(Article first published on Linked In)
Be honest, how many years have you set yourself New Year’s Resolutions, a goal that’s forgotten by February?
Are you one of the millions of people who join a Gym in January, go once then let their membership lapse? (I’ve certainly done that!)
Every year, we put ourselves under pressure to set goals in January for the year ahead, like New Year’s Day is a magical portal that only occurs annually!
I’ve blogged in the past about goal setting – It’s not that goal setting is bad, I’m just shifting my mindset for 2018.
Read them here:
- Something to declare (2017)
- How to decide what goals to set (2015)
- 10 reasons to train yourself to be goal orientated (2015)
Everywhere people are selling this myth of New Year = New You…
Stop!
Goal setting is not a once a year thing you feel you ought to do because the calendar says so. That’s why this year I’ve not set myself any goals.
OK, that’s not entirely true… I have ‘ambitions and intentions’ for the year ahead, but I would hardly call them defined goals or resolutions.
This year, I’ll write more, read more and be more creative.
For me, 2018 will be a year of discovery – that’s much too vague to be a SMART goal!
Instead, I’ll carry on as I was in 2017, setting myself weekly and daily tasks and targets to reach my wider personal growth and experience ambitions. I trust that success and reward will follow if I’m true to myself and my vision for my business.
Here’s the process I adopted last year and will refine for this year:
Step 1: Monthly Theme
Decide on a theme for the month ahead, plan this quarterly. I allocate the theme with a # to make it ‘digital friendly’ – January’s theme is #FreshThinking
Step 2: Weekly Intentions
On a Sunday, spend some time reflecting on the week ahead.
What do you want to get done the following week?
What do you want to be celebrating on Friday?
If you can keep your activities and achievements in line with your # theme you always have something to blog about and talk about on Social Media.
Step 3: Daily Achievements
At the end of each day, spend some time reflecting on what you want to do tomorrow.
How does this relate to your weekly intentions?
Like many of us, you probabaly have a massive long ‘To Do List’ that never seems to shrink. Threat this as a ‘Master To Do List’, and don;t be intimidated by it!
Stay focused and choose things off your ‘Master To Do List’ accordingly.
Have a ‘Daily To Do List’ of just 3 items and give them a traffic light priority:
- Red – One thing you MUST do. Do this first.
- Amber – One thing it would be good to do. Do this only after the first task is complete.
- Green – One thing you’d like to do. Use this thing as a reward. You only deserve the reward when you’ve completed task 1 and 2.
Step 4: Done List
Now, write them on a ‘Done List’ – in fact, write everything on a ‘Done List’!
There will always be more than 3 things on that list (including the 3 on your ‘Daily To Do List’).
I have a day book that I carry everywhere and each day I keep a ‘Done List’. I like to embellish it with and doodles, so every day is a pleasure to record (I know, secretly, I’m a 15-year-old girl trapped in a 41-year-old body!). When I look back through the book I have a bright and cheery record of long lists of achievements, each one representing a baby step of progress in my journey as a business.
After all, the joy is in the journey, not the destination!
What are your ‘ambitions and intentions’ for 2018?
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