New Year’s Eve is a celebration of time. A year of your life is about to pass. Another year is queued up.
What are you going to do with the final days of this year?
Don’t waste this time. Yes, the year-end is in sight, but think about an athlete running a track race – they lean forward when they cross the finish line. Champions know how to finish strong.
How to finish the year like a champion
- Take time to…Reflect. How did you spend your time this year? What were your biggest successes? What were your biggest flops?
- Take time to…Purge. Clean up something: your email, computer, mobile devices, office, etc. Enter the new year with a feeling of accomplishment.
- Take time to…Prepare. Next year, what do you need to start doing that you haven’t done before? What did you do this year that you need to stop? What should you continue doing?
Ready to lean forward and finish the race? Here are some tips to implement the suggestions above:
- Make time on your calendar. Copy and paste this article into the appointment(s) you create.
- Ask a colleague to help you clear the decks. Purging is always more fun with another person to help.
- Create a mind map to document your thoughts. Here are some mind-mapping tips.
I’ve written before about the need to punctuate time – to insert some commas, periods, and exclamation points in the “sentences” of our lives. Otherwise, the years blend together in a blur of activity. Don’t let the next few weeks be a smudge. Take time to reflect, purge, and prepare. Lean forward and finish the race.
Are you ready to finally achieve what you set out to do?
Read my eBook Set Goals…even if you’re not convinced you’ll achieve them.
Melissa Gratias (pronounced “Gracious”) used to think that productivity was a result of working long hours. And, she worked a lot of hours. Then, she learned that productivity is a skill set, not a personality trait. Now, Melissa is a productivity expert who coaches and trains other businesspeople to be more focused, balanced, and effective. She is a prolific writer and speaker who travels the world helping people change how they work and improve how they live. Contact her at getproductive@melissagratias.com or 912-417-2505. Sign up to receive her productivity tips via email.
This is a short but powerful message, Melissa. I love it and the idea of “leaning forward” towards the year end’s finish line. I’m all about doing these three things.
Reflection is essential, and in the next few days, I will make time to do more of it.
This past weekend, I helped my husband clear off his desk, filled with papers. Even though it was his desk and he felt the immediate benefit (clear desk, clear mind,) I also felt it. Each time I walk into his office, I feel calm, and I can only imagine how much better he feels. The power of letting go, clearing, and organizing, is undeniable.
Preparation is a work in progress. I’ve been asking the questions like what do I want more of or less of for months now as I make my plan for 2022. I will continue to do this into the early part of the year.
All a beautiful work in progress…a process full of surprises.
I love this reminder post! People forget that reflecting is as important as creating new goals for the new year. It is essential to do this to see what worked and does not work and what one can change that will make the following year’s intention more achievable. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I’m better with #2 and #3 than #1. I should reflect more, but I don’t sit still well LOL! Maybe I’ll suggest a little reflecting over dinner tonight! This is a good week to do these three things for sure.
So smart! You and I addressed the same general topic today (though you are wise to accent the purging in addition to the reflecting and planning), but I wrote a novel and you wrote an action plan! I’m terrible at reflecting (eager to focus on what’s forthcoming), good at the purging, and pretty happy with my prepping and planning. I’ve set aside much of this week to follow this advice, though, and one of the things I’m happy to continue doing is our monthly accountability sessions.
Excellent post for getting people in the right frame of mind to actually do all three things!
You are so correct! I took a day earlier this month to reflect on 2021. What did I achieve? Then I planned my first quarter business projects. I hope to stay on track and do this every quarter of 2022.
I really need to do this for my personal life as well.