It’s okay to have a long ‘ToDo’ list
Ahh the end of 2023 approaches full steam ahead. How are you feeling as the year comes to a close? Did you accomplish all you thought you would when the year began or are you wondering how you’ll check off 800 items from your goals list with just a few weeks left?
I also have 800 items on my ‘to do’ list that I didn’t get to. I’m okay with that. As I age I find myself being more forgiving of my lapses. I realize that often my ambition is bigger than my ability to achieve what I set out to do. But I always learn something and I like that.
Learning is essential
For example this year I delved into AI by taking an online course focused on ChatGPT. Honestly the first few classes were great. I learned how I can customize prompts in ChatGPT in ways I never imagined. Now I can use ChatGPT to help with some of the back end tasks I must do when I post a blog, a podcast or YouTube video. I like that ChatGPT can sort out keywords, meta descriptions and more so I don’t have to. That is always very time consuming for me, and having that task automated saves me at least one hour per week or more. Anyhow I didn’t finish the course because it became more difficult as the subject matter progresses, and I only use it for a very specific function as mentioned so I didn’t need the advanced understanding that was available to me.
I tried to learn Python this year and will pursue more learning next year. I need to write a program that will help me stream line my editing process. Python is hard and I need a lot more time to learn the functions so I can write the program I need. Will I become a python expert? No, I only need to learn a few commands so I can get what I want. I don’t intend to become a programmer; I only need a little help to make my tasks automated.
Creative tasks count too
I signed up for NaNoWriMo, which is the National Novel Writing Month challenge. The challenge is to write a 50,000 novel in the month of November. This is a hard challenge but doable if you don’t have any interruptions. I did have interruptions, but I’m proud to announce I wrote about 20,000 words and I’m happy about that. I may try again next year, but not in November. With the holiday and all the planning for entertaining, I couldn’t do it, but I enjoyed writing fiction so I was able to walk away with a good experience.
Make a financial plan that’s flexible
I planned to earn a lot of money from all my writing endeavors, but sadly, I have zero marketing experience so I have yet to see any income from all the effort I’m putting into my new post retirement career. That’s okay, I figure it could take ten years to earn money and I’m prepared for the long haul. I’m going to plan for income next year and take some marketing classes so I can increase my odds.
What is important to you
As we approach 2024 what is on your plate? What do you hope to accomplish and how are you going to go about reaching your goals? Are you goals aligned with your interests? What steps do you have to take to be successful in 2024?
How to plan
I used to be a sales manager for a large conference center. We had annual goals that would describe how we would meet our sales budget, but when the pandemic happened and everything was so chaotic, we switched to quarterly goals. That was a great method for me because I found predicting what will happen over the course of a year very hard, but predicting what will happen in the next three months is more manageable.
I use an excel workbook to identify what I want for the coming three months. I create a worksheet for each area of focus. For example one tab in my workbook will be for education, one will be for earning, one will be for professional goals, and one is for physical health and so on. Then I simply identify one or two things I want to accomplish in each area. I never reach all my goals, I consider some goals aspirational.
If you are interested in setting goals for 2024, take time in December to find a goal worksheet that you like. SMART goal worksheets are easy to use. I used one every year for over twenty years as a sales manager. SMART stands for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. This is how it breaks down-
- Specific, “Earn $20,000 in sales during Q1.” NOT “Make money.”
- Measurable, “Write four chapters in the new book.” NOT “Write a book.”
- Achievable, “Sell one hundred copies of your book in Q1.” NOT “Sell one million copies of your book in Q1.”
- Relevant, “Work on final edits of your book.” NOT “Find a bunch of social media influencers who will connect with me.”
- Timely, “Finish and implement marketing plan by the end of January.” NOT “Finish marketing plan.”
You can create a mind map if you prefer to think about work with a visual aid. Mind maps start with a main topic in the middle of a page, and then spokes from the main topic break down the areas that have to be addressed in order to accomplish the main area of focus for example let’s say you want to build a miniature fairy house for your grandkid. In the center of your page you will have a title, “Build a fairy house.” Then the spokes would have big tasks that needs to be accomplished and the smaller tasks within that category. Look up mind maps and you will find a large variety of options that can work for your interest.
To plan or not to plan
I believe in planning. I can’t manage my life without a solid and well thought out plan. Some people are really good at winging it, but that’s not for me. I would do nothing without a plan to guide me as I progress.
Use the tools you have readily available
But what do you do if you don’t know what you want for the coming year? I suggest an exercise that will help you identify what’s important, like a mindfulness activity connecting to your future self. This can be a very powerful tool that allows you to imagine a conversation you have with your future self. It can be your future six months from now, a year from now or five years from now. You can visualize who or how you want to be, meet up with yourself in a visualization exercise and ask your future self questions about how you achieved your goal.
This type of exercise can be broken down into any area of your life you feel you need to focus on. I have a work book and a companion podcast and YouTube channel that can help guide you on your way. “Your Future Self: A Time Travelers Manifestation Workbook for Intentional Well Being”
