When the end of the year is fast approaching, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Holidays are usually the busiest time of the year and there is the added pressure of trying to finish everything before December 31st.c. What is often overlooked, however, is the valuable opportunity this time of year offers. The last month of the year is the perfect time to look back on the previous twelve months and set goals for the next 12.
There are four tasks that can help you set yourself up for business success next year. The more time you can devote to these tasks, the better, but you don’t need much time to see results. If you spend only one hour a week, you will have finished all your homework by the end of December.
Review and reflect on the last twelve months.
The best thing about the end of the year is that you are ready and ready to be in reflection mode. You’re likely to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions as well as remembering time spent with your family and friends during the holidays. Just as you reflect on your personal life and set goals, you need to do the same in your career and business.
When you think about it, take a look at the good and bad aspects of things. Take stock of where you are in your career in terms of where you want to be, evaluate what has gone well for you professionally, and areas where you can improve. Ask your administrators and colleagues for feedback on your own thinking. Be thorough in your reflections, as the more detailed you are, the better you will be able to reflect on them. This correlates directly with the following task.
Make a game plan for the next 12 months.
Once the reflection is done, it’s time to turn it into action. This action is presented in the form of goal setting. Create a year-round broad goal, as well as smaller goals that complement and help you reach your main goal. From here, create an outline of how you will achieve these goals, when you want to achieve them, and ways to ensure you are on the right track. This becomes your action plan for the year.
You’ll want to review your goals and action plan at least four times a year. Your goals may change throughout the year for a variety of reasons. Maybe you decided to change jobs or get an unexpected promotion, or maybe you were fired. Your goals should not be the same if your circumstances have changed.
Clean the inbox.
An overflowing inbox is one of the main sources of stress at work. Leave that stress behind for the new year by starting with a fresh, no-order inbox. This is not the time to simply select all of your emails and mark them as read. Please review your messages with two things in mind: Is it urgent and can it be deleted? Reply immediately to any urgent messages and unsubscribe from email chains of which you do not need to be a part. From here, create filters to help keep your inbox as free as possible.
To keep that momentum going, don’t leave the next big inbox clean until the end of next year. Schedule a time to do this once a month or at least once a quarter. Zero inbox is almost impossible, but having control of the inbox is within reach.
Finish as many small tasks as possible.
The smaller tasks you can check from your to-do list, the better prepared you are to start the new year. Take an extra 20 minutes to respond to emails or link any loose ends of a project. File the paperwork you have postponed. These are the little things that matter most in this case. Taking care of these tasks will ensure that you start the year by focusing on the bigger things and not playing catch up. In other words, don’t procrastinate and leave things until January. Yes, this is much easier said than done, but it is also the most important thing.
If you are ready to start the next course, give yourself time to complete each of these tasks. Distribute them throughout the month or deal with them all at once, it’s up to you. Completing them is all that matters. Do you want an even better one in the next 12 months? Take the time to complete these tasks throughout the year.