Successful goal setting for 2023 in 4 easy steps
At RWC November means various things, bonfires, autumnal walks, cosy mugs of hot chocolate and PLANNING.
If we leave our annual planning session for the new year any later than November, then it all becomes a bit of a rush, not well thought out, or even worse, not thought about at all.
By the way, the word ‘resolutions’ doesn’t feature in the RWC vocabulary, it headed straight to the BBB (Banished from our Business Box) along with ‘failure’ and many others.
It’s easy to rush from year to year without taking time to reflect on what went well and what we could do better because it isn’t always an easy thing to do. We have discovered that without having our annual business review session we can easily carry on doing what we’ve always done and sometimes it’s necessary to break old habits and think about things differently. Planning can feel hard, but we’ve learned that it has a huge positive impact on our business. And we’d encourage you to do it, too!
At the end of our review we find that we always uncover things that we had forgotten about, and we discover more about ourselves. By the end we are motivated and energised to grab 2023 to maximise all the opportunities it brings.
Have you read Atomic Habits by James Clear? It’s one of our top reads at RWC! James says:
“[An annual review] will give me a chance to take stock of what went well and what could have gone better, while also giving me a moment to enjoy the progress I’ve made over the past 12 months….A good Annual Review is also about looking toward the future and thinking about how the life I’m living now is building toward a bigger mission.”
We’ll take you through our 4 stages: -
· Reflection
· Thinking ahead
· Prioritisation
· Planning
Let’s start! You’ll need your 2022 and 2023 diaries, access to your accounts plus copious sheets of paper, your favourite pen and a comfy spot to spend an hour or two, distraction-free.
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
Søren Kierkegaard
Step 1 - REFLECTION
Taking time to reflect on 2022 gives you an opportunity to think about what you achieved. Celebrate your wins and successes both big and small. Congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come.
Go through your diary week by week, what were the standout high points for your business? Make a note of them.
Look at your accounts, where did you meet your targets in terms of sales? Does anything jump out at you that you’d not noticed before?
Ask yourself…
· What was the biggest risk I took?
· What am I most proud of?
· Name 3 people who helped you the most.
· What was your biggest accomplishment?
· What was your biggest challenge?
· What was the biggest lesson I learned?
· What 3 words would you use to describe 2022?
Take a break, go for a walk, make a cuppa and then move to Step 2.
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
Step 2 – THINKING AHEAD
Now imagine it’s the end of 2023.
What would you like your business to look like in a year’s time?
If you could achieve your wildest dreams, what would they be?
Jot down your thoughts.
Some people like to create a vision board to represent their ideas and keep it somewhere where they can see it everyday.
Step 3 – PRIORITISATION
Stephen Covey will be remembered most as the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which sold over 25 million copies. His second habit, ‘begin with the end in mind’ will help us to evaluate our priorities.
“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things.
And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside.”
Stephen Covey
Thinking about your vision for 2023 what are 3 top things that you want to make a priority? Write them down as if you’ve already achieved them.
For example: By the end of 2023 I will have…
Your goals should push you out of your comfort zone but should be based in reality. For example, you might want to do more public speaking in 2023. You know it would be beneficial for your business but it scares you slightly.
Step 4 – PLANNING
Take your first goal and mind map all the things you could do to make it happen. Be as outrageous as you can!
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
How will you make time for these tasks in your business? When will it happen? Will you need to delegate some stuff you are already doing? Read our blog for practical ways to do this.
Once you’ve made a list of EVERYTHING you could try to achieve your goal if you now feel that you have too many ideas check out this post.
Ringfence the time to undertake these tasks in your 2023 diary, set time aside to make your dreams a reality.
Repeat the process for your other 2 priorities.
YAY! You have a plan!
Wrapping up
How will you celebrate success when you’ve achieved your goals? We all need something to motivate us and drive us on, especially if we have a bad day or things aren’t going according to our plan.
We would love you to share your thoughts, ideas, and dreams with us. We are always ready to be a sounding board for you when you need it. You can book a free mini coaching session here.
By taking this time to reflect and becoming more self-aware and by creating an action plan, you’ll be better prepared to make 2023 more successful for your business.
