We know your calendar is already filled to the brim with sales calls, meetings and tasks while mentally preparing for the holidays ahead.
However, hear us out. Now is an incredible time too slowly and steadily plan out your successful year ahead.
The New Year is just around the corner and while it may feel like doomsday, with a little bit of effort you can make it your best year yet.
Here are five simple tips on how to make this next year your most successful year:
Start With The End In Mind:
What does success look like for you? More sales? A bigger team? More free time? Get clear on what success looks like for you and your business so you can work backwards and plan accordingly.
Disclaimer: Avoid creating a j.o.b for yourself. Remember to focus on what you want your life to look and feel like as you’re setting your goals. So many people build a job for themselves, when what you want to do is build your business around the life you desire. Are your business goals supporting the life you desire? What do you want your life to look and feel like, and how can your business help make that possible?
Break Down Your Goals:
Success is the sum of small parts. When you have a big goal, break it down into manageable tasks that you can complete each quarter, month and week. This will help you stay on track and avoid feeling overwhelmed by the size of your goals.
Because we all know life and business can begin to take a mind of it’s own sometimes, put designated time blocks in your calendar in advance when you’re going to review your goals and progress so you can course correct as you go. If you’re a coffee lover, carve out time to go to your favorite coffee shop to review your goals and progress. If you love being outdoors, plan weekend getaways that include time to work on your business goals with an action plan for the coming months.
One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to know what days you’re NOT working. This will help you stay focused when you are working and avoid burnout. Make sure you have vacations planned, time off or holiday’s in your calendar in advance so you can work around the times you’re “off” and maximize the times you’re “on” for maximum productivity.
Have A Solid Action Plan:
Once you know what your goals are, you need to have a plan for how you’re going to achieve them. This means creating tangible steps that you can take each day, week or month to get closer to your goals.
Knowing your key performance indicators are crucial to your success so you can be productive rather than “busy”. Ideally we want you working less and making more – that’s the goal right?
If you want to make more money, what are the activities that generate revenue? If you want a bigger team, who do you need to hire on? If you want to write a book, what activities do you need to do to get it done?
You can’t achieve success if you don’t have a plan for it. Successful people aren’t necessarily any smarter than the rest of us, they just take the time to set goals and develop a system for achieving them.
One final tip – make sure you schedule in time for yourself! This is non-negotiable. You need time to relax, recharge and rejuvenate. If you’re constantly going, going, going you will eventually burn out.
Side Note: USE A CALENDAR! Success is something you INTENTIONALLY plan and create. A majority of people have zero idea where their time is going and when you intentionally use your time towards what you want to achieve, you’ll get intentional results.
Invest In Yourself:
What are you doing to invest in yourself in the next year? This is critical for sustainable success. You need to be continuously learning and growing so that you can take your business to the next level. Whether that’s hiring a coach, taking an online course, attending a training or attending a live event – make sure you’re investing in your professional development.
Your biggest return on investment will be what you pour into yourself. Jim Rohn say’s we need to invest 30% of our gross revenue back into ourselves on an annual basis. What is 30% of your gross revenue for the past year and where are you going to invest this amount in the new year?
If You Get Stuck:
We all do eventually. When this happens, it’s important to remember that there is always someone who has been in your shoes and can help. This is why hiring a coach is so valuable. Seek out a mentor, join a mastermind group or even just read some blog posts from people who have “been there, done that”.
No matter what, don’t give up on your dreams. Success is attainable as long as you’re willing to put in the work and never give up. So get out there and make this next year your best year yet!
