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Last updated on September 15th, 2023 at 01:39 pm
“How do you use all those for planning?”
I got a Vox from a friend after posting a picture of all my planners on Instagram. I was always in awe of those people who had everything planned out because that certainly wasn’t me.
After years of not getting to where I wanted to go, I noticed the people I admired most were planners. So I dove into planning too.
Each year of planning is better than the last. The first year felt so incredibly daunting, but now I can break it into a 3-step process …with a bunch of mini-steps in each of those 3 steps.
Here are 3 simplified steps to planning an intentional year, if you’re jumping in for the first time, or maybe the first time in a while.
Step 01: Set your goals.
How can you get where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re going? Setting goals is like setting your destination in Google Maps.
For the past three years, I’ve used the Powersheets from Cultivate What Matters to uncover meaningful goals. Using the Powersheets is a process, and as somebody who never set goals before, it’s a process that works. The Powersheets help you to evaluate different areas of your life and set goals so you can grow.
How many goals you want to set is up to you. But having too many goals can dilute your focus.
Step 02: Calendar it.
Once you know what you’re working toward this year, write your milestones in your calendar (I use this planner). This is how you break your goal into smaller, more attainable pieces. I like to think of this as the step-by-step directions in Google Maps.
I like to break out my year into 90-day increments and work toward one big goal. For example, I learned in Ashlyn Writes’ program Primed to Launch to plan one “Quarterly Champagne Campaign.” This usually serves as my one big business goal for the quarter.
On a more personal level, I have goals for our family to have more time to rest. This year, my goal is to have vacation time once per quarter. By putting it on the calendar now it’s more likely to happen. (Taking vacations was a goal in 2020, but then 2020 happened.)
Step 03: Do the work.
This is probably the hardest step but also the most fun. This is the part where you get to hit “start” on your directions and start working toward your destination!
I keep myself on track with my goals by continuing to use my Powersheets planner and my daily planner EVERY DAY. (It only works if you use it, right?) Both planners lay open on my desk so that can check off daily tasks and fill in the progress bars on my big quarterly goals.
I hope this breaks down planning your year into a simpler process. If you need tools for planning goals and planning your days, read this post about using the Powersheets to set goals and this post on how I use my planner.
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