Designing a Fulfilling and Fruitful New Year
Today is one of my favorite days of the year.
This morning, I’ll sit down in one of my favorite coffee shops and reflect on the year as it comes to a close.
Above: One of my favorite spots in our beautiful little town of Poulsbo, Washington, known locally as “Little Norway.” Today is one of my favorite days of the year – a day to step back and reflect on the year that was, what I’ve learned, and the year to come.
Reflection is the first of four things I do at the end of each year to set the tone and get clarity of vision for the new year.
My mission today is to get you to schedule time to reflect and plan for 2025 before the end of the year.
Do you find the Christmas season the most packed time of the year? I do. It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the season and lose track of the bigger picture. Dedicating time to reflection and planning is so important but can feel impossible.
I used to think, “There is no way I can carve out time before the holiday – I’ve got too much work to do!” And then, when the holiday break hit, I would think, “This is family time – I can’t take time away from that.”
I would roll into January with the best intentions to start planning for the year but would inevitably be slammed with catching up and first-of-the-year tasks. More often than not, by the time I could carve out the time to sit down and plan for the year, it would be late January or February, and I wouldn’t hit my rhythm of intentional progress toward my priorities until March.
I don’t want you to lose those precious first few months of the year. With a bit of preparation this month, you can set the tone for a great new year.
Today, I’m going to share the four-step process that I use today to set myself up for a productive and fulfilling new year.
Four Steps to a Fulfilling and Fruitful New Year
I structure my reflection and planning time each year around the four steps. Feel free to adopt whatever works for you and toss what doesn’t.
Step One: Reflection
The first thing I do – what I’m doing this morning – is relive the year, month by month, and write down the milestones in bullet form – those things that stand out to me, whether positive or negative.
Milestones: Things that stand out from the last year, month by month (the good and bad ones!)
Goals: I review the measurable goals I created from the prior year (in step three, below) and how I did against each goal month-to-month.
Reflections & Observations: After finishing the list of milestones and goals, I review them and ask, “What do I notice? What stands out? Why that might be?”
Learnings: Finally, I ask, “What have I learned or can I learn from this year?”
If you are anything like me, you have made assumptions about the year – this year was great, challenging, exhausting, etc. We tend to oversimplify and generalize when the reality is often more mixed. Either way, we can learn from a deeper examination of the year we’ve just lived through.
💡 Takeaway: It’s amazing the personal insights that come when you take the time to reflect on the year’s milestones, personally and professionally, and ask, “What have I learned?”
This reflection typically takes a half-day session, and I try to do it before Christmas. That’s my plan for this morning.
Once I have reflected on the past year, the next three steps are looking forward, starting with setting and reviewing life priorities. I’ll take a quiet morning between Christmas and New Year's Eve for the next few steps.
Step Two: Priorities
I keep a list of priorities, both personally and professionally. I first developed my list years ago with the help of Bobb Biehl’s “Bucket List/I Want Chart.” Each year during this time, I review and update the following:
Lifetime Priorities: My top three life priorities. I review these annually, and they almost never change.
10-Year Priorities (End of 2035): My top three priorities for the next decade. I review these annually, and they rarely change.
3-Year Priorities (End of 2027): My top three priorities for the next three years – these change or get refined annually.
1-Year Priorities (End of 2025): My top 3-5 priorities for this next year – these change and are set each year in light of where I’m at.
I created these priorities years ago and update them each year, but it will take a little longer if this is your first time writing down your life priorities. Since I’ve done this before, I can typically do both this and the next step in one session.
💡 Takeaway: Creating a personal and professional list of your long-term priorities is a great way to give your short-term goals context as you set them in light of what is important to you in the longer term.
The next step is to turn this year’s priorities into measurable goals.
Step Three: Set Measurable Goals
The next step is to review my priorities for this year and ask, “How will I know I’m making progress toward my priorities? How can I measure each of these things?” I then set out measurable goals for each area of my life. Over the years, it took me a while to figure out that turning priorities into things you can measure is helpful.
Think of measurable goals as either inputs or outcomes. An input is something you do that you can measure that will lead to the outcome you want. By contrast, an outcome is something that I can measure that happens and shows I’m on track to achieve my goal.
Let me give you an example.
For example, one priority I had for this year was to do more keynote speeches. I set a goal of a specific number of keynotes. I translated that goal into a series of inputs: identifying potential conferences, developing 1-2 topics that could be keynotes, and being intentional about connecting with specific individuals who might be able to help. The outcome was the simple goal I wrote down – give X keynotes.
