“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” — Dwight Eisenhower
The new year is upon us. Have you thought much about it? Where is your mindset, by the way? In other words, how well do you think? Look at the chart below and ask yourself: How well do I think? About my finances? My career/job? My relationships? My health? My spiritual/emotional well-being?
Where can you improve that mindset?
Here are seven crucial things that will help you prepare for the new year — before it gets here. Don’t wait until January 1 to do what you need to do today. By then, you’ll be getting a late start.
Remember, 2024 is an election year, and it’s always volatile. If you think the world is crazy now, just wait. The good news is that you can prepare, and you don’t have to participate in the volatility and craziness around you.
✅ CALENDAR. Get a calendar. It can be an old-fashioned flip or wall calendar, or you can have a shared calendar on your phone or iPad. Add the significant events for the year. Anniversari
es, graduations, trips you’ve planned or know about, birthdays, and block out days around major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Think the entire year, not just a few days or months ahead.
✅ FINANCES. I know this part may not be fun, but don’t stop reading now. As I mentioned, it’s an election year, and all bets are off. Credit card debt — and APR — is at an all-time high. Emergencies will happen — are you ready? Ensure your emergency fund is in place, and pay down as much debt as possible.
✅ YOUR GOALS. Put aside some time — quality time — to consider what you want to accomplish in 2024. This list should include both small and big items. These goals should be challenging yet attainable. The SMART Goals system is a great tool.
✅ YOUR WORD. It may sound trite, but having your word will help you to focus. Once you have a word, you can use it to keep you on track. You can actually judge many decisions based on your word. We have a list of words here to help you choose the best word for you in ’24.
✅ YOUR GROWTH. Personal and spiritual. What is your growth plan for 2024? Reading? Exercise? Spirituality? Career or business? Here’s my reading list for 2023. My new list for ’24 is coming soon, but if you email me, I’ll send you my two favorite books from this year and the next ten books in my reading queue.
✅ START/STOP/CONTINUE. What do you need to start doing in 2024? Stop doing? Continue doing — or do more of it in 2024? Be ruthless: It’s time to finally stop something in your life — or leave it behind. And it’s about time to start that thing you’ve always wanted to start. Double down on what you’re passionate about.
✅ ONE MORE THING. If you can change one thing about your life or business in 2024, what is it? Don’t think of this as a dream. Think of it as an action item. “We’re going to make this happen in ’24.” Changing habits, building Your Fab 5, a big move (career, home, church, friends).
Questions to ask yourself as you seek to plan for 2024:
- Am I planning for next week or next year? How can I change my mindset to think about next quarter or next year?
- What was the worst thing that happened in 2023? What can I do today to avoid a situation like that in 2024?
- Who or what can help you reach the goals you’ve listed above? Be specific. A person who will keep you accountable? An app that will track for you? A group? When can you put it in place?
- What do I need to do in the last two months of the year that will help me hit the ground running on January 1?