As we move into the last 3 months of the year, now is a great time to plan a solid year end. You’ve approximately 90 days left of 2021, which is a reasonable amount of time to get things done. Why not have a great last quarter and end the year on a high?

Here’s how to do it in 5 easy steps.

Step 1

First, and this doesn’t need to be an overly long process, create a vision of what you want done by the end of 2021. A clear vision is your powerful why and helps you stay on track and push through the inevitable friction that will arise in the next 90 days. Here are some examples:

-       Complete a big piece of work to free yourself up for something new in 2022

-       Create a strong team to deal with a challenging project, or even

-       Make a career change to a job you will love

Step 2

Once you have your year-end vision, you will need to convert this into several themes or mini projects. This is because when it comes to getting things done, execution of your vision will be easier if you can break it down into easier to achieve chunks.

So, for example, if your vision is to complete a big piece of work, say a new website for your business, you could split this into: 

-       Re-write website copy

-       Design website interface

-       Agree on a new site logo

-       Launch website

-       Publicise website

-       Etc.

Step 3

Next, break these mini projects down into sub-actions. By splitting down the work in this way, you make it simpler and easier to achieve tasks. One of the reasons we get stuck delivering important things is that we get overcome by the size of the task.

So, for example, the mini project of ‘publicise website can be split into:

-       Create publicity copy for several media – Email, social media, podcast soundbite etc

-       Create a list of connections/contacts who you can share your information with

-       Create a list of helpful ‘files’ that your connections can use to help them to publicise your website for you

-       Begin to share your messages and deal with follow up questions

Step 4

Next, plan your week ahead of time and using all the sub-actions you created in Step 3. These sub-actions should make it easy for you to do the work that will make a difference. 

I usually plan my week ahead of time, on Sunday, and I also plan each day the night before. This means that I am working on the right things each day that are going to make a difference.

Step 5

Undertake a review each week to make sure you are still on track to complete what you need to do before the end of the year. This review will mean that you can make the necessary adjustments and reflect on the progress you have made.

When you do get to the end of the year, don’t forget to celebrate your progress and what you’ve achieved.

Bonus Tip

One of your tasks should be to start thinking about the first quarter of 2022. By repeating this process each quarter, you will start to use a system called 12-month goal setting. For further inspiration on this idea, I highly recommend you read the book 12 week Year by Brian P Moran.

And, that just leaves the Career Take Away.

Your call to action today is to:

Review these five steps and get started today on ending your year on a high. You won’t regret it!