It may seem like planning for a new year is a mundane task people do at the tail-end of every year that does not really materialise in the next year. Most people start a new year with new habits and routines that fizzle out in a few months. Sometimes, people even wait for new year’s eve before setting resolutions for the next year. Contrary to popular belief, planning for a new year does not start at new year’s eve or at the beginning of a new year. As we draw ever closer to the end of 2022, I share with you 5 Dos and Don’ts to guide you in 2023.
- Do: Assess the previous year | Don’t: Get hung up on your mistakes
It is important that you assess the previous year. Assess all aspects of your life, be it your work, personal life, finances, relationships and aspirations etc. Doing this helps you get a good picture of accomplishments, mistakes and helps you recognise areas that need improvements. This sets the tone for you to adequately plan for 2023. While assessing your goals, you must not get hung up on the past, especially mistakes you may have made in the previous year or goals you may have failed to reach. Instead focus your energies on the positives, while taking note of the negatives so mistakes are not repeated.
- Do: Create a vision board | Don’t: Exaggerate your vision
An honest review of your life should be done after you may have assessed the previous year. Reviewing your life is a precursor to you creating a vision board for the new year. You must ask yourself who you want to be in 2023 and create a vision board depicting those aspirations. It is advisable to review all areas of your life to help you create a well rounded vision board. Retain beneficial habits and discard unproductive ones. Do not exaggerate your vision of yourself to avoid getting disappointed when that vision proves to be unrealistic. For example, you cannot set a vision of being a chartered accountant by the end of the year when you do not even possess a degree at the beginning of the year.
- Do: Set SMART Goals | Don’t: Fail to track your progress
SMART goals refer to goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Set your goals tied around your vision for the year, breaking your vision into goals (mini-goals) helps you keep track of your progress and breaks a somewhat daunting task into smaller milestones. Merely setting goals won’t cut it, your goals have to follow the SMART principle mentioned above. As you go along achieving your goals, it is imperative that you do not fail to track your progress every step of the way. A goal review is something you can do weekly, monthly or even quarterly.
- Do: Be loud about your goals | Don’t: Procrastinate
Telling people that you trust about your goals is a great way to keep yourself accountable. You can even write your goals down somewhere you can see them everyday to keep you motivated and focused. Consistency is important for success as much as procrastination is detrimental to that consistency. There is no progress without consistency. That is why you have to be very mindful of procrastination. Sometimes life happens and you may not be able to help procrastinating. When this happens, don’t fret, pick yourself up and get back at working on your goals ASAP. Like it is said “Rome was not built in a day.”
- Do: Change one behaviour at a time | Don’t: Change your entire lifestyle
Changing one behaviour at a time is a more effective way of changing your life than intending to change your whole lifestyle at once. It can be daunting to change your whole life at once but if you focus on changing unproductive behaviours that don’t serve you, one at a time eventually you will get to your destination of changing your whole life if you so desire. There will be habits that benefitted you in the previous year, keep those habits and expunge those that did not serve you before the end of the year.
Moving into a new year is exciting and offers the opportunity for fresh starts with endless possibilities. You may have a mental picture of what you want out of 2023 but may not necessarily know how to go about it. At UThrive, we can help you find that guidance, our array of services are tailor-made to help you thrive in 2023 and beyond. You can get started by clicking here.As 2022 draws to a close I encourage you to finish strong and keep thriving!