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Let’s Make 2020 YOUR YEAR!
I am so excited to announce something fresh and new today … Where I will be sharing with you a handful of special planning guide tips, tools n’ tricks that I have created to help get the new year started off right. As the current year fizzles out, we all want to create a crystal-clear vision about what we want to achieve in the new year and take a stand for it! It’s TIME to create a plan for everything you want to accomplish and get clear on the actions you want/need to take in order to make you accomplishments REAL and not “just a goal” for some day in the future.
So, are you ready to DREAM BIG and PLAN OUT the most amazing year ever?
Consider this blog post as a workshop for yourself for planning your 2020 vision and making the coming new year your best business year yet! Because as we all do … I’m sure you want to grow, expand on new ideas and make a success breakthrough. Creating this kind of plan for yourself is only going to happen because YOU are going to MAKE IT HAPPEN. The overall theme of this guide really centers on time …
- Creating more time by being organized; and
- Refocusing your overall vision and goals;
Here’s what you need to do first …
- Be clear about your goals and what you’d like to achieve.
- Take a stand for what you believe in and invest in yourself.
- Create a solid plan with real, measurable and attainable goals.
- Decide how you’re going to set clear (and organized) actions.
- Think positive (no matter what) and condition yourself for success.
- Give yourself permission to make extraordinary things happen.
And whatever you do, DO NOT LIMIT YOURSELF (or let others limit you) because so much is possible! Keep those naysayers on the wayside and don’t let their perception become your perception. And, make a conscious effort to become more aware of your thoughts and actions, because mindful thinking will help you reach reality – makes your dreams reality!
Many of us start our new year planning stages thinking about what we would like to do differently. What worked, what didn’t and what did we not yet accomplish that we’d like to. You know … that business dream bucket list!
So, if you haven’t already put some plans in motion or have some time over the holidays to really sit back, breathe and think about what you’d like to do differently this year, now’s your chance!
Are you ready to make your dreams a reality?
Then, let’s get started …
Year-End Review:
This past year was wonderful, and you achieved a lot. Take a moment and think about your journey …
- How do you feel about it all?
- What worked? What didn’t?
- What goals/projects did you achieve?
- What are you most proud of?
New Year Goals:
Now that you’ve thought about all your previous year’s successes, let’s move forward into the planning stages for the year to come by breaking your bigger picture down into a list of goals …
- What are your top 5 goals for 2020? Write them down in order of their importance to you.
- What do you want (and need) to do in order to accomplish all these wonderful new goals?
- Do you already have an idea in mind of the timeline you’d like to tackle these by? And if so, what does your plan look like?
- Do you have any new tools, programs and/or platforms that will help you succeed?
You don’t need to know exactly how you are going to get everything done, but you do need a plan of some sort so that your goals aren’t filled with overwhelm, and they don’t just stay on your wish list for the entire duration of your life as an entrepreneur.
The Big, Bad Plan:
Alright, my favourite part … It’s time to make a plan! In order to become the very best version of yourself this coming new year, you will want to remember that the only way you are going to get where you want to be this year is to not procrastinate or let your own negative self-talk get in the way. So, find some quiet time (and space) and ask yourself the following questions …
- Who do you feel YOU need to be in order to achieve all the things you want this year?
- What are the things you feel get in your way and prevent you from doing so?
- What distractions are in your life right now that you feel you need to get a better grip on?
- What do you need to do to get – and stay – on track (e.g. new tools, a VA, an entire team, etc.).
- What does your business name mean to you? Is your branding on point?
- What is your business manifesto? If you haven’t yet created one, I suggest doing so. Here’s how.
- What is going to be your theme for the new year? Think business and personally.
Just for a fun sidebar, my themes for 2020 are …
My personal theme for this year is to relax into leadership. I am the creator and leader in my life. And each day I will lead myself, my habits, my choice, my relationships as for too long I’ve been a little too serious and pushed too hard or clung to tightly. Now I will slow down the speed and relax in order to get myself to where I want to be.
My professional theme for this year is to scale gracefully. I want to preserve the spirit in which I started Virtually Untangled in the first place. I want to reconnect with our values and have true connections with my virtual tribe and clients. I don’t want my business to run on autopilot but to build a truly extraordinary business that inspires others and grows in a soulful, authentic way.
Sometimes we need to just breathe and remind ourselves, It’s not about working harder … it’s about working smarter and focusing on the things that will really drive our business. So, if you’re swamped with the day-to-day’s and just need some structure and support to create less stress … Or maybe you’re just beginning to think about becoming and entrepreneur (full-time hustle or on the side) … Or you’re working way too hard and feeling like you don’t have enough to show for your hard work … Or you feel as though life is getting in the way and preventing you from achieving true success …
Well, it’s time to stop spinning your wheels and use this guide to plan your best year ever!
We all dream big dreams! But you need more than just some fancy coloured post-it notes and flashy programs to make your goals a reality. You need a real plan to move you closer to your dream business every single day.
So, as 2019 winds down, start thinking about implementing a few of these things into the year ahead. But remember, don’t try to do everything at once – perhaps pick one item a month and focus on executing it before moving on to the next. You will more than likely realize that several of your goals go hand-in hand, and it will be easy to implement them at the same time. But pace yourself, it’s a marathon, not a sprint!
