2020 Vision
Now that we’ve settled into the new year, it’s time to look ahead to what 2020 might bring. Planning for the new year takes some effort, but utilizing the right tools can help you stay organized and on track.
If you’re like me, you’ve seen multiple references to 2020 Vision. Usually that phrase comes from your eye doctor talking about vision ranges. Inevitably, with this being 2020, that phrase is a marketing goldmine. The idea of having clear vision when it comes to your business and creative goals can be a great motivator.
But what happens when your vision of a new year becomes cloudy? With your eyes, you’d go to a doctor when things start getting a bit fuzzy. But with your personal and professional goals, keeping everything on track requires planning and consistency.
Planning for 2020
Whether you use digital calendars and planners (either online or phone apps), or like me, still prefer analog versions, planning for the new year can help increase your chances for success. Having a place to write down your goals, plan your day-to-day work, and track results provides regular feedback and an opportunity to evaluate progress.
For my 2020 planning, I decided to try something new. In the past, I often used academic planners that rut from August through June. I guess that’s a holdover from my background as a student and teacher.
But the planner I started with back in August hasn’t been as efficient as I hoped. With the new year, I figured it was a good reason to scrap the old and start fresh while planning for the new year.
Choosing My Planners
I like the idea of a bullet journal in that it can be fully customized for whatever goals, activities, and interests you want. I even tried my own bullet journal for several months at one point. But, I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t have the patience to redo layouts each week for daily plans.
As I looked for a new 2020 planner, I looked for one with some customized elements while still having the traditional calendar and scheduling pages.
But of course, I couldn’t find one that had everything I wanted. Instead, I found two planners and small paper journals. One planner will be my goal trackers and day-to-day schedule (appointments, daily tasks, etc.) The other planner will be dedicated for my writing and professional goals, things like what chapters I need to edit each week and contacts for freelance opportunities. And the paper journals are for tracking a personal goal. I will use the journals to keep a daily log of activities for that specific goal.
While using three different planners might seem like just as much work as a bullet journal or using multiple apps, so far I like how this three-part system is working. While I have to rotate between different planners, the layouts are already there. Pages are already dated. All I have to do is fill in the blanks.
My Three-Part Planning System
The first planner will be my primary schedule and goal setting pages. It includes both monthly layouts and hourly schedules for each day to keep track of activities and appointments.
In addition to the daily and monthly plans, the reason I like this planner is that it has sections dedicated to specific goals. Goals are even broken down by priority level and whether they are personal or professional. This helps me focus on not only long-term plans, but also what projects require more immediate attention.
The second planner will be for my writing and other professional goals. It has blocks for each day where I can write down exactly what I need to work on, either writing a certain amount of words, editing a chapter, or working on developing freelance opportunities. This allows me to map out a weekly plan for completing projects. (And it came with sticky notes, so BONUS!)
Finally, the third part of my new system involves small paper journals for daily notes on a personal goal. The journals have 30 pages, so they are perfect for monthly tracking (with a little squeezing to fit in the 31st day for longer months). The pages include a place to write the date, and they are lined so I can keep more traditional notes than what can be written in the planners.
My 2020 Goals
When it came to planning for the new year, I have many small goals that I won’t share here because frankly, they’re boring to anyone who’s not me. However, I have handful of larger goals that I will share mostly for accountability.
Here are a few of the things I’m working on:
- Finally finish writing my first novel – I am currently in the revision stage of writing my novel. The second draft has taken longer than anticipated, but I hope to move on to technical edits in the near future. The overall goal is to finish the book and either secure a literary agent or (most likely) self-publish by the end of the year.
- Walk at least 500 miles. – In addition to other health related goals I’ll be tracking in the daily journals, I want to be more active. I’m not talking about hitting the gym for three hours a day. I simply want to be more intentional about activity. One way I can do that is through walking. Right now, that will involve my treadmill since it gets crazy cold around here in the winter. But on nice days, I will utilize my apartment complex which has lots of sidewalks, minimal traffic, and easy access to the city’s jogging/biking trail.
- Explore opportunities for freelance work and/or creative side hustle – I want to look into possible options for developing a part-time business through both freelance writing/editing and related work. I also will pursue the possibility of selling my creative work, such as paintings, for a little extra income.
- Read at least 30 books. – In 2019, my reading goal was 35 books, so this is a bit lower. But with the other projects I hope to complete, I need to spend more time on those. That means I need to balance my reading time a little more to allow additional time for all that other stuff.
**What are your goals for 2020? How do you keep track of planning and organizing those goals?**
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