Those of you who have followed me for a few years will know that I do a process called Best Year Yet at the end of the year. I used to run a workshop for others, I started that to keep myself accountable; last year was the first year that I didn’t run one because my plate was too full, but I still do that process. This guarantees I have my Best Year every year ;-)
The reason why it is so important? Normally our years are full, and we spend our years getting stuff done and then come the end of a year, we down tools and head for the beach and try not to think about work at all in the downtime. And then, just like that, we are back at it and into it all over again. Work, sleep, play, rinse and repeat. The thing with that is you are just repeating the same year after year.
Taking the time, yes, I do know how hard that is. You have to make time for this and need…. gasp…. at least 3 hours. Go somewhere where you can switch off (yes, I mean, switch your phone off), do the Mahi (work), and grab a pen and paper.
• List all the things you accomplished this year. Try to list an entire page; no matter how big or small the achievements were, list them down.
• List all the disappointments you had this year. Again, try to fill up a whole page.
• Now, look at both of those lists and write down the lessons you got from both the successes and the disappointments. Ask yourself why that succeeded. Can it be repeated?
• Notice a theme, ask yourself what you do that limited you and write that down too. Create some guidelines for the new year to stop doing that. Make them short, sharp and positive.
• Have a look at your values (do you know what they are?). Are you living up to them? Are you aligned with them? If you aren’t, that will be creating some noise.
• List all the hats you wear; what are the roles you play? Write them all down, and you might be surprised at how many different roles you play in your daily life.
• Then, the fun bit: take all those roles, do a KiSS (Keep, Start and Stop), and then group them until you have eight of the most critical roles for next year.
• Now, create 2 or 3 goals for each role. Make sure that it aligns with your values.
Now, there is absolutely a lot more to this process, but if you just did that, you would be much better off than just starting the year with the same old same old, hoping it will magically become your Best Year Yet. This process isn’t supposed to be about perfection; it should be messy and imperfect; in fact, I always do the process in a cheap back-to-school exercise book so that I am not tempted to focus on making it pretty. Life is messy when you are being courageous. Just do it!
I will be making time to do this before the end of the year, will you? Need help? It is always easier doing it with someone else. If you are interested, I might even be convinced to run a group session for your team, but get in quick. If you are interested, click on the button below, and the lovely Kirsty will book it in.
Oh, and I added a Ted Talk by Charlie Mackesy, the author of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, to remind us not to get so caught up in making it perfect, but be courageous and just do it and allow it to be messy.
Charlie Mackesy: Abandon The Idea Of Being Good And Just Try | TED Talk