The Self-Care Plan:
The last planning stage, which is the one we all don’t put enough effort into …
Self-care has been getting plenty of attention lately and I believe it’s with HUGE merit. Basically, I translate self-care to mean keeping in check with your physical, emotional and mental well-being. We all get busy (sometimes more than we want) and it can be hard to slow down and really take care of ourselves. So, that’s why I am ending this blog post with this topic as it’s just as important as all the others!
In other words, it really should be a daily-priority and we should never EVER feel guilty about time blocking to take care of ourselves. We all can get stressed and overwhelmed from time-to-time so perhaps it’s time for things to change. And with that being said, here’s some easy-peasy ways to be prepare for those overwhelmingly hectic and stressful days …
Un-plug from the tech world …
As an entrepreneur myself, I feel the almost constant pull of having to be “plugged-in” and monitoring every little thing going on in my business. And those of my clients’. The list is long and tiresome some days. And because of the long daily to-do list that makes our business what it is, I recommend taking a break whenever you can and that makes sense. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes.
An easy way to accomplish this is by taking a break from technology (your laptop, your phone, Netflix, Spotify, podcasts, etc.) while eating your meals. Another way is by not starting or end your day with your tech devices. Thus, giving yourself that well-deserved chance to “check-out” so you don’t feel like you constantly need to be tied to your devices.
Be active for not only your mind …
This is something I tend to struggle with but truly hate to admit … I really think that being active can mean so many things. Maybe you are the type of person that enjoys working out. Or maybe you’re the opposite and you either do not enjoy typical exercise, or it can be hard to fit it into your schedule. Either way, being active can have many benefits especially if you spend most of your workday sitting at a desk or in a car.
According to WebMD, sitting down too much can increase your chances of developing a variety of health risks from heart disease to dementia. In this case, you should consider getting up and moving around or stretching for a bit every single hour. Or if you can afford to do so, incorporate standing at your work area by getting yourself a desk that raises (or create your own).
You could also try fitting in small stretching exercise into your day if you are feeling overwhelmed. Adding in a couple 5 to 10-minute stretch periods, walks, yoga or other types of exercise seems a lot easier to accomplish than working out for a straight full hour. (And no, napping doesn’t count, LOL!)
Keep your stress level in check …
Having a stressful day from time-to-time is unavoidable. So, here are a few ideas in case you are thinking you could benefit from some tips on how to combat stress. Or at the very least, tailor a new reaction to it.
- Consider meditation or deep-breathing exercises, also known as “finding your Zen”. Even if it is just for 5-minutes. Focus on your breathing and be mindful that you are exhaling completely as well.
- Start journaling or writing down all the things on your mind. Doing this for a couple of minutes a day can help clear your mind and help you get on with the rest of your day.
- Schedule some chat time with a close friend or like-minded individual; even if it’s just a quick meet up for coffee (virtual or in person).
- Make sure you don’t let your hobbies fall to the wayside. And if for some reason you do not have one, consider finding an engaging level of fun that will give your mind a break and encourage you to be happy while focusing on something other than your work.
Self-care can mean something different from one person to the next. And sometimes it’s not easy to take time to focus on yourself when you are having a busy day. However, sacrificing your health and well-being is NOT a precursor for your business to be successful. Self-care is easy to implement and to manage when you allot time for it. So, go ahead and START TODAY! Especially if you are new to creating time for self-care … Block time for that 10-minute meditation, 10-minute walk around the block, or schedule a weekly time for your favorite hobby.
The beginning of every new year is certainly a time that many of us start setting new goals or making those timeless New Year’s Resolutions. As entrepreneurs, it can sometimes be hard to find that switch to shut off our minds from our business, even if just for a few minutes as our personal lives tend to blend since technology allows us to be tied to our business 24/7. We often want to invest all the extra time we get our hands on back into our businesses.
However, taking a balanced approach between managing your business along with your personal life is also very important. After all, you cannot run your business if your health is suffering or you are lacking the energy to do so!
So, if you take some time to focus on taking care of both your business and yourself, you will not be disappointed. Focusing just as much on your health, and your mental and emotional well-being, will only have positive effects on every aspect of your life. And, your business will reap the benefits as well! And with that being said … I hope you truly benefitted and enjoyed today’s goal planning blog post. And here at Virtually Untangled, we all want to wish you a joyful, happy, healthy, productive (and yes, organized) and profitable new year!
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Crystal Kordalchuk
Crystal is an artist, a writer, an organizer, a dreamer, a doer, and down-right proud of it NERD!.
Struck with a love for #AllThings creative at a very young age, Crystal dreamed of a life fueled by her passion for creating and bringing the stories and images in her mind into reality.
As she worked toward her dreams, she earned a diploma as a Computer Applications Specialist then another in Graphic Design and from there began to develop her extensive background in multimedia and the arts. She began her worked in the magazine industry as a layout designer and had a succession of design jobs thereafter. It was her role as a graphic/web designer that gave her the first real glimpse of her future. Soon she began a side job as a freelance designer while keeping one foot in the corporate world. A spark was lit! She turned her freelance gig into a full-time business combining design work with her other passion: creating organization from virtual chaos.
Crystal is one of the most organized individuals on the planet. She is by all means a Zen master of her crafts. She excels at helping others become “untangled” and provides her clients with tools to run their businesses smoothly while she takes care of the details behind the scenes. Thus Virtually Untangled was born. A successful business where her work as a top notch creative in graphic and web — with a twist of virtual assistant — married into one amazing place where clients can come with their virtual messes and become magically untangled. Crystal can always make sense of even the most unorganized chaos and offers a virtual detox of order and peace, so her clients can get busy doing the work that they love the most.