Plan, Cultivate & Create your 2017

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” 
- Antoine de Saint Exupéry

December and January are months of reflection and planning for me and possibly, for you too. Although the holidays can be hectic, I like to take some time and reflect on the year that passed and make some plans for the upcoming year. This is how I go through that process:

Step 1: Review 

List the year’s highlights and pause to celebrate some of your favourite moments of the past year
That visit from family that turned into a sleepover. That piece of art that was published in a magazine. That new friendship that developed and lights you up. That time you slept over at your parents’ house and got to have a morning coffee on the porch with your mom, like old times.
Think back on all the big and little things that stood out at the time, that may have been forgotten along the way. I do this by looking over my daily log. It’s my simple form of memory keeping for the last 2 years, and really helps in this step of the yearly reflection. 

Reflect on the lessons learned
Honour your journey by taking a moment to find the lessons in the unforeseen twists and turns this last year.

• When were you most productive?
• When did you need extra time for self-care, or a vacation?
• Were there any events you missed, or things you wanted to do that never worked out? 

Share some memories with family and friends 
You can make a list or write them out in a journal. Make a slideshow or a video clip montage. You can also do a video review and send it off to those nearest and dearest, or just keep it as a video diary for yourself. 

Step 2: Dream
What are some things you would like to cultivate in your life this year?

Dream and Scheme
There are 2 main ways of doing this: bottom-up, and top-down. You can pick whichever you prefer, or you can try both!
Bottom-up:

• Start with a big sheet of paper and write down any ideas for the upcoming year. I write them all down in a giant, messy mind-map. Be as precise or as vague as you like. Brainstorm.
• At the end of this exercise, look at your entries and see if there is a theme or a pattern that emerges. Write them the page, and connect all the things you wrote that would elicit those feeling or contribute to that goal. I usually find 2 or 3 themes, goals or ways of being that encompass most of my ideas. 

Top-Down:

• If you have a big goal in mind, write that down in the center of the page, and brainstorm all the ways you can contribute to make it happen in the upcoming year. No timelines, just free-flowing ideas.
• Add in some other things you can do to support yourself and people who can help you achieve your goal(s). Add in some self-care, some diversions, and a network of support.
• If you want to add more things that don't influence your goal directly, go ahead and ad them anyway! There are no right or wrong answers, because they are all coming from you.

Before moving on, ask yourself these two simple, but powerful questions:

• What do you want more of?
• What do you want less of?

Add some ways to make these happen in your mind-map.


Step 3: Make a Plan

• Once you have corralled your brainstorm into some main themes, figure out what the actionable steps are. Add them to your mind-map. 
• Pick out your favourite calendar, or grab another sheet and draw out a timeline. Mark out all the known important dates, recurring events, travel dates, etc. 
• Break up the year into sections based on how you work best. For example, you can divide the year by months or seasons, or around your vacation time, whatever works for you and your lifestyle. Based on my review of 2016 and comparing it to earlier years, I realized there were times I was more productive and times when my energy dipped and I needed to rest, and they tend to happen around the same time each year. I noticed that they mimicked the natural rhythms of the seasons, so this year I will factor that knowledge into the equation. 
• Assign some tasks and activities from your mind-map/brainstorm into each section. Big goals sometimes take longer than a year to manifest; still, making a conscious effort to move forward is a great way to keep the momentum going. Experts say that breaking up larger goals into smaller steps, and adding them to your calendar as ‘to-do’ items increases your chances of success. 
• Be sure to schedule in some fun things to do as well. I’ve already penciled in the annual events around town that I missed last year. Even though the exact dates for 2017 aren’t yet confirmed, I’ve added post-its near the time they usually take place. I’m determined to hike through the enchanted forest this year! (Bonus tip: If you like to plan your budget as well, go ahead and add the cost of these outings to your spreadsheet!)
• One last planning tip: Add a day, an evening, or even just an hour at the end of every section (season/term, etc) to pause and reflect on your progress, your wins, your lessons. And remember, you can always make adjustments to your plan - it’s yours to do with as you will.

Step 4: Go forth and live the life you’ve imagined (and planned) for 2017! 


P.S. Do you have any favourite ways of planning for the new year? I would love to hear all about it! Leave a comment down below, or send me an email.