As we enter the new year, it is important to set clear goals in order to ensure that we are setting ourselves up for success in 2024. 2024. Not 2023. 2023 has already been spoken for in the sense that whatever decisions you made in 2022 will largely inform the next twelve months. As a result, whatever you have (or do not have) on your plate currently, is what you will be contending with as we roll into the current year.  

But this is good news!

Let’s say you’d like to hit the gym more regularly. Well, you have 12 months to work on adopting this habit in order to ensure that you are pushing steel regularly (and enjoying it) by 2024. Maybe you want a better relationship either with yourself, the person you are currently with, or with someone new? Now, you have a full year to make better decisions in order to achieve max contentment in this department. But perhaps your goals are more financial? In that case, well, you have a much longer and more realistic time frame to work with. 

By accepting that 2023 is a building year, it takes the pressure off because now you have a whole 12 months to get awesome. To ensure that come January next year, you’ll be pleased enough with where you’re at to focus on the big 2025.

With 2024 in your sights, I’d like to suggest four areas of focus which present altogether as steps. 

Declutter and optimize in order to set clear goals

The process of optimization, which involves identifying and solving for inefficiencies while implementing or maximizing efficiencies boils down to a form of decluttering. 

First, we must identify areas that can be improved, to do which we must take a closer look at our physical space. Does everything in the apartment or home have a place? And is this place the best place for this or that object or is it a chore to use this or that because or where it is located or how it is stored? Whether your goal is finance or relationship driven, identifying areas of physical clutter and solving for this clutter will help to clear a literal path to wherever you intend to be in 2024. 

And as you work on problem solving the right spot for pots and pans, coats or mail (or whatever it may be that threatens to steal time and energy from your day), we should not forget to solve for digital dross by identifying technologies and software that can help to automate mundane, time-consuming tasks such as email or grocery shopping. 

What tools you decide on will depend on your lifestyle, work situation and personal ambitions. As there are a growing number of sites designed to improve productivity in pretty much any area you can imagine, you’re really just a search away from a solution that will suit your needs. From “how to make better lists?” to “how to take less time to write better emails?” you’ll find a wealth of corner cutting tech solutions. 

And if there is a learning curve to any new implementation, remember that this is what 2023 is all about. Problem solving. And problem solving doesn’t happen overnight. Solutions are hard won. And it takes time and effort to determine what works and what doesn’t. Whatever challenges await, take solace in that the time you are putting in now will produce results twelve months from now, which will manifest as a happier you. 

Set informed goals in order to streamline decision making

As we enter the New Year, it is vitally important to remember that making wise decisions is a major factor in achieving success – both big and small. Making the right decisions requires careful consideration of the potential outcomes, and making informed decisions requires having the right information. And researching, evaluating, and analyzing data can help you stay informed while giving you the confidence to act on your ambitions. 

If your goal is to be healthier, for instance, what does “being healthier” look like? By way of example, recent publications suggest that the previously recommended ten alcoholic drinks per week has now been reduced to two. Two! That’s an alarming reduction, which, depending on your lifestyle may factor into health related goals. Basically, whatever systems you put in place will only be as good as the most recent science, to obtain which depends heavily on staying informed via research and analytics. 

Crack down on indecision by focusing on character

It is important to take the time to think through the choices available and the potential outcomes before making a decision, but before even that, you want to ask yourself what kind of person you want to be. The goal here is to ensure that the decisions you make, especially the ones you tend to make automatically, are informed by principles that speak to the type of person you want to be in 2024. 

For sure, decisions are never easy. Many decisions, especially big ones, live in that grey area which puts us in the difficult position of having to rely on lists of pros and cons, but the fact is, we are confronted with a lot of these grey area decisions as a result of numerous smaller decisions that we have made leading up to more apparently life changing ones. And when you have your moral compass in place, and you are making wiser decisions on a smaller scale, you will eventually find that more impactful life changing decisions feel less on the whole like decisions, and more like ‘no brainer’ opportunities. Opportunities being the key word here, since, to feel good about where you are, who you are, and where you are heading is an achievement of character that flattens the labyrinth, almost to the point where choice is reduced to a yellow brick road, albeit with obstacles along the way. 

Though even obstacles — that is, when you are feeling good about where you are and who you are — look more like opportunities to seek out the advice of trusted advisors who may have experience in similar situations. This sets you up to choose mentors and friends alike who can help you to stay true to self in the interest of sound decision making. 

Carve out personal space for reflection and creativity

The final area of focus for 2023 should be carving personal time out of each day for the express purpose of achieving calm. Calm for personal space or reflection is the glue behind success in the optimization, decision making and values department. What this personal space looks like will be different for everyone. For some, it may be painting, for others, writing, for still others some form of meditation or conversation. Whatever your vehicle, the point is to take time to enjoy a few moments without the pressures of productivity. Many liken this initiative to creative time, throughout which, we remain unfocused and care free. For me, it’s an early morning espresso outdoors regardless of the weather. That I am looking forward to 2023, that I’ve managed to maintain a blog, continue to put in time at the gym and enjoy time with my loved ones is in large part thanks to the espresso and the time on the porch. And because I recognize that whatever works for me in 2023 stems from the productivity and calm I achieved in 2022, means I am all the more motivated to put the work in necessary to enjoy the best 2024 possible. 

Best wishes to anyone reading. Much love, health and happiness to you and yours — let’s make 2024 the year to remember, and 2023 the year to make it happen. 

JM.