We are now a full week into 2019 and all plans have been put in place, goals have been made and targets have been set, or have they? It is always important to plan ahead and set goals for yourself for the coming year but what do you normally do once the plan has been finalized and confirmed? Do you ever look at it again? Do you stick to it? Do you realize 2 months in that you were way off track in setting your goals that there’s no point in trying to continue reaching for them?
If that sounds like you, guess what – it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are 10 tips for sticking with your plan and making 2019 the most effective and organized year to date.
- If you fail to plan, you are by default planning to fail. Tip number one is to force yourself to plan no matter how painful and time consuming it may seem. Big business or small, planning is vital to your success.
- Before you can stick to a plan, you have to have been realistic in its creation. When you are setting targets for a new year, base them on the analysis of previous years, never just pick numbers out of the sky – unless your accounting system is in the cloud!
- Anticipate problems and provide preventive actions and contingency plans in important high risk situations
- Figure out what works best to keep you organized. Are you a visual person? A list person? I got myself a dry-erase calendar this year (as a visual person) and I find it very helpful in keeping track of what needs to be done and when. I also use our Sage CRM system calendar and reminders which gives me the ability to add a lot more detail to what needs to be done and can be recorded against specific client or prospect accounts.
- Speak up. If there is something in your work environment that is restricting you from achieving success, request a meeting with your superiors and discuss the issue. Come prepared and have a possible solution prepared before you go to the meeting. That way, they won’t just think that you are making excuses and you might actually get exactly what you want out of it!
- Although it is good to be realistic, it’s also good to be an over achiever. Plan to do more and do it better this year. But be careful, there is a fine line between keeping yourself busy and swamping yourself with too much.
- Plan by day, week, month, quarter and year. That way, the objectives will seem more obtainable and you will be less likely to give up.
- Use the first 10 minutes of each day to plan or review your plan for the day.
- Set your own due dates for projects earlier than the actual deadline.
- Schedule meetings regularly so you can keep track of where projects are at and motivate team members if needed.
Hopefully some of those tips will help you keep to your new years resolutions a little longer than is usually expected and will also make 2019 a more effective and successful year for you.
