2024 is here. And everyone is dreaming about how the year will be. Some may feel a bit of dread and others may be excited but if you want to either stifle the dread or fan the excitement you need to set up a plan. How will you be successful in 2024? Let’s take a look at what success is and how you can plan for it.
What is success? According to the Oxford Dictionary, “success” is defined as “the fact that you have achieved something that you want and have been trying to do or get”. From this definition, we can see that success is personal and looks very different for every person. So, let’s plan for your success with these five steps.
STEP 1: Define success
When you look back on the year, what will have made it successful? Close your eyes and imagine what you will celebrate about your business. Now that you have a clear idea of what success looks like for you and your business write it down.
STEP 2: Consider the steps you need to take
Brainstorm all the tasks you need to do to achieve your main goal for the year. Don’t critique your ideas. We will analyse the tasks in the next step but for now, we want to get down all the tasks we think we need to get done to be successful by the end of the year.
STEP 3: Trim down your tasks
Take your list of tasks and consider the nine most important tasks which will create the greatest momentum towards you achieving your ultimate goal. These will be the tasks you will focus on in the year. Put these tasks into the order in which they need to occur for you to achieve your goal.
STEP 4: Make them SMART
Write each task as a SMART task. SMART tasks are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Let’s say you want to increase your sales; a SMART goal will be “I want to increase my online sales by 5% by 31 December 2024”.
Now you can set up your tasks for the year and when they need to be achieved. By only having nine tasks, you will ensure that you have a time buffer as some tasks may take more time than anticipated and others may take less time.
STEP 5: Breakdown the task
Some tasks may need to be broken down further so that you know what you need to do monthly, weekly and daily to be on track to having a successful year. By making a list of daily tasks every evening, you will ensure that you are a step closer to your final goal.
By following these five steps, you will be well on your way to having a successful 2024 and beyond.
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