New Year Goal Setting
Remember when people used to say "New Year, New Me?" That feels very 2016 now.
This is the last newsletter of the year, as we are just a few days away from the end of the year and the start of a new year.
The year went by relatively fast, and I am glad to usher in the new year with good food (Black-eyed peas, Greens, Mac & Cheese, Fish, and Cornbread), memories from the year that was, with an anticipation of what’s to come in the new year. Like many, my year was a rollercoaster of emotions fueled by victory (I finally established a fitness routine), grief, optimism, simplicity (box braid girl for most of the year, queue Moesha theme song), and the occasional burnout. I learned a lot about myself this year and how I process things.
With reflection at the top of my mind, it’s also a time to start looking at goals to accomplish in the new year. This year, I made three big goals for the whole year centered around finances (sis is still on a budget), health, and career. I will carve away at these goals in 12-week increments with a few daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. I am hopeful that this will be a better approach for me to hit my goals because, you know, your girl, typically every year, I set big goals or too many of them, and I forget them by March.
*I also don’t know when that Keke Palmer will get old to me.
If you are on the same wavelength as I am, here are a few resources to help you get started with figuring out your goals for the new year. Shoot me a note to let me know some of the goals you have for the new year or strategies you will be using to work towards them.
Via my friend Andrea who writes
“If you’re like me, you know that planning goals for a year can be a challenge. As a former educator, I know the importance of planning with the end in mind. Still, I also know that if you don’t have actionable steps toward your goals, and a deadline that seems far away, you can find yourself procrastinating with a lack of urgency and efficiency. So with that in mind, I’ve decided I’m going to break my 2023 goals down into 12-week increments - a concept introduced to me by The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington. The book is great, but if you’re like me and need a visual breakdown, Youtuber Montelle Bee can walk you through it, and she’s got a free Notion template for you to complete for yourself in the description of this video.”
++ Here is the link to the book that Andrea mentioned. She suggested it to me a few weeks ago, and it became the catalyst for how I set my goals for the year. Here are a few of the quotes from the book that helped me start thinking about how I wanted to frame my goals.
“Planning allows you to think through in advance the best approach to achieving your goals.”
“Execution is the single greatest market differentiator. Great companies and successful individuals execute better than their competition. The barrier standing between you and the life you are capable of living is a lack of consistent execution.”
“The fact is every week counts! Every day counts! Every moment counts! We need to be conscious of the reality that execution happens daily and weekly, not monthly or quarterly. Annualized thinking and planning more often than not leads to less than optimal performance.”
“It is important that your 12-week goals and your plan are aligned with, and an extension of, your longer-term vision. When you set your goals, be certain that they are connected to your vision and determine where you need to be at the end of 12 weeks to be on pace with your long-term goals.”
Podcast: Life with Marianna podcast episode “Vision Board + Goal Setting for 2023”
Life with Marianna is one of my favorite podcasts, and this was a great episode on how she sets goals for the year. In the episode, Marianna talks about her process of creating her vision board and how she sets goals and intentions for the year. She also references the sheets she uses for goal setting, which you can download here.
Article: Draw the Year Ahead
I shared this article last year, and I am still a fan of Illustrator Julia Rothman’s More/Less list for setting goals. You can view her list here.
“Grab a piece of paper and draw a line down the center to create your drawing area. On the left, write the word “More” at the top. On the right, write the word “Less.” Now think of the things that you enjoyed this year (you can also imagine things that would bring you joy in the future). Once you have an idea, draw a simple icon to represent it and draw it in the More column. If you want more jogging in your life, maybe draw a sneaker. Do the same for the Less side: If you want less social media, maybe draw a phone.”
A few more resources:
My newsletter from last year still has many resources I used this year too.
Bullet Journal’s Plans vs. Goals vs. Resolutions vs. Intentions
Lavendaire’s How to Reset Your New Year
[K.I.M.] in a Minute on Digital Planning for 2023
That’s it on that. I’ll be writing a little bit more about that topic in this weekend’s digest. If you’re interested in reading more, consider upgrading to a paid subscription here.
In other news, here are a few things I thought were worth sharing this week.
My Mellow playlist is still alive and thriving.
The R&B Money Podcast keeps getting better and better, and this week’s guests were The Whispers.
Although I’m not sure I believe in horoscopes much anymore, they are still fun to read, and Refinery 29 released four different 2023 Horoscopes: Finances, Personal Power, Love & Sex, and Career.
Kim Kardashian was a guest on Angie Martinez’s IRL Podcast, and although my mom talked through most of it, I thought it was a very good interview.
Afar’s list of the best places to travel in 2023.
I spent my weekend trapped in the YouTube spiral of Daily Life in NYC videos. I’m not sure why they are interesting to me, but 62 videos later (dramatic number, but it’s close), my favorites are from Hannah Pak and Michelle Choi.
That’s it for this week; I’ll catch you in 2023.
Love this! I also plan to use the 12-week goal format!
2023 new year new me!! 😘Enjoy, and thanks for your weekly tidbits of wisdom! Peace, blessings and prosperity in 2023..