A new year, a new beginning! Well, even if it isn’t true, you must have have made a few good resolutions. But, as you probably already know, New Year’s resolutions are rarely kept. You must go a step farther and establish specific objectives. You could even set an ambitious goal for yourself this year.
In any event, it’s a good idea to reflect on everything you have on your plate right now before starting new projects, free yourself from superfluous tasks, and put up a decent personal management system.
- Make a list of your responsibilities. You will accept new work indiscriminately if you don’t have a thorough inventory of your current commitments. Many of them should be removed from your life because they are incompatible with your objectives and obstruct your progress on new ventures. Although it may appear contradictory, in order to feel freedom, certain boundaries must be established. You’ll know what you should and shouldn’t do if you know what you have to do.
- Find out where you are right now. You can’t move forward unless you know exactly what your current situation is. What are your present responsibilities, projects, areas of responsibility, objectives, and life vision? You must evaluate and define your current position from a distance.
- You should be aware of your limitations. Don’t attempt to be all things to all people and have all of their possessions. Anyone would be mentally and physically exhausted by such an experience. More does not always imply better. Concentrate on important and good goals, and devise a plan to achieve them all.
- Clean up your incomplete tasks. If you spend most of your energy trying to close several open loops, you won’t be able to focus on new difficulties. Complete all jobs and initiatives, big and little, to lay the groundwork for facing your new difficulties head on. Begin anywhere. There are no priorities; there are simply things that need to be done right away and things that can wait.
- Allow your mind to wander. There are things on the horizon that you can’t see yet. They will lead you down new pathways and provide you with fresh opportunities. You must be prepared for everything and learn to respond well to anything that catches your attention. To do so, write down everything that occurs to mind and then clarify its true meaning. Only when there is place for it does creativity emerge.
Happy New Year from all of us at ICONAF!
Thank you