As the year draws to a close, we shift focus from surviving the year to being hopeful for a fresh start in the new year. Many see the transition as a profound opportunity for personal growth and achievement. However, none of that happens without planning. Success is carefully planned and actively worked on over the course of the year. Here are my five key points to help optimize your personal end of year planning to ensure a rewarding and fulfilling 2024.
Reflect and Review:
Personal retrospectives are some of my favorite activities. Taking time to pause and take stock of the passing year. Reflect on accomplishments (what worked), lessons learned (what didn’t), and moments that shaped you. Acknowledging both successes and challenges provides valuable insights that can inform your plans for the coming year.
Define Clear Objectives:
Set clear and achievable goals for 2024. Make them Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART). Whether they’re career aspirations, health and wellness targets, personal development milestones, or travel dreams, clarity in your objectives is the cornerstone of effective planning.
Organize and Prioritize:
Once your goals are set, break them down into smaller, actionable steps. Organize these steps systematically, prioritizing them based on importance and urgency. Creating a roadmap helps manage tasks efficiently and prevents feeling overwhelmed by larger goals.
Cultivate Consistency with Flexibility:
Establishing routines and habits that align with your goals fosters consistency—a vital element for progress. However, remain flexible in your approach. Life is unpredictable, and the ability to adapt to changes and unforeseen circumstances is key to successful planning.
Harness the Power of Personal Planners:
After you’ve done all the reflecting and planning, having a system in place to help support and reinforce your newly developed perspective is instrumental to success. Personal planners are more than just books to jot down schedules and to-do lists; they’re the support system you need for success. They help you do things like:
- Visualization of Goals: Personal planners serve as a visual representation of your dreams and plans, offering a holistic view of your commitments and aspirations.
- Enhanced Productivity: Writing down tasks and goals in a planner enhances focus, reduces procrastination, and boosts productivity by providing a clear roadmap for the day, week, or month.
- Effective Time Management: Planners help allocate time efficiently by scheduling tasks and activities. This ensures a balanced approach to various facets of life, from work to personal interests.
- Accountability and Progress Tracking: Tracking progress becomes tangible when milestones and achievements are recorded in a planner. It fosters a sense of accountability and motivation to keep moving forward.
- Mindfulness and Reflection: Writing in a planner encourages mindfulness, allowing moments of reflection and refinement of ideas, strengthening the connection with your aspirations.
I thought I’d share some of my favorite planners that I’ve tried over the year. Two disclosures. One, these are all affiliate links. I do get a small commission when you click and purchase and two, I’m currently a Full Focus planner user. I’ve tried all of these in my last lives for one reason or another and have landed on the FF system for all the reasons I’ll note below. There is no one perfect planner as the planner is only successful if it helps you stay on track. Evaluate a few and pick what matches your needs and know that you may get part way thru and realize your needs have shifted (which is why I prefer 3 and 6 month planners over 12 month ones).
| Full Focus Black Leather Planner | Backed by a well thought out system of goal attainment (focused on 3’s) Comes in bound and looseleaf It follows a quarter based system but is flexible and undated The system behind it is very robust but can be picked up in stages as you develop better habits | Click here to check price |
| Live Whale 90 Day Planner | Includes an areas where you can see your meal plan for the day and do meal tracking Undated Layouts and Weekly Goals Integrated Gratitude Journal | Click here to check price |
| Purpose Planner Undated | The most comprehensive planner that includes roles (like mom, product manager, photographer) and goals against each. Monthly overviews, weekly and daily dashboards. Includes habit trackers and gratitude journal types. | Click here to check price |
| Panda Planner Pro | 6 month planner Larger (8.5×11) Proven principles from positive psychology and neuroscience with the goal to help you become happier and more productive simply by using the planner. | Click here to check price |
| Clever Fox Pro | Similar to Full Focus but larger and covers 1 year vs. 3months Separates Personal and Work to do’s (tho I dont find that it has enough space for tracking things) I like the “life balance” to-do list that guides you to think of all aspects of your life and work to balance them | Click here to check price |
| Commit30 | My goto for a while, it’s a full year book but broken down pretty simply. I could meal plan and daily plan in here. It’s pretty easy to follow and customize as well. They have a digital version if you’re in iPad or tablet based planner. | Click here to check price (non affiliate) |
The key here is to just start and try – success doesn’t just happen to people. Planning is a critical component and having goals to guide you along the process.