Kathy’s Home & Garden Tips – A Plan for the New Year

If I had a dollar for every time I have heard the phrase lately, “I can’t wait for 2021 to begin so we can forget 2020,” I would be rich. Of course, I understand the complete COVID-19 exhaustion as I suffer it greatly myself. Unfortunately, simply changing the calendar from 12/31/2020 to 1/1/2021 will not be the end to all our woes. The best idea will be to come into the new year with a plan!

My Real Estate team and I always make goals for every new year. I think this year that is more important than ever. Very few business people make concrete goals and share them, but those that do are usually more successful and have a more complete life. You see, goals are not just business goals but include personal ones too. People on their deathbed do not declare they wished they worked more, rather they wish they spent more time with family. You need to make your personal and family goals as important as your business ones.

There are several ways to go about formulating your goals. Do these exercises for both business and personal goals. Decide where you want to be professionally and personally two, five, and ten years from now. Write down no more than five goals for the year. For your professional goals, make sure to know your numbers. How much do you want to earn? Do you want to achieve a new position? You need to determine what you need to do to end up where you want to be next December. For example, if you are in sales of any kind, determine how many calls you need to make to get a piece of business. How much do you earn from an average sale? These numbers will help you figure out what you need to do to reach your goal.

Even those of us who faithfully format our goals every year often fall short when the end of the year comes. This can occur from the goals not being detailed enough. We make a goal for the year, and as the year goes by, we think in March, I have not made much progress towards my goals, but there is much of the year left! This thinking continues in June and September. Oops! It is December now, and our goals are not achieved.  

The best way to work through this is to start right away with an action plan and work it! Create a few specific goals for the first quarter. Schedule your weekly activities to work your way to your goal. Score yourself every week and be honest! Often our goals are not specific enough and lack a detailed plan. When we do a yearly goal, the end of the year seems so far away. We are not as fully engaged as we would be if we need to get these tasks done by the end of the month! So, give it a try. Set three business and three personal goals for January 1 to March 31. You will be surprised at how much you can achieve.  

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH AND DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO