As we wind down 2023 and begin to think about the next calendar year, it’s both exciting and a bit burdensome. In one respect we get a whole new year that is a blank slate. We are free to create what we want with it. On the other hand, we may feel so terribly behind from this year that to think about next year brings about anxiety and stress. How can I plan for next year when this current one isn’t over and when I am not even close to achieving what I wanted for 2023?
Author Tim Ferris discussed his process in a podcast and on his blog (you can find that here https://tim.blog/2021/12/27/past-year-review/) and he came up with a surprisingly simple yet profound way of looking at next year. His solution was to do a post year review and then stack your calendar for next year with the events, gatherings, and people that you most enjoyed in the previous year. Pretty simple. In my opinion, even for those that don’t like to plan, this simple and intuitive method is hard to beat. I have been using it each year since I first read about it, and it frames my thinking for next year.
So that’s the first step – to go back into your calendar and choose the things that you enjoyed doing the most and forgetting about the things you enjoyed the least. And if you are not one who plans that much - this is probably the easiest and least stressful way to do it. If you didn’t get everything done in 2023, then just add it to 2024 if it’s still important. And if not, then you have saved yourself a ton of time. Just cross it off and forget about it.
Check back in a week for another tip when planning for next year.
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Alex Bishop, CRPC®, MS, is a Private Wealth Advisor and Franchise Owner with Bishop Financial Partners, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Huntersville, NC. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and investment management strategies and has been in practice for 23years. To contact him, https://www.ameripriseadvisors.com/alex.h.bishop or alex.h.hishop@ampf.com.
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