The New Year is upon us and even if you’re having regrets about how things look right now as far as what you wanted to accomplish this year, there’s still a way to finish the year strong. It definitely pays to plan ahead and then work the plan, but if that’s not what happened for you this year, you can still come out on top and be ready to take on next year. First off, stop beating yourself up. Take responsibility for what you didn’t accomplish or what you didn’t do or even start. Let it go and focus forward.
Now, with your focus being on what’s in front of you, determine what things you can do before the end of the year to finish something that you started or lay the foundation for what’s next. Take the steps to finish what you can and then make a quick draft for what’s next and get tasks on your agenda.
Look at what you want to accomplish in the coming year. If you haven’t thought about it, make a list of things then morph the list into S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) Create your list of goals. A good guideline is to have one clearly defined goal for each major interest & role in your life. Additionally, prioritize your goals and base them upon your values. You’re more likely to achieve them if they are.
You can’t take on the next year winging it, you have to have a definitive plan. Outline your plan by identifying the milestones for each goal you’ve set so that you have a basic road map. At the first of the year, come back and fill in the blanks and execute the plan.
These steps are just to help you finish your year strong and be ready for next year without any regrets. At the first of the year, coming back to complete the plan that you started will solidify the foundation of your year and help you get through it successfully if your plan has all of the components and you follow it. Now you have your quick steps to take to finish your year strong and set yourself up for success in the new year.