Starting a new year can be overwhelming, especially when all the goals and accomplishments you set for yourself last year did not come to pass. However, instead of looking at what failed, it is often more productive to take this time of year to look at how things can be improved. There are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success in the new year.

Finding Success in the new year.

Year in review.

It’s time to reflect on things past. Think about what went well and what didn’t. Decide where you can make improvements and set goals for where you’d like to be this year. In addition to giving yourself some feedback and pointers, it is always good to ask for outside opinions from friends or colleagues. Try not to overlook anything during this reflection time so that you’re able to sort through every detail with a fine tooth comb.

Plan of action.

After reflecting on this past year, and figuring out what you can do better, it’s time to put all of your findings into action. You can do this by setting goals. There has to be an overall goal. From that overall goal, develop timelines of smaller tasks that need to be completed in order to accomplish that main goal. Come up with strategies that will keep you on target to reach your goal. This can be done by offering yourself 4 check ins throughout the year which will allow you to go over your progress. Because life happens, your plan of action may change. Having opportunity throughout the year for this review can help you make certain adjustments to ensure your goal will still be met by the year’s end.

Learn to be organized.

Everyone knows that a full inbox can bring anyone stress. That being said, be intentional with decluttering your inbox. Don’t just simply delete all of your messages. Be diligent with organizing them into folders of categories, and importance. This is also a good opportunity to set up filters so that the only emails hitting your main inbox are priority. Once this is done, develop a time of the month when you are focused on keeping your inbox up to date and organized.

Get it done.

The list of tasks are probably very long. The best way to get it done is by finishing up the smaller tasks first. This will help you get your list down significantly. Take time to respond to emails so that there is no more delays in responses, even if the emails are just updates on progress. It is also important to begin filing items that have been sitting on your desk for a while. After the small, tedious tasks are out of the way, you can focus on the big ticket items.

There are very simple steps to take in order to find success in the new year.

Be sure to always reflect on the things done and how you could do them better moving forward. Always develop a plan of action to meet those goals. Organize all of your work so that you set yourself up for success. And finally, hunker down and do what it takes to accomplish those goals. Focusing on these small action steps will ensure that you will hit the ground running in the new year.