Goodbye 2019–Let’s Make a Plan for the New Year!
We made it to the New Year everyone! Wow, 2020. Can you believe it? For the most part, I always look forward to starting a new year. November and December usually do a pretty good job of wearing me out, creating anticipation in me to wipe the slate clean and make deliberate decisions as to how I want to spend my time to have the most impact towards service and fulfillment as the calendar starts over and a new year begins. My desire has been that I make a difference every day of my life in some way, big or small. Sometimes I think the smallest decisions or acts have eternal impact, so nothing is without importance. I’ve had this mentality since college, but it seems to take on increased importance as I get older.
Planning sessions are vitally important to productivity. Every morning I start my day with a planning session. It’s something every well-functioning business, school, or even church does! Early last year, I devoted an entire day to planning out my whole 2019. I’m so glad I stuck to the plan–it was revolutionary!
At that time, I had just finished a book I received for Christmas. It’s called Living Forward by Michael Hyatt. One of the recommendations he makes is to write your eulogy as a way to plan out what you want in your life. That immediately made perfect sense to me; why not look forward all the way to the end of your life to see if you are presently on the right path to get there?
I spent nine hours thinking about the people in my life, my immediate and extended family, friends, community, and the rest of the world. What would I want them to say when my days on earth were through? What kind of impact did I want to leave? After this extensive and rather difficult exercise, I saw a few areas where attention was lacking and a few areas where I needed to completely let go. If you often feel like your life has no direction and you’re just living day-to-day, this exercise will help you stay on track and get to where you’re purposed to go.
This year, I’m going to reevaluate at least every quarter to make sure I’m staying on track. I also want to have another “planning day” to evaluate 2019 and work on my plan and loose outline for 2020. I say “loose” because my plans are always over-zealous and pretty much impossible. It’s easier for me to swallow a shortcoming when I admit to myself that it’s a loose outline I’m working with.
It’s also super important to add a little room for margin in your plan. That is usually the hard part for me–I want to spend every waking moment engaged in something huge, lasting, and of great importance. But resting and recreation are equally important to whatever dream you are chasing, so don’t forget to add time for that into your plan. For me, it’s during these lull moments when creativity usually “hits.” It’s the craziest thing. When I leave a little room for margin, I am much more productive.
If you are a mom, your time never solely belongs to you. It can get frustrating if you are goal-oriented. Don’t let it get to you. It’s still a great idea to have a plan you can revisit daily, but always keep in mind that interruptions are part of your life–and that’s a good thing. Many times those interruptions work right into your plan–when it’s family, friends, or your home that’s needing your attention. That is your work! I’m sure that will be a major part of the eulogy (recalling your long-term plan). Those “interruptions” are welcome!
I look forward to hearing from you about your long-term goals and a few short-term goals to help get you there! Remember you accomplish a lot in just 15 minutes! Eighty percent of the work is just showing up!
My Top Moments from 2019!!
I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos from the past year. I did so many interesting things and made so many lifelong connections with wonderful people. I feel like in a way, my relationships with everybody, from my family, to my business partners, and especially with you guys, my fans, all grew deeper this year. I just know this will continue for many more years to come! Thank you all! And thanks to my wonderful sponsors for supporting me and allowing me to make great content for all my readers!
