Have you started? Have you started planning for 2014? On Friday, I shared with you a 5-step exercise I use with young lawyers I coach: Success: Try this 80 Minute 5-Step Planning Exercise.
Recently I was reading a Psychology Today article: Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail. Take a look at the article, especially the list of tips. Reading it prompted me to want to share some additional tips that might work for you.
Here are my ideas on where you might focus:
- Look back on what you accomplished in 2013: What did you learn? What did you do? What results did get? What could you have done better?
- What do you want to accomplish in 2014? What are your goals? Why is achieving them important to you? What do you want to learn? What do you want to do better? What would be a home run for you?
- What actions do you need to take to achieve your goals? Try to list as many as 25 actions and identify when you will take each action.
- What is your action plan for the first quarter?
- What is your action plan for the week of January 6?
I recommend that you write all of the answers to these questions, your list of 25 actions and then break down your actions into a 90 Days Plan.
Why is that an important step? Based on studies and my own experience working with lawyers, I know that if you write down your action plan, if you include specific dates and if you break down your actions into bite size pieces, you will more likely follow through and stick with it when you are not getting immediate results.
I have thought of one more way I can help you. If you want to have a template to use, here is a 2014 Development Plan Template and a 2014 Business Plan Template. If you use either form, keep in mind that by design I have tried to include every type of activity. You likely won’t do all of them and that is ok.
Tomorrow I will post my Top 10 Most Read Blog Posts for 2013. Take a guess what the topic was of my number 1 most read post?