Is it too late to plan this year?
Planning Your Year: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Create a Framework for Success
A brief framework to plan this year
Planning 365 days in advance sounds like a chore that no one wants to undertake. You have no idea as to what all will happen throughout the year so it makes even less sense in doing it. (/_\)
But since you have clicked on this link, it means you want to undertake this mammoth like task. So allow me to make it easier for you with this brief framework. You can use this framework to make a detailed plan too to start achieving those goals. And it is never too late to plan what lies ahead!
Note: This is an iterative process, and it will need you to go back and forth as you are going through the steps
Step 1: Review your previous year
You need to process your previous year as the first thing. You need to write down the things that you achieved in the previous year. What were the things that made you feel bad or sad.
An easy way to do this is to write 3 things that you achieved last year. example:-
- I read ___ books.
- I had a great trip at _____ with my significant other.
- I got a promotion at job.
and others…..
Similarly write 3 things that needed work last year.
- I achieved my exercise goals in only __ out of 12 months.
- I should spend more time with family.
- I was only able to get an increment of __% last year.
Step 2: Day-dream a little..
This step involves in imagining what would you like to be doing on 31st December of this year. The things you write down will be your high level goals of this year.
And because of the previous step, you would know exactly what were the things that needed work last year. And don’t be afraid to put in some more imagination about how you want to look and feel on 31st December.
Step 3: Make these Goals achievable
You can use the framework of SMART goals to achieve this.
S - Specific
What do you want to accomplish. and Why is this a goal?
M- Measurable
How will you measure success for this goal? How will you know that you are making progress with this goal?
A- Achievable
Do you have what it takes to achieve this goal? if not, what would be required? What is the amount of effort that will be required from your side to achieve this goal?
R- Relevant
Is this goal relevant enough to work on right now? Does it make sense to achieve it with other goals that have been listed?
T- Time-Bound
What is the deadline to achieve the individual parts of this goal? And are these objectives realistic?
Make sure these plans are realistic enough to be achieved this year only. This is a 1 year plan and not a 5 year plan.
Step 4: Create a not-to-do list
This is a list of things you would like to reduce doing or completely eradicate from your life.
This could have habits you want to quit. Some kind of a personal behavior that you don’t like about yourself or things that are making your mental stamina too much or even something as small as situations that have been disturbing your productivity.
This list will help you remember what you decided for yourselves not to do at all on 31st December.
Step 5: What kind of a routine do you see yourself doing for all your life.
This is a big one as this will take a solid chunk of your day. so you better make it worthwhile. You are trying to think at least 10 years down the line here. And do understand that you cannot follow your routine every day.
To break it down in a better way, try to make a monthly routine. that is things you would like to do every month and then break it down to weekly achievable objectives and then into daily objective.
Example-
I want to read two books a month.
This would mean that I would have to read half a book in a week.
Now half a book is approximately 100–150 pages.
Which means I would have to read at least 15–20 pages a day.
With my reading speed and content topic I can do that by either reading for 30 minutes a day or 2–3 hours on a weekend
Once you have a fair idea of what are the routine things you want to do in a month, you should be able to achieve those goals, if you can break them down nicely into simple steps for daily or weekly execution.
Step 6: Fun stuff - Planning Holidays
Planning a year should not be all serious stuff. And planning a holiday sometimes can be very serious.
You don’t need to plan the minutes of the holiday at this time, but making time for holidays is one of the reasons you are planning your year. So thinking about the month or the week when you would want to take a vacation is a good way to plan your vacation at this time.
A brief framework to think about your holidays is:
- Which month of the year would you want to go on this year?
- Which kind of trips do you want to do this year?
- How long of a time do you want these vacations to be?
- With whom would you want to go this holiday?
Like: Solo Weekend Camping or trekking trip , a week at the beaches sipping mimosas with significant other, a trip to a historical place with family where I paint, a trip to a music festival with friends.
Step 7: Planning Side Projects
By side projects I don’t mean side hustles which need your attention all the time but things you have always wanted to do in life.
The things you want to do for your soul. and of-course small side projects to gain an income could be counted here but be wary to not put yourself under too much pressure that you don’t get the time to take a pause and breathe.
Planning your side project is as important for your mental health as exercise is to your physical health.
Side projects could mean anything from starting to learn violin to attaining mastery at carpentry.
Step 8: Decide on how to review your goals
This is the last but the most crucial step of all to execute. Holding yourself accountable for the dreams that you have shown yourself.
Deciding on a review date would depend on which kind of goals have you decided upon. These could be weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, anything you think is the right time to assess how have you been doing. They are always a gentle reminder of what you had thought and what you have been doing. And let me tell you by experience, it will be different!
Be Flexible
The reality will be different from what you have planned and your plan will guide you from time to time what is achievable and how much can you achieve in an year. Your goals may also change throughout the year so you would have to incorporate those too.
So be flexible with your plans. On your review dates, you will have to tweak here and there with your plans and see what works best for you.
And if you want to get the best out of this step by step framework, plan seperately for personal and professional life.
“An year plan is like a a compass that guides you North. You may wander around and stray from your path, but your plan will help to guide you towards the right direction”
Happy Planning \(^.^)/…
