Reflecting on 2023, Planning for 2024

There’s a tendency to wait until the quiet period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve to do our reflecting, dreaming and planning for the following year. This year, I’ve decided to start my life planning early before I dive into more traditional annual business planning which I love to do over the Twixmas break. Join me for some goal-setting, dreaming and visioning. 

We’re about to enter a busy social period of the year and I’m torn in two. On the one hand, I want to dress up, sparkle in sequins and go to all the parties! But the other part of me is tired, sees the sun setting at 4pm, and thinks ‘nearly bedtime’.  

It’s winter and this is when I need rest, warmth, cosiness, loungewear and mugs of Bailey’s hot chocolate. This has got me wondering if there’s a way to reconcile all my needs? Because I still have: 

• Business goals to achieve. 

• Christmas networking events to attend.

• Client projects to deliver. 

• Family commitments to honour.  

• 2024 to plan... 

There’s a tendency to wait until the quiet period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve to do our reflecting, dreaming and planning for the following year. But this year, I’ve decided to start my life planning early by carving out time and space to look back on 2023 and ahead to 2024 before I dive into the more traditional annual business planning. Something I love to do over the Twixmas break. 

If you’d like to join me in some goal-setting, dreaming and visioning, below are the prompts I’ve been using. I recommend making yourself a cup of tea or coffee – or better still a mug of Bailey’s hot chocolate - and getting yourself settled somewhere cosy and warm with a pen and paper and your favourite winter playlist. 

Let’s return to the beginning of the year, January 2023. 

• How were you feeling, as we entered this year? Business-wise, how were things looking?  

• What did you hope to achieve this year? How did that go? 

• What was the highest point for you, in terms of business? And the lowest? 

• Did anything happen, in terms of your business, that surprised you? 

• Who have you connected with – online or offline – this year? Which relationships would you like to deepen? 

• What do you feel proud of, this year? 

• How have you felt about the balance between money, business and the rest of life? 

• Staying with money: how much have you earned? How do you feel about this? 

• As we come to the end of the year, how do you feel about 2023, as a whole? 

Moving into 2024

• How would you like to feel next year? 

• What’s your word for 2024? How will you honour it? 

• What hours would you like to be working? 

• What does an ideal day and an ideal week look like? 

• How about the weekends: how are you spending them? 

• How will you look after yourself in terms of your self-care and wellbeing? 

• What new skills would you like to learn? 

• What new experiences would you like to try? 

• If you could achieve any one thing in 2024, what would it be? 

• How much would you like to earn? 

• What would you like to be doing to earn that money? 

• At this time next year, what would you like to say, when reflecting on 2024? 

• Could you create a mantra, using that phrase, to repeat from now and through next year? Put it in the present tense (I am…, I feel… I do….). 

• If you had a magic wand, what would you wish for right now? 

• Let me know how you got on in the comments below. 

Over to you 

I really hope you enjoyed these prompts.

Now I’d like to hear from you. What questions do you like to ask yourself as part of your life planning rituals?

Let me know by leaving a comment below right now. 

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