New Year, New Goals

Belated happy new year!  I cannot believe that it’s already February!  Between getting back to work after a long holiday break & the start of Mardi Gras season, I’ve been incredibly busy.  Even though it’s a full month into 2016, I want to start this blogging year with my goals for 2016.  I don’t want to spend too much time on the nitty-gritty of yearly goal setting right, but I do want to share what works for me.

Last year, I used Whitney English’s “Well-Designed Year” program to evaluate 2014 & make some long-term goals for 2015.  It is an amazing program & I highly recommend using the worksheets to identify your strengths, weaknesses, & passions.  Using those as guidelines, you can set goals that align with what matters most to you.  There are countless other similar programs out there & the trick is to find the one that works best for you.  I am using the “Well-Designed Year” again.  I also used Year Compass’s “Close 2015 – Plan 2016” booklet & Emily’s Ley’s free “Family Meeting” printable to review what worked last year & what I need to improve on.

Rather than make a long list of goals, which are usually just a million things that I wish I could accomplish this year, I like that the “Well-Designed Year” takes you through discovering your strengths, passions, & values.  For some reason, the hardest part for me is always discovering my 5 passions.  It’s a time consuming process, but it’s so worth it.  You then come up with 3 “Big Ideas,” which are the 3 most important things you wish to accomplish or focus on for the coming year.  I love that the process allows me to focus on what is really important, instead of what I think should be important.  It’s no surprise that narrowing down your goals & focusing on your passion helps to set you up for success!  Here’s where I am so far in my planning:

Now I need to break down my 3 focal areas, or big ideas, into smaller & more manageable steps.  Last summer I shared how I plan my week & I’m continuing the same process in 2016 using the new mini-Day Designer.  I really love that the planner is designed to work with the “Well-Designed Year” & I can keep my goals, broken down into manageable steps, in mind as I plan my days, weeks, & months.

Here are some more great resources to help you make the most of 2016:

• 8 Habits of Successful People That You Can Master in 15 Minutes – some of the best habits that help really successful ladies keep track of their tasks & stay on top of everything
• How to Recharge and Find Happiness in the New Year – 10 tips for coming back stronger in the new year
• How to Make a Great Plan for Success in 2016 and Actually Stick To It – tricks for putting plans into action in the new year
• 6 Habits from Successful People Under 30 – you don’t have to be under 30 to learn something from those who found success young
• Great Expectations: Setting Intentions for 2016 – just because resolutions aren’t your thing doesn’t mean you can’t lay out some goals
• The Coveteur’s interview with Leah Chernikoff – career advice from Elle.com’s editorial director? yes, please!
• The Definitive Guide to Setting Successful Goals – the 5 steps to achieving your goals this year