Reflecting on your year in business and why it’s so important
It’s really important to take the time to reflect on your year in business, it can help give you clarity and direction to plan for the future.
I know taking the time to reflect can seem like an effort (unless you love journalling then you’re already a pro!) but it can be really eye-opening! Take some time to recognise all the hard work you’ve put in, remember those highs that you had but also review whether something needs to change. It’s also good to check in on how you’re feeling right now, a lot can change in a year and it can guide how you move forward.
It really doesn’t matter when you do it, I choose to do it now as I think as we wind down to the end of the year it’s a great time to reflect. I also like to plan for the year ahead so that I can really switch off over the Christmas holidays and come back in the new year with a clear focus.
Where to start
It can be tough to look back over the past year as it can seem like a lifetime ago. If you have to look through your calendar, emails or even photos to recall what went down then do so. Hopefully, it will bring you some happy smiles too 😊 (If it brings back some not nice memories, I’m sorry, life can be crappy – big hugs to you!)
Let’s start with some basic reflections:
- What are some of your biggest achievements from the year?
- What’s been challenging for you?
- What’s worked well?
- What hasn’t worked well?
Where are we right now?
Taking a snap shot of how things are right now can really help guide you moving forward. You may have had loads of amazing achievements from the year but right now you may be out of love with your business. Maybe you got all those achievements because you worked 50,000 hours to get them and so now you’re at your end and feeling burnout!
Ask yourself:
- How do things in your business and life feel?
- Have you learnt any big lessons?
- Is there anything that needs to change?
Stop, Start, Continue
I love the exercise Stop, Start, Continue. It’s something I learnt from the business planner I use by Daily Greatness* where it pretty much asks me this monthly!
Take a moment to think about what would or do you need to STOP doing, START doing and should CONTINUE with. This could be processes in your business, people you work with, marketing activities even around mindset – ‘I need to stop telling myself I am not a write’ (Ok that’s one of mine! But I did write this blog EEEKK)
Review your current/previous goals
If you had set yourself goals even if it was only in the last month – how did they go? If you achieved them did you celebrate? If you didn’t celebrate, why not? Could this be something to work on in the future? If you didn’t achieve your goals, why not? What was going on? Were they realistic? What needs to change to make sure you are moving towards your goals?
Now what?
Ok, so now you’ve taken the time to ask yourself some really great questions and get a clear picture of how things have been working, how you’re feeling and what needs to change moving forward. This is the perfect opportunity to now set yourself some new goals for the year ahead (or quarter/month/week if you are doing this at any time).
“Remember to create SMART goals and make sure you take action on implementing them. It will help create the change you desire! ”
Take a look at my blog about how to set goals here.
If you need additional support in helping you connect with your business again, setting goals or holding you accountable for them then please book in a discovery call here.
