Want next year to be better than the last? Start with a solid plan!
Planning frenzy! Last-minute Christmas shopping! Keeping it all together, oh my!
Take a step back from the copycat goal-setting guides, endless lists of accessories you will need to own in the new year (queue eye roll) and the overwhelming quickness of the holiday season. I’ve put together a concise yet comprehensive checklist that even only half-completed will set you up for a killer 2022.
✔️ Close out the current year
- Do an end-of-year assessment of your paper piles, digital hordes, email inbox and to-do lists. If they’re too big to think about now, schedule at least two or three hours in the next four weeks to process, complete and clear out those areas to make room for the new new.
- I use Unroll Me to clean out my inbox and roll up all the newsletters I love/hate to receive into a single daily dispatch, keeping my distractions (and clutter) to a minimum.
- Schedule or cancel those stubborn to-do list items! Is it a goal for next year? Is it even a priority anymore?
- Get your financials and taxes ready to file. Services like mint.com and Turbo Tax are my go-tos for personal financial analytics and personal tax filing – even for a small LLC. Get yourself ready to receive W2 forms and other tax documents for quick and easy filing at the first of the year.
- Apply or renew your health insurance. In the U.S., it’s imperative to complete your health insurance enrollment or renewal by Dec. 15. Don’t put it off!
- After reviewing your personal finances, create your budget.
- Complete a “Year in Review” and celebrate yourself. Take a couple hours to go through your year. Think back to the major moments. Revisit your social media posts and journal entries. Look through your calendar at what was on your schedule back in March or June. Write it all down. It can be messy or structured, but let it be as comprehensive as possible. Celebrate all of it, and ask yourself as you plan your upcoming year:
✔️ Set your goals and intentions
- Start with your vision for your year. Get to know your deepest wants and desires because, frankly, they won’t come to fruition if you don’t pursue them with intent! Be clear on what it is that you want so you can work backwards from your vision and establish a plan.
- Create SMARTER goals for your year, at semiannual and quarterly intervals, and short-term monthly goals you can tackle in fewer than 30 days. Remember, SMARTER goals are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable (or Actionable), Relevant, Time-bound, Evaluate (set your own metrics) and Reward-driven. Building out your goals sets you up for success – and makes scheduling your goal-oriented tasks a breeze.
- Choose your theme word, mantra, intention or vision statement for the year. When I approach choosing a theme, I prevent myself from searching too hard for the word and instead focus on what I’d like to cultivate in my life. I look at what’s missing for me – in my lifestyle, my character, my personality or my style. I consider what I love most about myself and how I might amplify that with increased focus. My theme always comes to me like a whisper from the next room over. Make sure you’re listening!
✔️ Create your systems
- Purchase a planner, calendar, notebook or virtual self-management tool. Choose one that fits your needs, as many include sections for goals, meal planning, daily inspiration or journaling, to-do lists and much more.
- Set up your digital calendar on your smartphone or computer. Creating reminders for appointments and standing “protected time” will help you stick to your priorities, even when you’re overwhelmed!
- Assess what felt haphazard, what was oft forgotten and what you wished you would’ve implemented last and set up what you need to make it happen! Have you been lax with meal planning? What about spending more time playing with your dog? Check out apps and accountability opportunities to keep you on track.
✔️ Schedule important appointments
- Doctor, dentist, optometrist, chiropractor etc.
- Veterinarian, doggie daycare
- Continuing education classes or application deadlines
- Oil changes, auto servicing
- Home cleaning and servicing (air conditioning, carpets, attic, air filters)
- Massage, facial, haircut
- Health cleanse, personal training, nutritionist
- Input important dates into your calendar. Some of these might include: birthdays, death days, anniversaries, yearly traditions or gatherings, events for which you already have tickets or reservations, travel, days to remember and commitments. Bonus activity: Schedule the actions you’ll need to take ahead of each event to make sure you’re ready. Examples include: purchasing a birthday present, mailing an anniversary card, packing for travel.
✔️ Create a “shopping list”
- What have you been putting off purchasing? A proper pair of warm hiking socks, a throw blanket for the den, that reusable coffee filter. Go through your wish lists, your home and your wardrobe to see what’s noticeably missing. Make a list and spread your purchases out accordingly all year. Your budget and your patience will thank you!
- Assess the big purchases you want to make this year and factor them into your budget. Consider what you year would be like if you didn’t make any large purchases beyond what you set out to make. Reduce impulse, increase savings!
- Consider subscribing to your staples and repeat purchases on Amazon or another subscription service. If you know you need pet food, supplements, toilet paper and toothpaste each month, automate it! Let those items show up at your door and streamline what you have to “remember” to buy.
You don’t need fancy tools or big goals to benefit from yearly planning. All you need is a desire for next year to progress a bit further than last year and the willingness to do the work. Not sure where to start? Think of something you have always wanted to do. Then, work backwards using bits and pieces of the above list to make it a reality.
If anyone can do it, you can!
