Setting goals for the year isn’t like the open enrollment period for your health insurance plan. You don’t have to finalize your choices by any particular date. You’re not locked into any choices you do make. And you’re free to revisit them at any time.
By mid-February, a lot of people have lost track of the goals they chose for this year, anyway. You were going to… what was it, exactly? Get better at time management? Hmm.
(In your defense, doesn’t it feel like New Year’s was about six months ago? It’s been a long year already.)
We’re living in wild and unpredictable times, so why not make up your own rules as you go?
February Can Be Your Fresh Start
Maybe this year, the middle of February is when you start easing into yearly goal planning and figuring out your time management strategies for the year.
Goal planning shouldn’t feel daunting, but I know it might. If you’re already thinking “I don’t have time or bandwidth for anything extra right now,” giving yourself a new to-do list feels like a lot.
Thinking about the big-picture plan for your life and your business in the year ahead should be exciting, though! It’s a chance to check in with yourself, think selfishly about what’s most important to you right now, and make a plan to prioritize those things this year. So lean into goal setting with optimism and an open mind. And know that you’ll figure out the time management and productivity piece that’s necessary if you’re going to make space for those 2025 goals.
To demonstrate just how un-daunting this needs to be, let’s break it down into three parts!
Three Phases for Implementing 2025 Goals
Phase 1: Creating Goals
I’ve written before about how to create yearly goals that are aligned with the things you value most. The good news is, there’s no right or wrong way to do this because it’s so personal to every individual. You might settle on three goals that are all related to your business. Or, list out dozens of things that you’d like to accomplish across your personal and professional lives.
If you did already identify some 2025 goals back at the beginning of the year, now’s the time to check in with them. Do you remember what those goals were? Do you still feel interested in all of them? Is there anything you’d like to add to your list?
As you brainstorm about what you want to get done this year, these are some tips to help you set goals you feel good about:
- Reflect on what you want less of this year. A lot of successful professionals have internalized that kind of hustle culture, “more-is-more” mentality. Get more clients, earn more money, win more accolades, join more boards, give more talks… these are the kinds of goals that you might think you should set when you think about growing your business this year. Thinking about what you want less of actually helps you set goals that are aligned with your peak priorities.
- Focus on goals that are achievable within your control. If all your goals depend on collaboration with peers, good luck, governmental red tape, or anything else that is outside your control, you might spend the year frustrated by a lack of progress. That plan to co-organize a professional retreat or co-write a book could stall if your collaboration partner gets busy, for example. As you consider various goals, think practically about what the obstacles might be so you can set yourself up for success.
- But give yourself permission to dream big, too. Maybe you’ve heard the acronym BHAG before. It stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goals, and it’s usually used to describe big, challenging long-term goals set by large companies. NASA trying to send humans to Mars? That’s a BHAG. If you have a wild, audacious, possibly-impossible dream rolling around in the back of your mind, now’s the time to pull it out into the sunlight and see if it’s something you really want to start working toward. If not now… when?
- Be specific! Make sure you’re clear about what the finish line looks like for each goal. “Become a more patient person” or “Get better at social media promotion” are so vague. Set your 2025 goals with clear metrics so you can break them down into smaller steps including specific tasks, and so you can track your progress.
Phase 2: Planning Time Management Strategies
This is the step where people’s big plans for the year tend to fall apart. If you already feel like you’re not in control of your time, adding new projects to your workload just isn’t going to be feasible. Addressing your time management challenges and planning some new productivity strategies sets you up for goal success.
Everyone’s wired differently, so time management planning needs to be unique to you, your business, and your lifestyle.
Some of the core elements of a strong time management plan include:
- A workable system for daily, weekly, and monthly planning. It might be a physical calendar or a digital one, but you need a way to visualize your time. If you’re starting with a fresh calendar page, start filling in the big blocks first: appointments, meetings, things you absolutely have to get done at certain times. Then you can allocate time to your most important priorities, including time to work on your goals. Lower-priority tasks can be scheduled last.
- A plan for defeating procrastination and overwhelm. Notice the things that pull you out of your focus. What systems can you set up that will help shield you from that pull and keep you working productively? (Don’t forget to take breaks when you need them, of course!)
- Clear boundaries between work time and non-work time. A lot of people, especially business owners/lawyers/realtors/consultants/other self-employed folks, struggle to disconnect from their work devices when they’re in personal time. Staying constantly in “work mode,” even on days off, means you never really get to take a break and recharge. Rest and fulfillment on the personal side of your life are critically important for optimal productivity when you are in work mode.
Phase 3: Implementing and Adjusting
Are you clear about your goals for the year? Do you have a clear plan for tomorrow, and plans for the week, and some strategies in mind to help defeat procrastination and overwhelm?
Great! For the next few weeks, consider yourself in beta testing mode. Notice the things that go well, and the places where you continue to struggle with time management and prioritizing your time. Assess your progress on your yearly goals, too. If you haven’t been able to move the needle on any of them over the course of a few weeks, look more closely at what’s going wrong so you can make adjustments and get on track for a good year.
Got Goals? Get Time Management Strategies to Achieve Them.
To help you jumpstart progress on your 2025 goals, I’m offering instant access to a free training. Check out Get Unstuck and Easily Achieve ALL Your Goals for real-world time management and productivity support. Click here for instant access to the free webinar.
Be well,
Sarah
- Got Your 2025 Goals? It’s Not Too Late to Start Planning (Or Fix Your Productivity Problems) - February 14, 2025
- 4 Strategies for Staying Highly Productive in Unpredictable Times - January 16, 2025
- Want to Enjoy a Peaceful, Productive 2025? Get Ready with These 9 Questions - December 18, 2024
