The new year is right around the corner so it's time to get our planning on! Oftentimes new year goals can be overwhelming especially if you have lots you want to get done. So where do you start? Right here.
Here are five steps to help you plan for your new year goals:
Step #1: Look Back
Looking back at 2015 is so important and this is where you need to start first. Often we are so consumed with what's next and what else can I do and strive for that we forget that success is now. What have you done this year, what were your accomplishments and achievements? Celebrate those now! Often we look more at our mistakes and bad memories than the totally awesome things that happened! Think about what went well and what did not go well.
Also think about, what did you learn in 2015? What are you grateful for in 2015? What time wasters did you have in 2015? When you were at your best and loving life in 2015, what were you doing? If you are a business owner, what made you the most money in your business?
What networking or professional events, trainings in 2015 were totally awesome! What books did you read that you loved? When did you have the most fun in your work? You want to do more of this fun in 2016! Even if it was a volunteer activity or just 5 minutes in your workday you loved some part of your workday even though it's not your job description, write that down and focus on doing more of that this year.
Also if you are a business owner, when you were promoting what worked the best? Was it a certain social media channel? Was it talking to people? Was it webinars? FOCUS IS KEY!!
Find what works and repeat over and over. So look back at 2015 and figure out what worked. What made you happy and do more of it in in the new year...
Step 2: Conquer Your Fears
This one was a big one for me in 2014 and 2015. There is something called the imposter syndrome. Many high-achieving females tend to believe that they are not as intelligent as other people think. Meaning they felt like impostors or someone's going to find them out!. The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women was actually studied by psychologists who found that women have a pattern of dismissing accomplishments and believing that their success would disappear once others discovered the awful secret that they were, in fact, "impostors."
So if you are feeling scared or unsure about your dreams and thinking am I really good enough? You just have to learn to ignore that little voice and march on! So how could this syndrome be affecting your career? Maybe you aren't going for a job because you don't think you are qualified for it OR You aren't starting a business you want or taking your business to the next level because you don't think you are qualified. You just don't think you could do it.
If you have any of these thoughts, here's what I want you to do: Write your answers to the following questions
what come up as you go through your goals?
-What's the worst that can happen if you go after your goals?
-What is the best that can happen if you go after your goals?
-Is it worth the risk to go all in?
When you ask yourself these questions, you might find that the worst is not so crazy and it's totally worth the risk to go all in. That is what I have realized when I have some crazy scary goal. For instance, when I hosted my own live event I thought no one would show up. But when I thought about the worst that could happen, no one shows up....oh well! At least I learned, prepared for it and can use what I learned for next time! (also, they showed up) 
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Step 3: Create a Vision Board
The purpose of a vision board is that whatever you focus on increases your chances that it will happen in your life. It's called the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction is the name given to the belief that "like attracts like" and that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, one can bring about positive or negative results. If you have ever seen the movie, The Secret, you have heard of this.
I think vision boards are so powerful because you are putting your goals on paper and when you write down your goals, you are 80% more likely to achieve them. Vision boards add clarity to your goals because instead of just writing them down, you are looking at the image of it everyday.
Before you start cutting up the magazines and gathering images and words, make sure you have an idea of what you want to focus on in your vision. You should have your goals for the year out and ready to glance at while you are pulling images from the magazines.
Once you know what you want to focus on, start cutting! Don't worry about putting all the images on the board until the very end. This part took a lot longer than I thought it would take. So make sure you set aside a chunk of time because you don't want to be rushed! Make sure you cut images that really mean something to you. You can be picky and don't feel like you need a lot of pictures or words.
Step 4: Establish Your 2015 Goals
First you are going to write down all of your ideas. Do a brain dump. What are all the things that you would love to do. Write everything down. Don't hold anything back. Then, from this long crazy list, I want you to pick three focus areas/only three main goals that you are going to focus on this year. Write these three things down on a notecard.
Then create a 2017/2018 and 2019 list and put all the other stuff there. Finally, create a 90-day plan for your next 90 days. So in order to reach your annual , what must you do in these next 90 days? Just focus on these 90 days and I promise you will get results.
When you establish your goals, remember to have a plan for the following list as well:
-What books are on your reading list for the year?
-What events do you want to attend this year?
-What training programs you want to do this year?
Also write in your 2016 plan who you want to add to your network and who you want to get closer to. Maybe there is someone you know that could really help you get your dream career. Make a list of those people and make 2016 the year that you take them to coffee or do an informational interview with them.
Maybe with the career you want, you don't know that many people in that field or industry. Make a plan to add more of those people to your network by attending professional events or reaching out to people in LinkedIn groups.
Step 5: Plan Your 2016 Calendar
I highly recommend getting a wall calendar. If you are creative like me, this will totally get you excited. First thing you should do for the year is plan out your vacation! If you don't, you might end up working too much and not taking that much needed time off you need to rest relax and recharge. Whether you are an employee with time off in your benefits or an entrepreneur setting your own schedule, this is really crucial and is the #1 reason I have been so successful in 2015 because I get my best ideas NOT when I am sitting at my computer!!
I also have my planning calendar that is paper that I take around with my in my purse which has the same calendar on my wall so if I am not home, I can do some thinking about my year. This planner is also where I write the TOP 3 things that I am working on that day. I try to give myself only 3 really important priority things to do each day. Then, it's positive when I finish them and I don't have to work late into the evening but overall I feel happy when I finish those items.
Then, I have my calendar online as well. This calendar is for daily appointments like coaching calls or dentist appts or anything that I need to be at because that is how I get reminders. This is the calendar my assistant has when she is booking interviews or meetings and really is how I know what I am going to do each day.
For your calendar it's a really important point to remember that YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR CALENDAR, YOUR CALENDAR DOESN'T CONTROL YOU. You pick what you want to go into your calendar when.
So for instance, if you want to more yoga in the new year, you schedule that into your calendar instead of coming home from work and saying oh well I am too busy for yoga this week. So it's a proactive approach to your calendar and putting in their things you enjoy and want to do instead of saying the "I am too busy" excuse. We all have the same amount of time in each day and we make our time and our schedules.
Now, are you ready for the new year? If so, say "BRING IT ON!" in the comments below!
About the Author
Anna is the founder of Classy Career Girl, named by Forbes as one of the top 35 most influential career sites of 2014. She helps millions of women design and launch their dream careers, businesses and lives through her website, online courses and social media channels.
