The end of 2023 is almost a week away (crazy right?) but it’s not too late to plan your goals for a productive 2024. Next year has been titled the “year of self” – and TikTok and YouTube are already abuzz with 2024 reset videos and 2024 goal-setting videos. So, let’s prioritize ourselves, and mental health and set our goals so we can smash it in 2024.
Reflect on 2023
Before we get straight into visualising and planning our next year, it’s time to take a moment and reflect on 2023. This helps you identify more realistic and meaningful goals for 2024.
Remember to acknowledge your achievements and lessons learned – this is important for your mental health, especially if 2023 hasn’t been your easiest year. Take the time to focus on the areas that you can improve on, especially if you didn’t meet all your 2023 goals (which is totally okay, BTW).
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Define your priorities
Once you’ve reflected on the past year, you’ll be able to identify what goals and achievements truly matter to you. Is it personal growth, a new promotion at work, or learning a new skill?
Once you’ve sorted out your priorities, you’ll have the perfect stage to begin identifying and aligning achievable, meaningful goals.
Categorize and plan your goals
Once you’ve identified all the amazing things you want to achieve next year, it’s time to categorize and plan them out.
Break down these goals into the various aspects of your life, such as:
- Personal development
- Professional
- Financial
- Health and wellness
- Relationships
Once you’ve got that lined up, you begin planning out how you’ll achieve your aspirations. Remember to outline all your steps, milestones, and deadlines for your goals, so you can stay accountable.
Also see: Unlocking a healthier you: 2024’s top 6 wellness trends
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Create those vision boards
If you’re a visual person, this is where all those gorgeous vision boards come in. Grab pictures from Insta or, my favourite, Pinterest and create an aspirational collage so you can see a visual representation of your aspired life.
@marigabitere Replying to @val no such thing as a dumb question or thought 🫶🏼 in this video i talk about “how i create my goals” and basically how I figure out what I want to prioritize and focus on in 2024. What do we think? #visionboardguide #visionboard2024 #visionboardthatworks #visionboardtutorial
♬ Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Get an accountability buddy
Sometimes we can’t keep ourselves accountable, and that’s okay because we’re only human. But, if you know that staying on track is a challenge, get an accountability buddy. This can be your bestie your favourite aunt or your mentor.
These important people can keep us motivated and can share the load when things seem a little tough.
Don’t be too strict
Remember though, achieving all the things you set out for yourself isn’t the be-all and end-all. Life happens and we might not meet all our milestones and deadlines. Just because you plan it out, doesn’t mean these deadlines are set in stone.
To make 2024 your year, be open to adjusting the plan and being flexible. This will help your mental health and keep you on track.
You should also remember to celebrate the things you do achieve – no matter how small. Being kind to yourself is so important.
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Featured Image: Pexels
