Pause. Reflect. Plan
And here we are, friends!
The last couple weeks of the year. Where it gets kind of awkward. Some people take them off completely, some are OOO, but still working on backend stuff, some are heads down like it’s no big deal and some are somewhere in between.
Wherever you land within those I wanted to share some questions regarding ending the year and starting a new one.
Cliche, right? Well, call it what it is because I 100% know that we always say we’re going to do this, but do we? Do we actually slow down for a minute or two and do the work?
I'm 100% guilty of saying it in my head, but not actually being as intentional about it as I should.
So, here we go…Pause | Reflect | Plan
Pause.
That’s it. That’s the first step. Pause, close you’re eyes, and take 5 deep breaths.
Done…feels good huh? Why do we not do that more often?!
Reflect.
Some prefer to rip off the rearview mirror and head straight into the new year. Me, not so much. Reflecting can give you some really good data about yourself, so let’s go through some questions:
What are 3 words that describe 2023?
What were some wins?
When thinking of client interactions, which ones make you smile really really big?
What would you like to leave in 2023? AKA what sucked?!
What was a big learning lesson when it comes to client work/interactions?
Is there a goal you didn’t reach that you’d like to bring forward to 2024?
Anything you feel you could bring to life with more effort and or resources?
How was that? Was there anything that came up that you had forgotten about?
Plan.
We've taken a pause, we've reflected on the good and sucky parts of 2023 and now it's time to move it forward!
Can we map out the whole year and expect it to go perfectly? Might be a bit risky. But, we can set some intentions. Some goals. Right?!
What are you bringing with you in 2024, service/product wise?
What is 1 goal you’d like to hit this year?
What excites you about this goal? Why do you want it?
Do you have any reservations about completing it? List them out:
What habits do you need (things you have to do regularly) to achieve this goal?
What habits might slow you down in achieving your goals?
What tools/resources will you need to look into/hire?
What does your goal look like broken down into smaller steps?
What will you do to celebrate when you’ve hit your goal?!
That last one is important - don’t skip that one! And make sure it’s exciting to you - it can be an object, an experience, whatever.
As you work through these some deeper stuff might come up - let it. That’s usually where the good stuff is.
While you may not use my questions to help prepare for next year, but I do hope you take some time to sit with your year before the new one rolls around. It’s okay to pause…I know it’s hard (hi, I also struggle with this) but it’s so so worth slowing down to go fast.
And I would love to hear if one of these questions brought you some insight - share below if so!