The start of a new year is such a nice place to be – a blank canvas, an unfurnished room, a piece of paper waiting to be written on…
For me, it’s a time to sit down and nut out the coming 12 months in terms of both my practice and personal life. And I don’t mean simply writing bottomless ‘to do’ lists.
This year I’m focused on ‘minimal simplicity’, a ‘less is more’ approach to living every aspect of my life more fully. Rather than setting lots of goals and saying yes to every opportunity, I’m paring back to focus on a few well-considered goals which will be challenging, rewarding and have great depth. The important part here is not only settling on these goals, but defining the strategies I will use to achieve them and the milestones for their completion.
How can any of us get where we are going, unless we are clear about where it is we want to go? How can we achieve great things or even little things, unless we are clear as to what they are? Throughout January, I’ve taken time to look at the year ahead and figure out how I will get where I want to go. I see this month as an investment in the next 11, which seems proportionally a good ratio.
Like many or most of you, I’ve been performing this ritual for many years, but it’s only in the past few that I feel I’ve gained more clarity on what is important to me and what is not. For those of you who enjoy the feel-good, easy-to-read Design*Sponge blog, take a look at the Biz Ladies post (also for fellas), Planning a Blueprint for the year. This is a simple planning overview for the novice or those who’ve been out of the groove and are getting back into gear. If you would like something more in-depth, more pervasive for all areas of your life and particularly if you’re in a rut and need a good shake up, read Why People Fail: The 16 obstacles to success and how you can overcome them. There are some great strategies and tips to help you define your life purpose, set goals, eliminate time wasting tasks and refocus. Author, Siimon Reynolds, says they are sure to help at the very least make improvements in your business, if not overhaul your life completely. I’ve already begun introducing some of his approaches and am excited about their power to help keep me focused and de-stressed.
A word of caution… We can read as many books as we like, however, we can’t reap the rewards of our learning if we don’t put our learning into action!