2024 Giant Plan With Me!

Planning for the year is something I do, well, every year!  Some people suggest taking a day or a weekend, or even getting away somewhere to plan for the year.  For me this is totally not practical with young kids and a business.  But it's still super important to set goals, evaluate what's working and what's not, and give yourself some direction for the year.

I have figured out a method for planning that works great for me.  And the most important thing– it's flexible!!!  We can't predict the future, so it seems silly to create a rigid plan a year in advance.  The way I plan for the year gives me direction and lets me set goals, but it also gives me the freedom to change things up if (when!) life gets in the way!  If you want to see how I plan for 2024, keep reading or check out the video here!

Of course, I use the GOHQ Planner for my planning!  I literally created it to fit the way I've found most effective to plan!  However, if you don't have the GOHQ planner, or if it's not in your budget, you can absolutely do this with a dollar store planner or just a blank notebook.  Don't let not having a specific planner keep you from creating good planning habits!  Use what you have! You can click here to shop our 2024 planners.

About Me Page

Why do I start with this page?  Because it's easy, LOL.  When sitting down to plan, it's much easier to work your way into the questions that require more thought.  It's also good to ask yourself what things you enjoy doing!  Most of us don't usually make enough time for those things.

There's also a place in our planner here for a life update at the end of the year.  I like to reflect a little on how I started the year and how I've changed.

Goal Setting

This is where I really get into thinking about what is important to me and what I want to accomplish in the coming year.  My planner has a maximum of six “focus areas.”  You don't have to fill them all out!  You can have as few as you'd like, but don't go over six!!  If you have too many, things just get overwhelming, and then you really can't focus on anything, LOL!

We have twelve suggestions for different focus areas- work, home, health, finances, etc.  You can also choose you're own!  Whatever is most important to you is what you'll choose for your focus areas.

Then we break down goals in these areas.  I like to “brain dump” everything I can think of for these areas.  Just because I write it down doesn't mean I'm going to do it in 2024 or ever, really.  I just don't like carrying ideas or goals around in my head.  It feels like a weight or something I have to remember.  If I get it down on paper, it just makes me feel more free and less stressed!

The next two questions are perhaps the most important:

1. If you could only accomplish ONE goal in this area by the end of 2024, what would it be?
2. What will I let go?

Asking myself this helps me prioritize.  It also helps me realize that I just can't do it all– and that's okay!  If I'm more realistic in goal setting, I'll be more successful in reaching those goals.  Being more successful keeps me motivated!  Not doing it in 2024 doesn't mean I'll NEVER do it.  It just means it's not a priority for me this year.

Habit vs Project

Once I have my goals for each area, I will identify whether each one is a habit or project.  A habit is something I want to keep doing over and over.  A project is something that is a one and done, cross it off the list permanently thing.

A habit might be keeping my pantry organized.  It takes regular maintenance, and it's not something that I can do once, and it just stays that way.  A kitchen remodel would be something I do once, and then it's done.

Why is it so important to understand the difference?  Well, habits take quite a bit more work!  I don't recommend working on more than one or two habits at a time because it just takes so much effort.  You're likely to be more successful if you can really focus in on one thing at a time.

Each month when I decide which (if any!) goals from my focus areas I'll work on, I make sure to stick to just one or two “habit” goals.

Action Plan

The real magic happens monthly when I decide which of my goals I'm going to work on for the month.  If I've taken the time at the beginning of the year to get my goals down on paper and planned out, then it makes monthly planning a total breeze.  It sometimes takes me only about ten minutes to do the monthly planning if I've put in the work already at the start!  If you want a little more guidance on monthly planning, I or one of my team do a monthly “plan with me” with our GOHQ Insiders every month!

Each month, I reflect on the last month and think about the coming month.  I evaluate what I have on my schedule.  Is it a crazy month at work?  Are we going on a vacation?  Do the kids have a ton of activities?  What will I have time for?  It's easier to know these things at the beginning of each month than at the beginning of the year!  That's why I like to work on goal planning monthly instead of once at the start of the year.

Sometimes life happens, and you're dealing with something awful– a death in the family, a serious illness, a true crisis.  During those times, you might be in survival mode, and you'll work on NONE of your goals.  That's why flexibility is so important.

I've found that goal setting and planning my year out this way has really helped me be more productive and actually achieve MORE because I never feel like a failure!  If something doesn't get accomplished, I don't necessarily carry it over.  It's still on my master list, and I can pick it back up later (or not!) if I choose to.

If you think this might be a good fit for you, then give it a try in whatever planner you have!  I also have a great “three bucket system” for planning my days.  If you want to know more about how I plan my days, you can watch the video here.

Hopefully this helped you consider new ways to set goals and plan out your 2024! If you liked this, you'll definitely love the Insiders where we do monthly plan with me's like this among lots of other things to help you stay organized.

Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives