Planning for the New Year

January 1, 2018

Happy New Year!

Another Year has passed and another one is now beginning. If you looked at your resolutions from last January one, would you have made any progress toward the dreams and goals that you had then?

Some people say that they gave up on resolutions because they were too ambitious and they weren’t able to keep up with them. The way I see it, we shouldn’t give up one our dreams. For Christmas this year I got a bulletin board that says “Don’t give up your Day dream”. I really believe that. Don’t quit just because things get difficult. Who hasn’t heard the phrase “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail?” It’s true, you know. It is also true that plans don’t always go as we plan them, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make those plans. Plans can be adjusted. They are not made in stone. Take some time to analyze the plans you made and adjust them to where they are possible to reach, but difficult at the same time. During the past month, I spent some concerted effort making plans for the next year. I intend to make 2018, my best year yet.

Look (or Create if you don’t have any) Over Long Term Goals

I have several long term goals that I have worked on for several years now.

The first one was to be a published author. I am a published author ten times now and have drafts of several other books already in the wings, so I guess I can cross become a published author off the “to do” list. Except for the new NaNoWriMo project that I do every year, I am not going to start anything new this year. The biggest thing I need to do as an author is to market and sell books.

I do however, have a related long term goal. That goal is to create my own publishing company to include other authors. I started some planning for this last year, but this got bogged down while I was working on the business plan. As I see it, the business, Jerjoboch Publications, will have to become a corporation, but for now, since I am the business’s only “full time” employee, I will stick to keeping it a sole proprietorship.

A third goal that I am looking at is the fact that a number of years ago, I wanted to have been in all fifty states. I have been in 36 states, but have not been in: Hawaii, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

A final goal is to improve my health over the next year. This means better nutrition and more exercise. This is sort of a family goal because my husband and daughter would also like to do this.

Determine This Year’s Goals

On the long term goal of developing Jerjoboch Publications, I will focus on developing marketing and sales online and off line and live speaking engagements. A big part of developing this goal will be to build up online and off line marketing presence as well as making a more concerted effort at becoming a speaker.

On the long term goal of going to all fifty states, find a trip related to speaking engagements (or two) above where I can have a working vacation in either the northwest or in the New England states.

On long term goal of improving health, keep a journal about how I am taking care of my health on a daily basis starting with eating healthier meals when at home and doing yoga as well as measuring how much I am drinking water.

Determine January’s Goals Based on This Year’s Goals

This month, my goal to develop my publishing business will be to take on daily goals of reaching out to other authors, libraries, bookstores, chambers of commerce, and conventions concerning buying my books and allowing me to speak before their crowds. The templates are already written all I have to do is adapt them to the specific recipient. I will also maintain this blog every week throughout the year and promote a different book per month. This month the book is Living Today, The Power of Now.

My goal to go to every state will be explored by looking for locations that I can go which will help fulfill the first goal to get speaking gigs at chambers of commerce and in conferences.

My goal to improve heath will involve keeping a journal of the meals that I am eating, of the exercise that I am doing, and the water that I am drinking.

Determine Weekly Projects and Daily Tasks for January 2018

I am not going into the details of weekly and daily goals except to say that the weekly projects are sections of the monthly goals. The daily tasks are actions taken to complete the weekly projects.

There you have it, my major goals for the year. What major goals would you like to accomplish over the upcoming year?