Last week, we talked about living in the hard that almost every year brings. You can read that here.
Today, I want to talk about planning for the next year. I’m not talking about the “new year, new me” stuff. This is more about the reality that this year is going to go by, and most people want to be intentional about how they will spend that time.
What do you want to get done? Can you measure it?
Most people start with what they want to get done.
Eat healthier.
Workout more.
Be more present.
Take more trips.
Read more.
The problem with all of those goals is that they are very nebulous and unmeasurable.
We want to choose things that we can easily measure.
So write a few things down, but I’d encourage you to keep it to a few. Then we want to quantify anything that isn’t easily measured.
For instance, one of the things I want to do this year is become a mediator in the state of Michigan. That’s an easily measurable goal. I will either accomplish it or I will not.
The list above is not quite as easily measured.
But we can use the list above as a guide. We could change a few words, and we have a good working base.
Eat healthier could be changed to I want to eat home-cooked meals at least 27 nights a month.
Or I don’t want to eat [insert bad food] no more than once a week.
Workout more can be changed to I want to work out a total of 100 times next year (assuming you didn’t work out that often last year). This would be an average of 2 times a week with 2 weeks off for whatever reason.
Taking more trips would similarly be given a number as would reading more books.
Being more present is a bit different because it has a more vague definition. This one will require some more thought regarding what being more present looks like. Maybe you want to put your phone down more, or watch less TV while spending family time.
Maybe you want to be more intentional about how you start conversations.
The beautiful thing here is that you get to decide.
What is the reason you want to do it?
Why do you want to do these things? What would be the emotional payoff? How do you think your life will benefit from what you’re trying to do?
Don’t shortcut this one. This is important because it can help you later this year when the desire to quit or not do the hard thing comes for you. And be assured, it will come for you.
Plan.
Now we get to the planning part. Look at your list. What needs to happen for you to accomplish what you have set out to do?
If you want to go on more trips this year, when do you need to plan them? By what date do you need to schedule them? How much money do you need? Is it in your budget or do you need a side hustle?
Take time and write out a plan that leads you to accomplish these things. More importantly, this will help you choose how you’re going to spend your year.
Write all of this down. By writing it down, you create a space you can go back to and monitor your progress. It will help ground you.
It will be important to check in weekly and/or monthly to monitor your progress.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about perfection or proving anything to anyone. It’s about choosing on purpose instead of drifting. A year will pass either way. The question is whether you want to arrive at the end of it surprised by where the time went or grounded in the knowledge that you showed up for what mattered. Start small. Be honest. Adjust as you go. Progress beats vague intention every time.
May you have the clarity to name what matters,
the courage to plan for it honestly,
and the grace to keep going when motivation fades.
May this year be shaped less by impulse and more by intention.
And may you learn, again and again, that showing up imperfectly is still showing up.
