Most people get caught in the hype of New Year’s Resolutions. Until recently I got caught in this too, it is very enticing and gives our minds a new bone to chew on for a moment in time. I indulged in this for years and I realized it’s just me copping out on the continuation/iteration of my current outcomes/goals for my life. I know my outcomes. Just because the calendar year is over doesn’t mean I drop my goals and write new ones. I also personally prefer to use my birth date as the benchmark to measure my life on an annual basis.
So….
If you’re looking for a simple and effective way of reviewing 2018 and planning 2019 here’s a simple approach I like to use that I learned from Tim Ferriss.
STEP 1: Review and Reflect!
Go through each week on your calendar for 2018 and pull out 1-2 wins per week and 1-2 negative experiences (events, people, activities). You can set up two columns and make a list for each category. If you prefer to do an abbreviated version go through each quarter and month do it.
As you do this you can also pull out any insights or lessons you learned. Reviewing seems easier than it is because it causes our brains to make new neural connections (aka puts our brains through a workout) and it tends to bring up new learnings. You also may want to make it a habit to retrieve information right away once you learn something new. The more you do it the better you get at remembering important information/happy memories. (Time duration 30 minutes)
Once you have the lists apply the Pareto Principle. What 20% of the positive experiences brought you the most joy? What 20% of the negative experiences brought you the most frustration? Capture the 5-10 most positive experiences which you will schedule more of in your calendar for 2019. For the negative experiences you will set your boundaries and make sure to remove them from your life or limit them as much as possible. (Time duration 10 minutes)
Make a video and store it on YouTube (private settings or make it public to share your insights) or on your own database so you can have it as a record and reflect on it later. Remember the more you do this the more you will start noticing patterns of success and patterns of failure in your life and you will be able to design life as you like.
STEP 2: It’s Not Real Until it’s on the Calendar!
Set yourself up to win in 2019.
What is your one business outcome for the year? Makes sure it’s measurable. (Mine is to hit $500,000 in sales for my business)
What is your one personal outcome for the year? (Learn to play 5 songs on the guitar)
Schedule your MUSTS for the year. Put these on your calendar! (Time duration 30 minutes)
5-10 positive experiences from 2018 (above)
Travel (I like to take one 1-3 week trip each quarter)
Events (Tony Robbins, Burning Man, Meditation Retreat)
Family fun (Thanksgiving, family retreat, travel to Europe to see my sister, birthday trips)
Other goals (scuba dive trip, camping, learn to code, learn to surf, etc.)
Once you lock things in the calendar it gives your brain the signal that you are committed and have great things coming! Now you can use all the extra energy towards the present moment in business, with your family and time for yourself. The most important key is being FLEXIBLE. Yes life happens and plans/schedules change so you must be able to flow and adjust. The neat part is the better you get at this skill (it is a skill) the less often it will happen and your life becomes more and more AMAZING! Losers react and leaders anticipate. So anticipate your year ahead and be flexible to update it and get back on track when you fall off.
Same as with step one, make a video and store it on YouTube (private settings or make it public to declare your commitments) on your own database so you can review it and reflect on 2019 this time next year.
That’s it! The entire process should take you no longer than 75 minutes. I wish you an amazing 2019!
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