There’s something magical about a new year approaching ✨. A new calendar offers us a reset:
Gained extra weight this year? I’ll watch my diet in the new year.
The body is out of shape? I’ll hit the gym regularly in the new year.
Didn’t connect with old friends? I’ll stay in touch with my old buddies this new year.
While it’s good to dream big, we can’t have an endless list of big dreams and not know which ones to pursue.
Here’s a nifty strategy to keep your dreams achievable — Think on paper.
Writing your thoughts on paper helps your mind run wild, get a lay of the land, and then focus…in that order.
To streamline your thinking, use the following structure:
Happenings
Brain dump
Intentions
What’s the higher purpose I’m running after?
Systems
Actions that will turn those intentions into reality:
Measures of success
By month end, the following would help me measure progress towards each:
Initial thoughts are random. There is no order. Your mind will be over the place. You’d want to work on 4 new business ideas, plan 5 holidays, grow 6 abs 🤪…the list is endless.
Happenings help us move the entire brain dump to the paper. It’s as if you let an adamant toddler scream their heart out to eventually cool down.
As you’re done decluttering your mind, you’d get a better idea of what is really important to you. What is it that you really intend to do this year — If it’s the end of the year, which three or five things do you definitely want to be checked in your dream list? These 3-5 things are your intentions.
Fulfilling an intention requires a system in place. Systems help automate the actions you need to do every day/week. They help take the load off your mind. They help you stop expelling mental energy toward planning. All that energy is freed up for taking action.
It’s important to monitor your progress and I feel a monthly assessment is good enough. You can fine-tune your systems or measures of success if need be.
Here’re some examples for more clarity:
Happenings
Rant about…thing 1, thing 2, thing 3, thing 4, and so on…
Intentions
I want my kids to become more self-reliant.
I want to become a better runner.
I want to become a better writer.
Systems
Let kids help out with breakfast every day.
Go for runs 4 times a week including long runs, interval training, and cross-training.
Write 1000 words every day first thing in the morning.
Measures of success
By month end, the following would help me measure progress towards each:
Kids prepare breakfast for the family independently.
I can comfortably run a 10k in under 60 mins.
Start a newsletter.
As 2022 is coming to an end, I hope you’re looking forward to the new year with optimism.
Here’s wishing you and your family a 🎊happy new year🎊 and a productive ✨dreams reset✨.
See you in 2023 🚀