They say how you spend New Year’s Eve sets the tone for the new year to come. While some may believe that to be true, we believe in something else… here is your ultimate guide on how to plan for the new year! You can make it a New Year New You!
January 1st
Yes, the new year is simply just another day and there’s always the “you don’t need Jan 1st to come around so you can start going to the gym” kind of argument. We know, you can start new habits any day of the week but there’s something magical and inspiring about Jan 1st and we plan to take full advantage of it! Think of it as a clean slate in an essence that you can start fresh and let go of negativity and go into the new year with positivity! The new year has come and anything is possible. Maybe it’s the placebo effect because we deeply think it’s new, therefore it feels new. Whatever it may be, we are taking advantage!
It’s Time To Focus On You
We believe in setting goals. Each year before Jan 1st hits, we make our new year’s resolution lists and reflect on the list from the year before. You’ve had your family time and are probably still feeling stuffed from all the Christmas food (Amanda’s shorts are now a bit too tight for her) but it’s now time to focus on YOU! It’s okay to be selfish!
Be Specific
Writing down what you want to accomplish for next year should not take you 5 minutes. Give yourself a little bit more credit than that! You have aspirations right? You have desires, wants, visions and dreams to achieve… give them the time they deserve. Have a good think of what is achievable and start making a plan.
Plan Ahead
Now that you’re focusing on you & have written down your goals, it’s the perfect time to achieve those desires. Planning ahead is crucial. You’ll understand why this is important and how this ties in with everything else we are saying once you finish reading! You need to be sure you have everything in place to achieve your desired changes which is why you need to prepare! Read up on it whatever it may be, use the internet, magazines, anything that will help you get a leg up on succeeding. Plan for your success, make sure you have everything needed to accomplish your desires. Whether it be working out or reading more, make sure you have trainers, clothes, music, books, etc. Too lazy to make a plan? We don’t care. Stop watching so much TV and start investing in your dreams and talents. If you want to achieve success, you’ve got to put all your hard work into what you love. And if you’re passionate, you’ll definitely find the time.
Share Your Passions
Don’t keep your dreams to yourself (unless they’re a bit kinky, then please do). Talk to your partner, friends and family on what you hope to accomplish next year. It’ll start to feel a bit more real and get that motivation hit you probably so desperately need after being in holiday mode (we feel you vacationers, it’s a struggle coming home to reality!). However, if you’ve got a screamer of an idea make sure you take legal measures to protect your visions. You don’t want someone capitalising on your dreams.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
This holds true, so be sure to stick your goals up on your wall or get creative with a vision board. If you hide them away in your secret diary for the entire year that’s where your goals will stay… on a piece of paper. We want to change this to “In Sight, In Mind” so you can succeed!
Invest (Your Money) In You
Have a dream to be your own boss? Instead of spending your money on clothes, stupid things, eating out excessively etc, perhaps you should starting spending the money on YOU! By that we mean your ultimate dream. Take us for example… to have your own website costs money, promote posts cost money, investing in the right tools such as a good computer or camera costs money. We’ve invested our own money into this because we’re finally at a point where we can see the potential of AJ Money Matters and are working our butts off to get there. Make sure you’re doing the same. It’ll be the best investment you ever made. We promise. It’s rewarding seeing your hard work and invested time pay off!
Hold Yourself Accountable
Some people start a blog to hold themselves accountable for their goals and it’s a great way to do so! Let it be known to your friends and family that you are so determined to reach your goals and use social media such as facebook and instagram to keep a visual, online diary of your journey.
Accept Failure
Don’t hate yourself for a misstep. Don’t get so down on yourself and disregard your dreams and desires. Nothing worth having comes easy, everything you do in life will feel so much more rewarding when you put the hard work into it. Slacked off for the day? Don’t give up! This is why a vision board or posting your goals is so critical. If you slacked off or are feeling down about your progress look up at your goals, make a road map. Track your small steps to find yourself reaching the end goal.
Plan Rewards
Some goals, desires, dreams, resolutions whatever you may see them as can take time. We are a generation of instant gratification so when we don’t see results right away we want to give up or change our goals. One simple word, DON’T. Instead, plan small rewards for encouragement. This can be anything, perhaps reward yourself to your favourite gelato shop, or a new book, a trip to the cinema… or whatever tickles your feathers. Start with rewards on a weekly basis during the hardest part of change, then transition to monthly rewards, and then at the end of the year an anniversary reward!
