- Jenn Steliga
Review, Reflect, Prepare
With the start of the New Year, we are often catapulted back into our daily, and usually hectic, routines as soon as the ball drops. The holidays are gone as soon as they arrived. For many, this is one of the most challenging times of year. They are coming off the highs of the holidays and the more mundane daily routines leave them feeling kind of blah. Not everyone responds this way, however, as many people are invigorated by the opportunities awaiting them in this new beginning. Regardless of your response to ringing in the New Year, the hectic pace of modern life usually crowds out the traditional notion of New Year’s Resolutions in the first weeks of January in order to make room for our more immediate and pressing to-do list. So, I’ve found that in the latter part of January, there is often greater space for pausing to review, reflect and prepare.
Review
What did 2019 look like for you? Creating the habit of capturing the previous year on paper (in words or with visuals) can help you be aware of what you did and did not do. There are many constructs for a year-end review, but I’d encourage you to make one that fits your life. If you’re feeling stuck, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Goals set for 2019
Goals accomplished in 2019
2019 goals still in progress
2019 goals not yet started
Most meaningful moments/events
Most challenging moments/events
Reflect
After you’ve captured some key points to reflect upon in the review stage, dig deeper into these “data points”. I encourage you to spend a majority of your time in this process on this stage.
What did you learn last year?
What went really well for you? What are some reasons you think this went well?
What didn’t go so well for you? What are some reasons you think this did not go so well?
What would you like to continue doing that’s a healthy part of your life?
What is no longer a healthy habit that you’d like to discontinue?
What part of your life is on auto-pilot? And – is it helpful for it to be on auto-pilot or do you need to bring greater awareness to certain areas?
Most meaningful moments/events
Most challenging moments/events
Prepare
You’ve reviewed, you’ve reflected, and now it’s time to prepare. What will you create in 2020?
Be specific. Challenge yourself to grow beyond your comfort zone. Small steps matter.
Below I offer a specific example using the review, reflect, prepare framework to give you a better sense of how the process might work.
Let's talk about Christmas budgets
Most people don’t want to talk about their Christmas budget immediately after the holidays because it likely didn’t go as planned. So, they’ll wait until next December to consider what 2020 will look like. We’ve all been here – I know I have. It's easy to discount the future and focus on the here and now.
Try something different this year
Review your 2019 Christmas budget. How much did you intend to spend? How much did you actually spend? How much of that went on a credit card, if anything, and how long will that balance be with you until you can pay it in full? Were there gifts or activities you completely forgot about until the last minute? Write it all down.
I have created a few resources to help you in this process
Helpful tips on how to use the budget and gift list
Reflect on everything you listed in #1. How did spending this Christmas feel for you? How do you feel right now, just a month after? Are you patting yourself on the back for a job well done, or wanting to avoid the topic all together because the credit card bill that followed you into 2020 is now a big black cloud demanding your attention? Maybe you’re somewhere in between those two extremes. But really consider what happened with your budget, how you felt and still feel, and what could be different next year.
Prepare for 2020. How will you best prepare to enjoy your holidays this year? What’s a realistic budget that will leave you feeling joyous but also grounded? I’ve created some resources for you here to get you started.
How can coaching help you? Schedule a free 15-minute discovery call here to learn more. My promise to everyone who calls is an open and honest conversation about your fit for coaching. I can help you walk through the review, reflect, prepare process to set your goals for 2020!