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The best way to stay grounded in your goals is to review them yearly. This process takes the form of an annual check-in with yourself when you take time out from the daily grind and think about what you want to achieve in life and business over the next 12 months. Inside this article, I share five steps to get you started on how to create a yearly review to achieve your small business goals.
Why do you need a Yearly Business Review?
This exercise can be enlightening for many reasons: it helps you set new year’s resolutions that are more achievable; it reminds you about essential milestones or anniversaries coming up; and it gives you a chance to assess your progress over the past year as well as where things have gone wrong – all without feeling too overwhelmed by everything going on right now.
In short, a yearly review will help keep your eyes firmly fixed on the prize while also keeping those pesky feelings of stress and anxiety at bay.
A Yearly Review is a critical practice in the world of personal development. It’s one thing to say, “I want to be making six figures by next year.” But it’s another thing to write down your goals, break them into smaller achievable milestones along the way, and then check in every month to measure how you’re doing against those goals.
Many people, including me, find writing these reviews between Christmas and January 1st of every year.
What is a Yearly Small Business Business Review?
If you’re not familiar with a yearly small business review – The idea behind this practice is that you look back and reflect on the previous 12 months each year. You review your successes and failures, looking at what worked and didn’t, what you’re proud of, and what you’d like to improve. Then, you set some goals for the coming year, again looking at what you want to achieve and breaking those goals down into smaller, more manageable steps. Finally, you create a plan of action with specific dates by which you will accomplish each milestone.
There are variations in this process, but the goal is always the same: to help you stay on track and achieve your goals.
A yearly review can be a beneficial way to stay focused and motivated throughout the year when done correctly. It’s a way of keeping yourself accountable, both to yourself, business, and others. And it’s also a way of ensuring that you’re making progress towards your goals, rather than simply hoping for the best.
5 Steps To perform a yearly business review:
If you’re thinking of giving the Yearly Review a try, here are five steps to get you started:
1. Reflect on the past year
The first step in any good Yearly Review is reflection. This means looking back at the previous months and taking stock of what happened.
- What were your biggest successes?
- What challenges did you face?
- How did those challenges affect other parts of your life?
This review is also the time to consider how far you’ve come. Look at all you’ve achieved since January 1st of last year, and feel good about what you’re accomplishing.
This part of the process should be uplifting. The point isn’t to look back and criticize yourself for what went wrong; it’s to acknowledge the positive changes you’ve made and give yourself credit for them.
2. Consider where you want to go next year
Once you’ve looked back at the last 12 months, take some time – maybe a week or so – to think about where your goals will lead in the coming year. This review is your chance to identify the best strategies for accomplishing those goals, as well as the specific actions you’ll need to take along the way.
If possible, try to think about this from an outsider’s perspective, looking at your plans objectively and ensuring there aren’t any obvious flaws or holes in your plan. If you struggle with this part of the process, talk it over with a friend or colleague who can help point out areas you might have overlooked or pieces that don’t fit together correctly.
Ep 77: How To Set Goals That Fulfill Not Frustrate
3. Put together a concrete, actionable business plan for achieving those goals
Once you’ve made some decisions about where you want to go in the new year and how exactly you’re going to get there, it’s time to put together your plan of action. This goal-setting plan should include specific dates by which you’ll achieve each milestone, as well as the steps you need to take to make that happen.
This is where the rubber meets the road. This can be a daunting task if you’re not used to taking action. But remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your business goals won’t be accomplished overnight either. Start small, and gradually increase the difficulty of the tasks as you get closer to your goal deadline.
4. Check in with yourself every month
One of the most critical aspects of the Yearly Review is measuring your progress every month. This check-in means setting aside some time each month to reflect on your goals and how you’re doing in terms of achieving them.
If you find yourself behind schedule, don’t worry – there’s always time to catch up. But it’s important to be aware of where you are so you can make the necessary adjustments. Likewise, if you’re ahead of schedule, you may want to start raising the stakes a bit, so you continue to challenge yourself.
5. Celebrate your successes along the way
The Yearly Review isn’t just about looking backward and forwards; it’s also about celebrating your successes along the way. This examination is an opportunity to pat yourself on the back for all that you’ve achieved, no matter how big or small those accomplishments might be.
Take some time to savor your wins, and enjoy the positive emotions that come with them. Let yourself feel proud of what you’ve accomplished, and allow yourself to bask in that good feeling for a little while. It’ll help keep you motivated as you continue working towards your goals.
Recap: yearly small business review
As you can see, running a yearly small business review is a vital tool for anyone looking to stay accountable and make progress on their goals. By taking the time to reflect on the past year, consider where you want to go next, and put together an actionable plan, you can ensure you’re making the most of your time and resources. Monthly check-ins and celebratory milestones are also key ingredients in a successful Yearly Review, helping individuals track their progress and stay motivated along the way.
Setting Small Business Goals
Each year, it’s easy to make overly ambitious or unrealistic resolutions. It also isn’t uncommon for people to lose interest in their goals halfway through the year and give up before they reach them.
But you can achieve your goals with these five tips: Reflect on the past year, Consider where you want to go next year, Put together a concrete, actionable plan for achieving those goals, Check in with yourself every month, and lastly Celebrate your successes along the way.
These methods will help keep you accountable, so your success is more likely than not at the end of your next 12-month journey.
More Resoureces for Yearly Goal Setting
So what do you say? Are you ready to take on new challenges and stay motivated throughout 2022?
Suppose you’re looking for accountability and a new way to measure and set your business goals? In that case, inside The Social Note Membership, along with other brand-building resources, we release several pieces of training and give you access to exclusive workbooks to make sure your next year in business is a success. For more information on joining us, CLICK HERE jointhesocialnote.com.
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