In less than 21 days, it will be the year 2017. Will you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you dread resolutions? Did you make any for 2016? How did it go? A U.S. News and World Report article states “by the second week of February, some 80 percent of those resolution-ers are back home with a new kind of remorse staring back at them in the mirror-the remorse of disappointment.” If the majority of resolutions are not achieved, how do you prepare for the new year with intention to help you realize your goals? Set yourself up for success in 2017 using the Producktivity® Principles: Identify. Connect. Organize.

Identify – Before you dive into resolutions for next year, take time to reflect on the current year. What went well? What did you enjoy? What challenges did you experience? When you begin to think about your year, situations from the past month or two will fill your mind. They occurred most recently and are vivid in your memory. To make sure you capture the entire year in your reflection, refresh your memory by flipping through your personal and professional calendars, project/task lists, emails, and journals.

Connect – Review what went well and connect it with what you want to do in the coming year. Did you start a new hobby that you would like to continue next year? Do you want to turn the hobby into a business? Did you enjoy a project at work? Would you like to focus more time on similar types of projects? Now, review what didn’t go well and connect it with what you need to delegate, stop doing, or strengthen in 2017. Is it time to have your groceries delivered to save you time at the store? Are there work responsibilities you have taken on at work that you need to delegate? Review your reflections and commit to your top 3 priorities for the new year.

Organize – What are the next steps to realize your top 3 priorities? What will you work on each month? Remember, you cannot do everything in January. If your goal is to begin exercising, resist thinking about how you will exercise 3 times per week. Instead, focus on how you will commit to exercising 1 time per week in January, 2 times per week in February, and then 3 times per week by March. This approach allows you to be realistic with your goal, form a habit, and celebrate successes as you reach each milestone. I am using this approach with a training plan. The curriculum is broken into segments. I have committed to 1 per week and my stretch goal is 2 per week. I would love to finish the curriculum sooner, but I need to be realistic and work toward my goal each week to keep myself energized.

Using the Producktivity® Principles allows me to be intentional about reaching my goals. Organizing them into achievable and realistic action steps reduces the likelihood of resolution disappointment by mid-February. You can welcome the new year purposefully and with a plan. What is one goal you have identified for 2017? How are you going to move your idea to action? Share your thoughts and experiences, join the conversation below.

Producktivity® is a unique, interactive personal and professional organizational tool that assists individuals and organizations with improving their decision making and time management skills. For more information about Producktivity® reach out to us at Info@bscorbettconsulting.com and read our other Producktivity® blogs.