Your Best Year Ever – Practical Tips To Achieve Your Goals
The last few months of the year are almost here and today I’m SO ECXCITED to share this special blog post with you! This blog can be used as a workshop for yourself for planning the upcoming year and making it your best (or maybe even first!) business year yet!
I’m sure you want to grow, expand on new ideas and make a success breakthrough.
So, creating this kind of plan for yourself to achieve your goals, is only going to happen because YOU are going to MAKE IT HAPPEN. So, before I dive into all the practical tips, here’s what you need to do first …
- Be clear about your goals and what you’d like to achieve.
- Take a stand for what you believe in. Invest in yourself.
- Make a plan. Set real, measurable, and attainable goals.
- Decide how you’re going to set clear (and organized) actions.
- Think positive and condition yourself for success.
- Give yourself permission to make extraordinary things happen.
All the above steps are truly important to making what feels impossible possible. Especially those last two on the list.
Truthfully now, setting goals and planning them out is critical when it comes to making it your best year yet, but there’s more to it that many people miss — and we truly don’t want to see you trip up on these mistakes!
Carving out some time (aka. time blocking) is great but allowing only an hour or so per week to work on your own goals really isn’t enough. (Been there, done that!) If you have no other choice, it’s absolutely better than nothing, but ideally, you’re going to want 3 to 5 hours per week, broken down into 2 to 3 chunks. That might sound like a lot as you’re reading this, and you’re likely thinking, “where am I going to find these magical hours?!” but fear not. We’ve got you.
So, let’s not waste any precious time and dive right on in …
Tip #1: Take a look at your schedule. Really.
If you’re someone who is working while the kids are at daycare or school, or getting those hours in during nap time, there’s time. It’s important to understand HOW you work, not just when. If you’re someone who has task obligations first thing each day, then that’s likely not your best focus time as you’ll be stressing over getting those other tasks done. If you need an hour to knock those out of the way, then schedule an hour of focus time 1.5 hours into your workday (give yourself a buffer, or a chance to grab a shower!).
It might seem as though you’re micromanaging yourself but blocking out these focus times at the start of the week is really the only way to ensure you’re going to commit to them. This means scheduling absolutely nothing else during these times. This is also why we do this week-by-week, as it allows for appointments or other commitments to be planned, and then have our dedicated focus time when we know it can get our undivided attention.
Tip #2: Be honest with yourself.
It can be tough but try not to overcommit yourself to unrealistic goals in unrealistic spans of time. You’re essentially setting yourself up for failure and that’s just not fair. It’s okay if something you think should take you 6 months is going to take you 2 years according to your plan – you’re also giving yourself the opportunity to accomplish it sooner.
We have enough pressures on us from day to day that we don’t need our own added pressures piled on top. Even when planning your goals, add on a bit of extra time to allow for when the kids (or you!) get sick, vacations, etc. Life is bound to get in the way at some point and it’s better to be prepared for it than must throw your entire plan out the window solely because you’re overscheduling yourself.
It’s not about being the best. It’s about being better than you were yesterday.
Tip #3: Learn to time block.
Time blocking is a skill and a huge asset, at that. Effective time blocking is unique by individual, for the most part, as we typically don’t all work the same way, at the same times. When learning to time block for yourself, factor in buffers between meetings (never schedule back-to-back meetings!), blocks for your start of day / end of day routines, lunch, and time to breathe. Having a few main categories for time blocks will help regulate your schedule and let you find when your best times for focus blocks are.
Tip #4: Focus. Focus. Focus.
The number one mistake people make in their focus blocks is sending “just one more email” or running upstairs to grab a quick coffee. Chances are, you’re going to get hit with the shiny object syndrome and that focus block is gone. If you know your susceptible to distractions, add a 10 to 15-minute buffer block beforehand to allow time to get a coffee, stretch, or do anything that’s preventing you from completely focusing on your goals in your next block.
Tip #5. Plan Your Successes.
In order to become the very best version of yourself for your business, you will want to remember that the only way you’re going to get where you want to be is by not procrastinating or letting your own negative self-talk get in the way. Find some quiet time and space, and ask yourself the following questions …
- Who do you feel YOU need to be in order to achieve the things you want this year?
- What are the things you feel get in your way and prevent you from doing so?
- What distractions are in your life right now that you feel you need to get a better hold of?
- What do you need to get (and stay) on track (e.g. new tools, a VA, an entire team, etc.).
- What does your business name mean to you?
- What is your business manifesto? If you haven’t yet created one, I suggest doing so.
- What is going to be your theme for the new year? Think business and personally.
When you make a to-do list, you should also make a to-not-do list. Warren Buffet was asked about the secret to success, and he said that it was staying no to almost everything. Some of those little tasks won’t matter as long as you get the big ones done.
In the end, it’s not about working harder … it’s about working smarter and focusing on the things that will really drive you and your business. So, if you’re swamped with the day-to-day’s and just need some structure/support to create less stress … Or maybe you’re just beginning to think about becoming and entrepreneur (full-time hustle or on the side) … Or you’re working way too hard and feeling like you don’t have enough to show for your hard work … Or you feel as though life is getting in the way and preventing you from achieving true success … Well, it’s time to stop spinning your wheels and use this guide to plan your best year ever!
There’s really no better way, or no way we’d recommend more, than goal setting to move your business to the next level. Setting goals that are achievable but that still require focus and hard work are the ones that have the best rewards (in our opinion!). There’s no “wrong” time to start setting goals, but there’s something magical about getting them set in place for the start of a new calendar or fiscal year. Just like changing out the calendar for next year’s, a fresh set of goals are refreshing and provide a sense of excitement for the year to come!
If you found today’s mom inspired blog post to be exactly the type of inspiration and know-how you were looking for, we would be very grateful if you would help this post spread by sharing the ❤️ with it socially, emailing it to a friend or dropping us a comment with your thoughts. You never know whose life you might change.
We get it, you’re a mom first! But your dream of becoming an entrepreneur is not going away … It wasn’t until recently when people began coming to you with questions or asking you for help that you started to seriously think about starting your own business. You want to start a business, but you worry if you have enough time to balance being an entrepreneur with being a mom. You have a burning desire to build your own empire, but you also have responsibilities.
Well … we completely understand and been there done that. It’s time to take the leap of faith and bet on yourself, beyond life as a mom. Because we don’t want you to do, is one day look back … and wished you’d done things differently. #Balance!
Our site will be a resource-filled space for all moms who have ever wanted to start their own small business working from home OR for any mom who already HAS a business but is struggling to grow. So, begin pursuing your passion(s) and become your own boss today by popping on over to https://thesmallbusinessmom.com/ to get started!
