UPDATE: This New Year goals post was first published on 1 December 2020 and updated on 3 January 2022.
When this post was first published, a COVID-19 vaccine had just been approved and the world was breathing a sigh of relief. A lot has changed in the last year. But one thing that hasn't changed is the relationship between planning and end results. The best way to make sure your small venture thrives in 2022 is to have your New Year goals planned out.
Reaching and crushing your goals is a mindset, and it doesn’t require a long to-do list.
However, it does require proper planning, asset management and focus. So let’s have a look at some of the ways you can crush your New Year goals this year.
Related: Do you have a business continuity plan?
#1: Tackle what you are afraid of first
Well, it’s always mind over matter. Let’s think for a minute: Yes, your goal is a scary one, and you might be unsure of what you can do and what you cannot. So, the best way to tackle this is to do the part you are most afraid of first.
Don’t like doing books? Get it done the first thing.
Another way to tackle this situation is to convert your negative thoughts into positive ones. For example, if you are having thoughts like, “I’m not good with money-making” think about the other side of the coin.
- Did you manage to get a business deal going?
- Do you have bargaining power?
- What do you think is hindering you from making money?
Once you get to the root cause, you will find the reasons for changing your thinking. For example, you might come up with something like, “I did make a good decision or won a deal for XYZ.”
It all depends on your mindset. I recently wrote a blog that speaks about money beliefs that are holding you back from crushing your dreams. This is something that you will have to come out of to reach your goals every day of the year.
#2: Break a big job down into smaller tasks
One of the basics of setting New Year’s goals you can actually meet is to break each one down into multiple parts. This way, you can set up smaller milestones and track your progress as you complete the parts.
This means you can focus on one small thing after another, rather than one blindingly big project.
It makes you feel optimistic about the whole process and improves your mindset.
Related: Strategic planning — how to boil it down to one page
#3: Allot enough time for each task
Once you have the New Year’s goal set and have broken it down into manageable chunks, it’s time to check how much time you need for each step. So take your calendar out and allot time for each sub-task. A rough estimate is good.
At the same time, make sure you keep buffer time between two tasks. This way, if you go over the time estimates, you are not going down with a panic attack.
One way of working many find useful is the Pomodoro technique. In this technique, you work for a span of 25 minutes and then take a five-minutes break. Each set of 25 minutes of work + five-minute break is known as a Pomodoro unit. After four Pomodoro units take a longer break.
#4: Add some incentive
Well, you are human. And humans have emergencies as well as day-to-day life to deal with. So, when you are planning out the execution of your New Year goals, you might want to give yourself an incentive.
If your goal relates to finances, set your goal completion date for the week before you’re scheduled to meet with your accountant.
If your goal is to provide training to workers in 2022, set the date of the training session and share it with your employees so you’ll have a hard deadline to work toward.
If you are unsure of if you can do it on your own, or need someone to keep you in line, get a business coach in Melbourne or your local area. That way, you will end up with some solid advice and also be held accountable.
#5: Reward yourself
Contrary to the popular belief, you don’t have to live the austere lifestyle of a monk. No need to get up at 5 a.m. if you are not productive at that hour. What matters is that you do the work that you are set out to do, and complete it to the best of your abilities.
Every good deed deserves a reward, and so do you. So each time you complete a goal, no matter how small, reward yourself.
It can be something small like a glass of wine, an extra hour of sleep or a day off. It really depends on what you crave the most, and how significant the win was when you completed the goal.
Crush your New Year’s goals
At the end of the day, remember it’s just a plan to reach your New Year goals. How you achieve them is less significant than the fact that you actually achieve them. If for some reason you fail, don’t be hard on yourself — because you are human too.
All the steps mentioned above are easy ways to train your mind and develop habits to crush your goal at any time of the year. Instead of just drifting aimlessly and tackling what life throws at you, these processes can help you to take charge and move forward as you want to.
The choices we make define our actions, and the actions we take define our destiny.
While we can’t control everything, we can definitely control our actions and results by setting up goals, systems, and processes and sticking to them as we move forward in the life path. It is up to us to make the right choices and follow through with the right actions.
