Smart Yearend Planning-Planning for the next year
The end of the year is fast approaching, which means it’s time to start thinking about how you want your next year to look. Do you have specific goals you want to achieve? Maybe there’s a big project that’s been on your mind for a while but was never given the priority it deserved. Now is the time! The closer we get to 2017, the less likely it becomes that anything will happen this year. So let's take action and avoid plunging into yet another unhappy New Year with no resolutions or accomplishments.
We've put together 10 ideas on how to make yearend planning a breeze (pun intended!). Think of these as mini-goals or daily missions for the upcoming year. They are not to be taken too seriously and are meant to be light fun activities. They're also reminders of how we can think about our future selves, if we want to, which is important in my opinion.
1) How many people in your social media networks have decided what they'd like to look like in three years?
2) How many people in your social media networks have decided what they'd like to look like in five years?
3) How many websites do you maintain regularly? (check the Alexa rankings.com to see how many websites you've made it to the top 100 for. (If you have a blog, you can find out how many of your blog posts are being read regularly at statcounter. com, and how many people have decided to receive your updates in their inbox at feedburner. com. If you have a social media account, you can find out your likability index at SimilarWeb.com.))
4) How many books do you own? Where are they? (I maintain a list of all the books I own and where they are and will keep that updated throughout the year, but it helps to have a mini-goal related to this.)
5) How many photos or videos do you take in a year? (this is great for thinking about how beautiful your life could be or how much fun you're having. I have a list of the photos I've taken in a year and I will keep updating this throughout the year.)
6) How many people do you follow or are following you? (this can be a reminder of how interesting your life or your business can be.)
7) How many letters, cards, or emails do you send in a year?
8) What do you want to accomplish by the end of the year? (If you don't know that yet, it may be possible to find out through research. Look for what others have achieved in your field; see how long it took them to accomplish it and then ask yourself how realistic that timeline is for yourself. If you need help with this, I can help! See yearendplanning.com .)
9) How many things do you want to quit in 2017?
10) How many books, articles, or blog posts on the topic of yearend planning have you read?
When the year draws to a close and we look back at the past twelve months, it's our personal habits that will make all of the difference. They're what will determine how we feel about our past; how wealth is accumulated and how loss is prevented into the future. How joyous or exasperating your year has been will be shaped by your daily decisions and choices. Do you want to be a victim of circumstances or do you want to change your reality? The decisions you make now will lead to your level of abundance and the ability to create the life you want.
If there's one thing I dislike, it's planning. I don't like getting all geared up for an event or a season only for something to come along and wreck it. And as social creatures that we are, we're used to the anticipation of what may happen next, but that's not always healthy. Too much planning is especially bad because it's a form of worry. It's really all about being in the moment and asking yourself what you want out of life and being present to your experience.
If you can learn to live in the flow of everyday life, there will be no need to plan at all; that's why I've done yearend planning for fourteen years now. Some people who do yearend planning do it as a form of self-improvement, but I don't believe that very much in the power of control. Instead, I view it as an experiment that can help me notice how my day-to-day choices shape my life. I have a plan for my life, yes. But I also allow myself to experiment with things that may or may not happen. I can't predict the future and when the plans I make come alive, they really do.
I like to call this yearend planning, but it could be called whatever you want. Some people call it goals, others call it resolutions, while others just do whatever they want to do.
Conclusion:
The end of the year is approaching. Thinking about your yearend planning may seem like drudgery, but remember that yearend planning is all about lightening up and having fun. Don't worry about making big changes or achieving lofty goals. Small, daily, incremental changes are the key to a happier and more fulfilling you! So what are you going to do this year? If you're interested in getting started with yearend planning today, visit our website for free resources..