Creating a Strategic Plan for the New Year

Amazing how this year flew by. Did you accomplish all you wanted to? Find yourself wishing you would have planned it out better?

Lately I’ve been thinking frequently about the next year.

I have lots of ideas, thoughts, dreams, plans, etc. But how am I going to get it all done and still find time for family, rest, spiritual development.

Here are the steps I’m taking to create my personal strategic plan for next year:

1) List Out Your Goals and Dreams

I keep tons of goals, dreams, and ideas in my head. Get them out of your head and onto a list. Once you can see them, you can prioritize, delete, rewrite, and visualize them.

Tip: Set aside at least two time blocks for this. Take 30 minutes the first time and then come back to it after a few days. This gives your mind a chance to remember what it forgot.

2) Speak to Those Who Can Help You

Rarely can anyone do everything alone. If you are strategic, people will love helping you.

Tip: Building a team amplifies the possibilities, introduces access to new resources, and provides new perspectives. Don’t rule anyone out. The people you rule out are often people who see things in different ways than you ever would.

Rarely can anyone do everything alone. If you are strategic, people will love helping you. Click To Tweet

3) Set Measurable Celebration Dates

I hate endless work and no rewards. When you setup periodic celebration dates, you’ll work towards them and measure your progress better.

Tip: Set at least four per goal (one per quarter). This helps you to spread out the work, more regularly see your progress, and gives you a chance to evaluate feasibility. (For gosh sake though: celebrate your accomplishments).

4) Pursue Integration

Multiple projects often lead to a scattered mind and under-performance. Ask yourself: how can I integrate my various goals so that each one fosters progress in the other.

Tip: Sharing your goals with key people in various arenas of your life (ie family, work, friends) fosters awareness and support. The last thing an executive needs is a family that doesn’t understand why he works so hard (ie to provide for the family) or a boss who doesn’t understand why he left early from work (ie to be at his son’s athletic event so his family doesn’t feel left out while he’s gone on his upcoming trip).

5) Get An Adviser or Coach

Everyone has blind spots. Get someone to review your written plan and provide feedback for you.

What steps do you plan to take to make the next year a success? How do you come up with your strategic plan?