Yesterday I was spoiled with a gorgeous new diary aka planner and “safe keeper of my thoughts, to-do-lists, plans and activities”! (Thanks to my momsie-darling)
A new year brings with it all sorts of ideas, hopes, dreams and plans – many of which remain just that – thoughts. And now I have a place to start plotting my year and my goals.
Now is as good a time as any, to take action, and start preparing for the year ahead. Using the momentum that has built over the last few months to plan where, when, and how I will continue in the new year (yes, I’m taking a well-deserved 3-week break!) means that I will be able to enjoy my time off and return in full force, ready to forge ahead.
But how do you go about planning and preparing yourself or your business for the new year? Are you a list writer, a procrastinator or “I’ll wait and see” type of person? As they say, Rome was not built in a day and goals are not reached by merely making a list of good intentions. Rather, we need to consistently take steps in the right direction and make each day count.
It is only when we hold ourselves accountable, when we write down these thoughts, hopes, goals and dreams, creating a clear action plan for how to achieve them that they can become a reality.
Whether you are starting to live a healthier lifestyle, growing your business to the next level, planning a holiday, or starting a business, setting goals and being accountable are key steps in making these plans a reality.
Something that my new diary has is a monthly “intentional wheel habit tracker.” I’ve seen many ideas for habit trackers over the years, but this one was particularly simple and easy to apply to any scenario. So I thought I’d share it with you.
Using an intentional wheel or habit tracker can remind us to stick to our goals each day and to track our progress over time. It is a useful tool to give us a visual overview of the activities that are important to us and to identify trends of good stretches or days when things didn’t go according to plan. They suggest using colour to identify specific areas of our lives to ensure our goals support a balanced approach to life.
Step 1: write down your focus priority, for example:
- GOAL: Get healthy and lose weight.
Step 2: write down all the “daily habits” you need to follow to achieve this goal.
- drink 8 glasses of water today
- exercise for 45 minutes
- only 2 cups of coffee today
- read a motivational article / listen to a podcast / meditate
- spend 30 minutes outdoors in nature/sunshine
- spend 30 minutes writing in a journal/gratitude journal
Step 3: Take action – start tracking your habits today!
- Fill out your intention wheel and start tracking your habits.
- Identify which activities are important to you and how often you achieve them.
- Discover which areas you are neglecting – determine why!
- By reviewing each day and recording your achievements in each area, you can start to develop mindfulness about “being healthy”
So, whether you are getting serious about your health, your life, your business, or your future, why not use this tool to help you turn “to-do lists” into action steps that will take you closer to reaching your goals?
For now, I’ll be planning the action steps for my business for the following year. Setting the scene for growth and success! Allocating time for review, changes, and improvements. A clear action plan is what helps to keep me focused and on track.
Let me know how you get on! Did this technique work for you? Do you have any tips to share with me?
Chat soon
Candice
#growthcoach #business #planningahead
