Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018! 

The first week of January is the perfect time to reflect back on the year that’s been and start looking forward to the year to come. A lot can happen in 365 days - a lot. Writing New Year’s resolutions allows you to set some direction for the year - a personal road map as such for the next 12 months. It allows you to focus and have clarity on how you can make positive changes to your life

Below is our founder, Beck Wadworth's, guide to writing and achieving your New Year’s resolutions for 2018. 

NOTE: You can also go one step further by using our New Year's Resolution planner here

Reflect

Life these days is fast paced, and for most, we are our own harshest critic when it comes to things that don’t quite go our way throughout the year. We dwell on the negatives and somehow skim over the positives. Rarely do we stop to celebrate all the incredible achievements we have made throughout the year. Sitting down to write New Year’s resolutions is a valuable time that allows you to reflect on the year that’s been - the good and the bad. It allows you to feel proud of all the boxes you have ticked, and gives you an opportunity to workshop and refocus on the areas you want to improve on.

Three of a kind

Create direction & focus for the next 12 months. Split your New Year’s resolutions into the following categories; personal life, career & financial, e.g

Personal: For example, work out three times a week, or have a healthy work-life balance by doing X and Y, or focus on a healthy balanced diet. 
Professional: For example, build my business by focusing on X,Y and Z, or meet all my KPIs to work towards X, Y and Z, or get a job promotion by doing X,Y and Z.
Financial: For example, save for a trip to France, or for a house deposit, or grow my sales by X amount.

Make sure your goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely). 

I write my resolutions in my diary and my AOL New's Resolution planner year after year - there is a special new year resolutions section in the diaries too. I love looking back on them to keep myself motivated and inspired when I have that mid-year slump.  

Set the standards high

New Year’s resolutions aren't supposed to be a piece of cake! Set your standards high and challenge yourself to grow personally, professionally, and financially. You will feel a massive sense of accomplishment when you are reflecting back this time next year!! Push yourself.

Step by step

Setting goals is easy, but following through is the hard part and staying focused throughout the year can sometimes be a challenge. Once you have a clear understanding and vision on how you can realistically achieve your New Year’s resolutions - put an action plan in place. Looking at your big goal/s, work backwards and create small tasks or milestones in the Goal Planner - a planned map to your success (as we like to call it).

 For example if my main goal was to concentrate on saving for a trip to New York, I would set myself smaller targets for each month in my diary or in an excel spreadsheet, then celebrate by booking my flights. I think it’s really important to celebrate the small successes along the way each month too. It keeps you inspired, motivated and driven towards those big yearly goals. 

TIP: If possible, print out your New Year's Resolutions and your monthly checklist for achieving these and pop them in your diary or workspace. Somewhere you can visually see them so they stay at the forefront of your mind. 

Roll with it

I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason. If something doesn't quite turn out the way you wanted, just roll with it and adjust your goals. Stay positive, trust your gut, be patient and keep working hard. Remember, a lot can happen in 365 days. 

Happy New Year Everyone! AND....Thank you so much for all your on-going support. It means the world to me. x

NOTE: For organisation lovers, read more on our New Year's Resolution planner here