What are some of your goals for the new year and how are you planning for them? Leave us a comment below!
Good advice. I especially liked the part about a “new slate.” Sometimes that does help mentally. Planning ahead and holding yourself accountable, while also accepting failures (because they happen of course), is what keeps us moving forward and not letting our goals/resolutions die out.
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Thanks Bonnie! The ‘new slate’ effect definitely plays a key role, it’s like you feel you can just start all over again and put everything behind you 🙂
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A lot of good planning info for 2017. Thanks
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Thanks Jonathon! We’re so glad you like it 🙂
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You are correct about Jan 1 seemingly befit to start anew. I bought a new journal forexactly that reason, to write diwn goals and follow them through.
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January 1 definitely has that effect doesn’t it! And that new journal feeling feels so good! We do the same 🙂
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Specificity and telling others… My two big keys to planner for the new year and keeping my goals!
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Exactly! The same for us too! Holds us accountable throughout the year 🙂
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All of these are great tips. I’m especially focusing on spending money on myself and my education in 2017. Happy New Year!
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Thanks Vanessa! We reckon the best investment is definitely in yourself. Happy new year and good luck with your goals! 🙂
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I love the idea of a dream board. It’s actually one of the first things that a business coach will teach. Put your dreams, no matter how large or small on the board, words of encouragement and quotes to inspire, as well as a brainstorm of ideas that will help you attain those goals/dreams. Loved this post. Thank you!
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Thanks Robin! We love the idea of dream boards because you can also get creative with them (let our creative side out)! Thanks for visiting us 🙂
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I like the idea of giving yourself small rewards.
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Thanks Angela! And hopefully all those small rewards eventually lead to bigger ones 🙂
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Great tips, especially the vision board idea! There is just something about having your wishes and goals so front and center like that … You can’t help but chase your dreams then. Like you said, “In sight, in mind.”
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What a great list! My favorite is share your passion!
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Thanks Kait! That’s one of our favourites too!
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It’s always good to have a plan. Great post, love your ideas!
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Thanks Jasmine! Agreed 🙂 And it’s the best time of year to make new plans!
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This is some really great advice. Love it!
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Thanks Jenni! We’re so glad you stopped by 🙂
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I try not to be super specific in my planning. Nothing ever goes according to the plan so as long as I know the ultimate outcome I’m looking for, how I get there doesn’t matter.
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That’s definitely true as well Kari! Sometimes it’s good to be completely open minded especially if you know exactly what you want. It’s all about the journey, not the destination:)
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These are really great tips. It’s important to look at the new year ahead with an open mind and set our goals and intentions early. It’s just as important to know what to do next and how to put in the work to get what we want out of our year — and our lives.
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Thanks Holly! Exactly! No goals = no action.
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Awesome guide! It would be nice to start the new year right, with all your plans set out for the year ahead. It’s also great if we can start fresh, drop all the toxic things that were keeping us down the past year.
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Thanks Elizabeth! Agreed! Start the new year healthy, both physically and mentally 🙂
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You nailed it! Love all of your tips! I think this is spot on!
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Thanks Britney! We love that you loved it!
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some great advice for the new year – thanks!
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I love the practicality of your site. I am always looking for practical steps and not just theory. It is a lot of what I base my blog on. I believe that theory by itself will not cut it. It needs so legs to be lived out. That is what I find in this article. Thank you for sharing it. I have some thinking I need to do!
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Thanks so much for the lovely feedback Jim! Completely agree with you too, theory is all well and good but to take action you need practicality as well. So glad you liked the article 🙂
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Will definately be following your blog. Thank you for posting 🙂
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Great advice for the new year – thanks!
and see the post regarding our plan for 2017
https://plus.google.com/116576322191531089154/posts/jNnFdyaE9Fk
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I love being organized and staying on top of things. This guide will certainly help! Thank you!
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Thanks for reading Katrina! Happy new year 🙂
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Wonderful tips. We use many of these to stay on track of our goals of travelling the world.
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Thanks Wanderlust Vegans! It’s great to know you can still stay on top of it all even while travelling! 🙂
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Awesome tips, Many of us are never taught the process of goal setting and I think this is why many of us don’t achieve what we are capable of.
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