It’s that time of the year, when everyone is full of gusto for the New Year.
Join me for the next 5 weeks, for the mini series “Making the most of the year ahead”, where we look at the 5 key things you can focus on in January, to set you up for a great year.
Week 1: Goal Setting
I’m not great at resolutions… they just aren’t my thing.
Instead, I use a 2 step system to plan for the year ahead.
Choose an intention for the year
First – I pick a word. A word that will represent everything I want the year to be.
In previous years I’ve used words like grow, or thrive.
This year, my word is Choice.
It is there purposely to remind me that I always have a choice.
I have a choice in how I spend my time
I have a choice in the actions I take in my business
I have a choice in how I treat my body
And, importantly, I always have a choice in how I respond to a situation, even if I don’t feel like I had a lot of choice surrounding the situation in the first place.
You don’t have to pick a single word, but I always think it is worth the time to think about the one theme or driving force for the year. That might be represented in a word, a phrase or even an image.
It will help you outline your goals in the next step.
And allows you to reflect throughout the year. Every time you take an action you are not sure about, simply ask yourself, “does this match my intention for the year?”.
Set clear goals
I’m sure you’ve seen all the talk about goal setting before.
They need to be SMART. Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound (or any variation of definitions that you’ve seen of those letters, there are lots of them).
But what does this actually mean?
I’ve found that goals that are short (eg, one line) work best.
They need to be super clear, and normally contain some sort of number.
For example. “Drink more water” is hard to measure, how will I know if I am succeeding at my goal.
“Drink 2 liters a day” is much easier to measure and track, I know when I achieve my goal.
This year I 3 clear goals around my business and personal life.
They can be broken down into smaller, more detailed components, but I limited myself to 3, so they are top of mind and easy to remember.
1. Generate $300,000 across our 3 business models.
2. Run 10km again
3. Get down to 70kg.
Obviously, the last 2 will be easier once I’ve had this baby in the first quarter of the year.
Each goal is clear, is easy to measure and is attainable within the year.
The fact there are only 3 means that I can focus, and have clear direction.
So what about you?
Do you have a word for the year?
How about clear goals that align with your word?
Be brave and share them publicly, so that we can support you.
Sam