Plan Your Goals for the New Year
As I travel on vacation to Rio with my family I called in great colleagues and friends to share their wisdom on “New Years’ Fresh Starts” with you.
Today I welcome colleague Gloria Voltz from Andirodack Solutions to share with you her tips on setting goals for the new year. I had the pleasure to meet Gloria through The Coach Approach training program for professional organizers where we shared amazing experiences and growth. I am grateful for her generosity in sharing her time and advice with you.
I thank you all for this wonderful year, for your support and friendship!
Here is a goals planner that will help you organize your goals by month, by area of life, and by week. You can get instant access to the entire organizing printables vault by subscribing for free here.
Now, enjoy Gloria’s post.
Well, it is that time of year again and I am going to sit down with some scrap paper, a pen and a bowl of popcorn. It is time to hash out my goals for the coming year. Over the past year, I have made little notes to myself and put them in one of 3 different files:
- Let’s Do This!
- Should I ?
- Ideas
The ‘Let’s Do This!’ folder is my travel folder. It gets filled with magazine articles, notes to myself about something I saw on TV, interesting adventures I read about online. As I peek in this folder I see some information on multi-day bike trips. Can’t wait to look in this file again and see what still looks adventurous to me.
The ‘Should I’ folder holds ideas I had that pertain to my home and personal life. Yes, I peeked in this file too. One of the things I saw was a paint color chart that I picked up when contemplating freshening up the spare room. Not a priority but I had the urge at some point.
The ‘Ideas’ folder generally holds information directed toward my business. Similar types of paper – magazine articles, things I saw online, sometimes just words, quotations or book titles. Some of the ideas have more information than others. Depending how much research I did on the subject before putting it in the file.
So, the folders will come out with my scrap paper and popcorn and I will start my lists.
Below is the process I use to keep me focused.
- Gather
- Organize
- Analyze
- Let go
- Schedule
Gather – Take a blank sheet of paper or blank document on your computer and start listing the things you’d like to accomplish in 2013. Write it all down whether you feel it is out of reach or really simple. What are your goals for the New Year?
Organize – Now organize the list by what is most important for you.
Analyze – Are there any due dates involved in any of your listed goals? If so, when will you do it? What steps need to be taken for each goal on your list? How much time do you foresee each step taking? I recommend adding 30 minutes to the time you ‘think’ it will take.
Let Go – Determine how many goals are realistic for you without overwhelming your life with planning. If you end up having to let go of any of your goals during the year, which one will it be? I either put these at the bottom of the list OR throw them out if they no longer interest me.
Schedule – Meanwhile, take the really important ones and schedule them into your calendar.
Look, don’t be afraid. Know that life changes each day and you have wiggle room. These steps help me remember and stay focused on what I’d like to accomplish this year. What is your process?
Gloria Volz started Organizer Coach in 2007. Her mission is to enhance her clients’ success by finding realistic solutions that work for them. Gloria’s passion for helping people get out from under their stuff grows each day.As a Professional Organizer / Organizer Coach she works closely with her clients as they declutter, downsize and find their space. Gloria is a member of Organizer Coach and the Organizer Coach and is committed to learn & grow with her colleagues. She is currently studying with the Organizer Coach.
