The concept of “free time” often seems like a luxury when you have a thousand plates to spin. The delicate balance of running a business, raising a family, staying healthy and maintaining your own identity in amongst all that, means that anything not planned basically isn’t happening. We kind of know that and yet so many of us still leave so much to chance and when it comes to reflecting on the year, are constantly haunted by “I wish I’d had time/made time/found time to do xyz.”
I think the reason so many of us fail to plan the big stuff is that we think we are eliminating all the spontaneity and magic from our human lives. We’re not. In fact, we’re making more space for those moments. You can plan a journey but who knows what you’ll see pop up along the way! You’re simply planning a route, not painting the backdrop.
We also know, that when you’re a busy ambitious person, you want big scary goals. If you don’t make a plan for achieving those big scary goals, they ain’t going to happen.
As an athlete, I’ve touched before on how my habit has become to goal-set around October time. Now this year has been slightly different for me, but I will still be planning my year ahead RIGHT NOW. And whether it’s business or pleasure, the final quarter of the year is the golden period to gear up for the year ahead for me, EVERY TIME. Here’s why:
1. Reflection over Reaction
Planning not only requires looking ahead, but looking back. A key element of the planning process is to look back on what strategies and habits have worked or will be conducive to take forward for your next goal and which will hinder you moving forward. But it takes time and objectivity to do this. Waiting until the Christmas/New Year period can lead to reactive planning, influenced by the festive mood or the pressures of New Year resolutions. Instead, proactive reflection gives you a clear-headed perspective to set meaningful and achievable goals. So doing it now while you’re still working as normal and things haven’t yet been skewed by the annual atmospheric change, means you are far more likely to be constructive in your own feedback and reflections for yourself.
2. Avoiding the Christmas Rush
Added to the whole “setting” of the Christmas period is the physical crunching of time; work parties, gatherings of friends and families to exchange gifts and spend time together…none of this is conducive to relaxed periods of reflection and focus on oneself! Goal planning and the reflection that comes with it, requires time and space, none of which you are likely to have come December. That’s another great reason to start NOW so you can get ahead and forget about the year ahead and keep executing all the other planning you’ll need to do over the festive season. One less thing to stress about can’t be a bad thing…
3. Setting the Stage Early
The convention of New Year’s resolutions means you can end up surrounded by people who are all making whacky empty promises to themselves (go read here why you should shun all these people, roll your eyes and walk away…). But if you’re leaving it until January to plan your year, you’re already behind! You can’t start working on your goals while you’re still planning the strategy for them and so if you’re waiting until January, really you’re planning a year that starts in March/April. That might be what works for you! But be under no illusion that you will be able to fully reflect at the year’s end, because you won’t have finished it yet! Working in more of an academic year structure, will help you “feel better” about your reflection and starting your year properly. You will wake up on the 1st January smiling and relaxed in the knowledge the planning is done and you are ready to go. This means you can hit the ground running when most are just getting started with their planning. This is often a very competitive edge to have in business and sport.
4. Integrated Planning:
When you’re building a business or a career while still building your family, personal and professional worlds often intertwine. Planning both aspects of your life concurrently ensures that neither sphere is neglected. Starting in the final quarter gives you ample time to blend both worlds seamlessly, setting priorities that account for family events, school activities, and business milestones. You can look at full academic calendars, financial calendars and gregorian calendars to try and align as best as possible the things that need to be. You can begin to see the longer-term glitches that might occur and begin to see where you’re going to feel stretched in some areas at certain times of year and plan accordingly. Where the “back to school” feeling is still lingering, it can also be a great energy to capture among kids or spouses in the household to help them come on board with any goals that need to be considered in your plan as an individual or a family.
5. Embracing Flexibility:
Starting your planning early does not mean everything is set in stone. It means you’ve given thought to the year ahead, but still have the flexibility to tweak plans as situations evolve. The buffer time allows for refinement and adjustment without the pressure of immediate implementation. And remember that being little Miss or Mr organised, doesn’t mean you’re boring and over-prepared and incapable of spontaneity. It means you are keen for big goals and achieving big things and you VALUE a busy life! But busy lives and big goals don’t happen without planning. Simples. Having an over-arching long-term plan, allows you to revert to a bird’s eye view of the situation and long term impact of unforeseen circumstances and allows way more vision for change and flexibility than leaving everything to chance.
8. Self-Care and Mental Well-being:
By planning ahead, you also ensure that you schedule essential breaks, family time, and moments of self-care. Burnout is a real challenge for most ambitious people and without proper, early, un-pressured planning, it’s all too easy to arrive somewhere in The Burnout Triad. Taking time to plan early when you have the time, the foresight and the objectivity is a key way to keep yourself well away from the red zone.
For many athletes, now marks the closure of the season and a period to kick back, relax and eventually think about the year ahead. By Christmas and the New Year, many of us are already working toward spring goals and kicking off the new season with a bang. I’ve been doing it this way for so many years I’ve lost count and the one thing I know is, it is TOTALLY transferable to business too. So don’t wait. Do your planning NOW. And if you want a little more help with the HOW now you have the WHY, go check out this episode of the Do Better Coach cast to get started!