January Reset
I am so happy to have said goodbye to 2019. Last year was rough physically, emotionally, and mentally. But now that we have officially started 2020, I also realize I am in no way prepared to start a new year, let alone a new decade.
I don't know how anyone had the time to complete a postmortem of the last year. With Christmas being so soon after Thanksgiving, all the holiday parties and activities and for my family, birthdays. So much happened in my life the last few months, while they went quickly, they also felt like a year all on their own. Before I can commit to new goals and a fresh start to the new year, I have to take some time to sit with all that's happened these last twelve months: the struggles, the lessons, and the achievements. So, this year I'm taking a fiscal year approach to 2020, and my fiscal year isn't going to start until February 1st! I'm going to use the 31 days in January to hash out my feelings about 2019 and set my goals for 2020.
A January Reset
I've drafted a rough plan for January's "reset." I want to start by journaling, something I've let slide in the last few months, about the lessons I've learned, the events which made me stronger, and the accomplishments I've achieved. I also want to examine my habits and routines and evaluate what worked and what didn't work.
Once I have my thoughts on paper, I plan to update my Life Pyramid document. I first read about creating a Life Pyramid on The Simple Dollar blog. I built mine three or four years ago, so it will be interesting to go back and read through my Purpose/Principles, my Vision for the next twenty years, and the Projects and Goals I set for myself to reach that vision. Once I've updated my Life Pyramid, I'll know what areas to focus on in 2020 and can create a Vision Board for 2020. I'm not trying to rush this process, but I'm hoping to have these activities completed by mid-January.
Finally, I'll focus my attention to solidifying my 2020 goals and writing out my action steps. I haven't decided if I'll break down my goals into quarterly chunks or get more granular and create monthly milestones. And I'll have to spend some time thinking about what will work for me when it comes to reviewing my progress. I've been great about setting goals in the past, but not so great when it came to keeping a date with myself to review my goal progress and course correct. No one likes to hear where they're falling short, even if you are only talking to yourself.
I hope to document my progress on Instagram throughout January, but I haven't been the best at posting on IG, so.... we'll see. Who knows, if this experiment works for me in 2020, I might make this January "reset" an ongoing practice.
Have you already set your 2020 goals? What is your process for setting new year goals?