Planning a Year

Starting the year off right can be an important step to help accomplish goals and achieve milestones, whether they are personal or professional. This time last year, WILMA checked in with HAYLEY LUCKADOO, a social media guru, business coach, motivational speaker, and podcast host, to learn about the importance of motivation.

We checked back in with her to learn some tips for planning out the year, setting goals, getting out of a rut, and learning from the past.

Her advice for steps people can take to plan out their personal or professional lives in the new year is to not wait to get started.

“There’s no better time than the present and too many people make resolutions and then put off getting started,” Luckadoo says. “Also create an actual plan for HOW you’re going to achieve the goal not just what you’re going to achieve.”

A key to making plans or setting goals is to be honest with yourself about what you are willing and able to do.

“Then be consistent in sticking with the plan you created,” she adds.

Another important thing is to not overthink it.

“Don’t allow yourself to stress out over goals so much that you burn out in January and need the rest of Q1 to recuperate. Goal setting is important, but so is avoiding burnout, being happy, and finding peace. If your goals are robbing you of your peace, joy, or contentment, you’re doing it wrong.”

WILMA: What are some tips for setting goals and steps to achieve them?
LUCKADOO: “Let’s face it, we hear a lot about goal setting, and we all understand the concept of deciding on a goal and then telling ourselves we’re going to work toward it. So, to avoid the basics that you already know, I have 3 really important tips that bring your goal setting from an idea to reality.

1. Take the goal that you have and ask yourself what the next level would be. What’s the one step further version of that goal that seems crazy or impossible to you? That’s your new goal. When we dream bigger and allow ourselves to go after more audacious things, we’re more likely to hit the goal we originally set to begin with and realize that they probably weren’t as difficult or far off as we thought. Ever heard that quote ‘shoot for the moon because if you fall you’ll still land among the stars?’ It rings true. Aim one step higher so that your original goal just became the fallback goal that you’ll settle for.

2. A goal is useless if you don’t attach a time frame to it. You need a plan and a plan comes with a deadline. Whatever the time frame is that you’ve given yourself to reach your goal, cut in half and then create small steppingstone goals to get you there. So, if you thought the goal was going to take six months to achieve, give yourself a three-month deadline, then set a weekly smaller goal that gets you a little closer to it. The truth is that goals take the amount of time we allow them to take. If you give yourself six months, you’ll take the full six months. If you decide to try it in three months, you may not make it, but you still may get it done in four. Force yourself to get scrappy, get persistent, and to set a timeline that’s a whole lot closer than you were anticipating. You’ll probably surprise yourself.

3. Write your goals down somewhere that you’re going to see them every day. Maybe this is putting them on post notes on your desk or your wall or maybe it looks like writing them in a journal every day. However, it works for you, give yourself the forced advantage of seeing them every day and having to consider the progress you’re making on those goals.

WILMA: Many people like to start the year off fresh, but should this also be a time to reflect on everything you’ve learned up to now?
Luckadoo: “You can’t get where you’re going if you won’t look at where you’ve been. Starting the year off with some newfound gratitude, resolutions, and commitment to your goals is awesome, but don’t ignore how far you’ve already come and what the previous year can teach you if you’re willing to dissect it a little bit. I think the process of setting your goals for the year should include looking at what has and hasn’t worked in the past and what hard lessons you’ve learned that may affect how you approach these future goals. If you burned yourself out last year trying to do too much, then setting 1,000 goals for yourself for Q1 probably isn’t the best idea, but you won’t know that if you don’t do that reflection.”

WILMA: What advice do you have for people who have been putting off professional plans or feel stuck?
Luckadoo: “What’s stopping you? So often there’s an underlying reason why we’re putting something off. We blame being busy when the truth is you make time for the things that matter to you. We blame not having enough connections, but we don’t make ourselves available to make the connections we think we need. Ambition is useless without action. You can set goals, make plans, and hype yourself up all day long, but if you never take that one next step, you won’t move forward. Consider what it’s costing you to stay where you are. Consider the opportunities you’re missing out on by not starting right now. What’s keeping you stuck? If you can figure that out, you can problem solve your way around it and start taking those tiny little steps that add up to get you to the goal.”

WILMA: Do you have a favorite planner, website, app or gadget that you feel like helps you stay on track with goals or career organization?
Luckadoo: “I’m a paper planner girl, and I love my Day Designer planner! But I’ll share more of a practice that is my best tool for getting things done: create a must-do list. We all love to create a to-do list each day to knock out our goals, but a must-do list is where you really prioritize. Three items, no more and no less, and for me that looks like one revenue-generating activity, one marketing-related item for my business, and one personal to-do. Adjust the categories for what applies to you, but set it up so that you’re making money, moving the needle on your goals, and creating a little more balance in your life!”

WILMA: What are you personally looking forward to in the new year?
Luckadoo: “So many things! I’m really excited to watch my business continue to grow and make an impact on more women who are charting their own path, growing businesses, and chasing audacious dreams. We’ve got a lot of growth and projects in store for 2022 so I can’t wait to see that come to fruition. I also can’t wait to get my book in progress out into the world because it’s been a passion project that I think will have a huge impact too!”

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