Similarly, another goal was to build cash reserves for the business. That translated into a monthly savings goal (input) to build up to a specific end-level of cash reserves (outcome).
A personal goal for 2024 was to take my wife and daughters on 1:1 dates at least once a month, which also went down as a measurable goal – at least one date/month.
The last thing I do is take those goals and write them down in a way that I can track them throughout the year.
For you, displaying your goals could be as simple as a one-pager that you put next to your desk. For me, I create a spreadsheet each year, with my goals down the left side, and months across the top, so I can update how I’m doing as the year progresses, and see where I’m doing well or falling behind, and tweak accordingly. I aspire to review these goals monthly, but the reality is that I typically review them quarterly.
The final step of my process is to summarize my vision for the coming year in a single word.
Step Four: One-Word Focus
Finally, and throughout this process, I am thinking about what single word I can use to summarize my focus in the coming year.
Of course, this one-word focus is not a new idea – many others use it, including Bobb Biehl, whom I mentioned earlier.
This single word becomes a focusing point, a personal rallying cry – an orienting word or phrase that can be used throughout the year to help make decisions and remind me what is important at this stage in my development.
What is one word that best summarizes what you want to focus on in the coming year?
I typically reflect on my one-word for a couple of weeks. I try out different words or phrases that come to mind. Often, it’s not until January that I settle on that single-word focus. Everyone is different, and for some, this is easier to do this than for others.
When I decide on the word, I put it in HUGE letters at the top of my list of goals and next to my desk.
My word for 2023 was “ESTABLISH,” as in establish healthy rhythms, processes, systems, new habits, products, partnerships, content strategies, clients, cash flow, savings, and resourcing. In many ways, 2023 was about establishing Imago Consulting in its first full calendar year of operation.
My word for 2024 has been “LAUNCH.” In some ways, the early part of 2024 felt like a continuation of establish. Still, I felt like the foundation was still being put into place to truly launch from there – to launch my book on recurring giving, a clarified set of offerings, and a new phase of sustainability in my business.
This morning, I’ll reflect on the year to date, and I’m optimistic. While some things on this year’s goals are not quite ready to launch, like the book, which will come out in early 2025, I’m glad I am taking the extra time to get it as good as possible.
Recap – Four Steps
Here’s a quick recap of the four steps:
Reflect on Milestones – Review the year’s milestones and progress on goals and ask, “What have I learned?”
Review Life Priorities – Set and review long-term life priorities and priorities you want to focus on in the coming year.
Set Measurable Goals – Turn your priorities into things you can measure – either inputs, activities that will help you progress towards your goal, or outcomes that show evidence you are making progress.
Establish a One-Word Focus – Summarize your next year in a single word or phrase that can act as a reminder of what is important throughout the year.
Now it’s your turn.
Schedule Time Before Year End
My encouragement is to look at your calendar right now and find two blocks before the year's end – one for reflection and one for planning. For me, that’s either just before Christmas or in a quiet space between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Take a moment to look at your calendar right now and schedule that time.
Go ahead, I’ll wait. 🤔
Got that time held on your calendar now?
Even if you can only find ONE hour during this holiday season, please do it. You will be thankful you did.
Regardless of when you do it, if you take the time to reflect on the year that was and consider the year to come, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
💡 Takeaway: Take time annually to reflect on the past year's milestones, asking, “What have I learned?” Consider what your life priorities are for this year and beyond. Set goals that align with those priorities, and consider a single word to focus you throughout the year. Schedule that time now.
Let’s give credit where credit is due – I pieced together this system from different leaders over the years, but by far, the two most influential leaders in my life on this rhythm are Bobb Biehl and Jon Acuff.
Bobb Biehl is an author and executive mentor to over 5,000 executive leaders over his career. No one person has influenced my development more than Bobb.
Jon Acuff is a self-described goal nerd and author of 11 books, including All It Takes is a Goal (and a podcast of the same name), Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done, and Soundtracks.
I highly recommend checking out both Bobb and Jon.
Until next week… Surfs Up! 🌊
- Dave
About the Author | Dave Raley
Consultant, speaker, and writer Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, a firm that helps non-profits and businesses create profitable growth through sustainable innovation. He’s the author of a weekly trendspotting report called The Wave Report, and the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast — a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands. Connect with Dave on LinkedIn.
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