throughout the year.


Step 4: Make it aesthetically pleasing

Whether it is a vision board, planner, or Canva document, your plan should be visually motivating and easy to revisit. If it does not invite you back in, it will not be used.

Let’s be honest. Growth does not always look like major accomplishments. Sometimes it looks like finishing documentation on time, managing your caseload with intention, and creating space for rest, hobbies, and joy. The key to calming chaos is planning. When we create clear plans, we leave less room for stress to make an uninvited appearance.

As SLPs, we carry multiple roles and responsibilities, clarity is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Curating vision with intention allows us to move through the year with purpose instead of pressure. When we take the time to define our goals, map out the steps, and create plans that actually fit our lives, we give ourselves permission to grow without burning out. This year, I am choosing clarity, consistency, and peace. Not just in my career, but in how I show up for myself every day.


Courtney Stafford, M.S., CF-SLP 

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