Set yourself up for a successful new year
Five 8-minute Mini-Strategy Retreats
Want to close out this year on a professional high and start next year with intention and focus? If yes but you don’t feel you have the time, take yourself on these five 8-minute mini-strategy retreats. Reflection and planning don’t have to take a ton of time. You’ll be amazed at the insights you can draw out in a short amount of time, and, frankly, quick rounds of ideation help you not overthink conclusions and tap more into your informed gut instincts.
To start, get yourself into the right frame of mind before each session (find the Set-Up instructions below at the bottom of the article). Then follow the outlined questions or statements below for each session. Try to keep yourself to the time limit, not getting stuck and not over-thinking any of the questions. Ready, set, go!
#1 - Reflect
According to this Smarter Living article from the New York Times, one of the key factors of successful people is that they reflect on their performance. Take just 8 minutes to answer these questions to take in what’s taken shape this year, what you’ve accomplished, where you can improve, and what you’ve learned.
What happened this year? What are 1-3 key takeaways from each quarter of the year? Answer where you went “From” and “To” this year?
What was supposed to happen that did happen? What was supposed to happen that didn’t happen? Why?
What are your top 3 accomplishments for the year? What are you most proud of?
What are 3 areas or projects that didn’t go so well this year? Where do you wish you did better?
Looking back at the year, what did you learn? What surprised you? Where did you build a skillset or capability?
#2 - Close Out
There are two actions to consider as part of “closing out” the year. The first is pruning. Most people who are ambitious end up with too long of a to do list, professionally and personally, that lacks prioritization. Working harder and longer isn’t the answer. Rather, you need to take projects off the stage that don’t need to be there, re-focusing on what’s most important. The second thing is to craft a moment, a la advice from the Heath brothers and their book, “The Power of Moments,” to commemorate the year.
For the first exercise, bring your current project list and answer:
What is on your list that you haven’t gotten to in over 3 months? Is it still important or can you knock it off the list completely?
If you had to prioritize 3 projects for each quarter next year, would any of the projects on your list remain? Which ones? If not, consider cutting them, delegating them, or putting them on a “further evaluation” list for when you are clear on your goals for 2019 and can re-evaluate their priority.
Borrowing from the Farnam Street and the decision matrix featured here, look back at your list again and ask if any projects are inconsequential? What therefore should be cut? What can be delegated?
Close by determining your next action steps for getting non-priority projects off your list—kill it, delegate it, or delay it.
For the second exercise, answer:
What is an event that is coming up where you could add some unexpected activity to turn it into a memorable, meaningful moment?
What could make it unique and special?
Could you share this moment with others to make it a special moment of connection and shared experience?
If you don’t currently have an event, what moment could you create to commemorate your year
What’s your next step to make this a reality?
#3 - Envision
Now set your sights on 2019. Envision what you want to manifest in the new year, set your goals, and then immediately get into action. Ask yourself:
What 3 professional goals / objectives and associated key results do you want to realize next year? (As inspired by John Doerr and his thoughts on OKR’s.)
What 3 personal goals / objectives and associated key results do you want to realize next year?
Go back and note: Why is each of these goals important?
What is one immediate action you will take against each of these goals?
What is one action you will take within the next month?
When you have more time, create action plans against each goal.
#4 - Learn
As we leave school and move on in our careers, most of us forget that we can still learn a thing or two, develop a new skill, or simply take our strengths to the next level. This year commit to learning something new or developing a new capability. Make it a practice to practice so that you become a master of what you seek to learn.
To identify what you might focus on, consider these questions:
In what area could you up your game and have a significant impact against one of your goals?
What is an area you are curious about right now and would like to learn more about?
What is a new skill that could take a strength to the next level?
Now, pick which area will either have the biggest impact for you in the coming year or which you have the most interest in. Since you’ll need to dedicate time and commit to practicing, make sure it is an area that you believe the outcome will have enough impact or your interest will be sustained.
What is the next action you will take to get your learning into action next year? By when will you take this action?
#5 - Optimize (your time)
The last session is focused on helping you identify ways to be more efficient with your time. You’ll determine ways that you can optimize your daily activities so you’re using your precious minutes on the most high impact and valuable activities that will help you reach your goals for this year. Consider:
What are regular activities that you could turn into a routine so that you don’t have to think about them daily? Instead, you just execute your routine quickly and efficiently. This could include your morning regimen, an exercise program, a way to get out of the office, how you handle coming home, and so on. Not wasting deliberating routines can save you time and mental energy.
What are parts of your day that you find irritating or have become time sucks? What could you shift to lessen, eliminate, or shift the irritation, even if it’s a reframing of the situation? What can you change about the time suck to get your time back?
Tony Robbins does a cold plunge each morning. It’s a way that he trains his brain to understand there’s no negotiation when he says to himself he’ll do something. If there’s intent, he follows through and doesn’t waste any time deliberating. What could be your cold plunge?
Content switching in your work can erode efficiency. How can you structure your work week to have more consistency in topics to use your time most efficiently?
Look at the ideas you’ve generated. What are the 3 most impactful ideas you have to drive efficiencies? By when will you start to implement them?
Close
Even if you don’t have time for all five of these exercises, determine which ones would be most helpful for you to close out your year in a way that will make you feel good about taking on 2019 with renewed energy and focus.
We wish you much success in the new year!
Set-Up Instructions
Carve out time in the morning for a “strategy break.”
Plan to do your rapid strategy session in the morning when your mind is fresh. Research has shown that conscious, critical thinking takes a lot of energy. Our mental energy is finite, getting depleted throughout the day, so it’s best to do critical thinking when you are fresh.
Put yourself into an environment that will avoid distractions. We all think we can multi-task, but our brains really can’t juggle multiple thought processes at once. So, turn off your computer and phone, and put aside whatever will get in the way of you focusing your attention. Be sure to avoid getting sucked into energy draining and attention distracting activities like reading emails.
Quiet and clear your mind.
Start by writing down everything that is filling your brain at the moment like to do’s or random ideas and thoughts that are popping into your conscious. Capture them quickly on a piece of paper to get them off your mind.
Then, close your eyes. Get into your body. Put your hands in your lap and take 5 deep breaths focusing on each breath. Turn off your internal dialogue by focusing on the sounds around you. Take another 5 deep breaths and listen.
Start with the questions noted in the strategy sessions above.