The start of December, for me, always means my mind is starting to look ahead to the new year. It’s the time I spend reflecting on what I’ve accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) in the current year, and it’s the time I start getting excited for all the projects I want to do in the next year. And there are usually many!
In the past, a long project list has left me floundering to get started; forget getting much finished because it’s so overwhelming.
This year I brainstormed all the things I’d love to accomplish in 2015. Putting them down on paper helped me see that it just isn’t possible to do it all in one year. Visualizing the list put it in a different perspective.
See what I mean? Overwhelming, right? It would be, except this year I’ve learned a new skill.
I’ve learned the power of asking WHY. Why do I want to do this project? Why is this important to me? So simple, but so powerful.
Stopping to think and reflect on why we want to do something helps us to identify if it’s really all that important. It helps to separate the projects that are truly meaningful to us from the projects that aren’t. In other words, it helps to flush out what our priorities are.
When I go through the list and think about the why behind each of these things, I can more easily set some goals for myself. The list of priorities is much shorter than the overall wish list.
Twelve months is a long time, and inevitably life will get in the way of getting through even the shortest list. And because I’m a Dabbler, inspiration can easily take over and lead me in another direction. Sometimes that’s ok. Knowing my why and narrowing down my priorities makes it easier to stay focused. Knowing why helps to keep my motivation in check throughout the year.
We are all busy. We all have a limited amount of time that we can spend on our hobbies. Knowing our priorities and what projects are most meaningful can set us up for success. Completing just two or three truly meaningful projects in a year is so much more satisfying than working on and completing several small, less meaningful things.
And you know what? I’m also finding that this can apply to many aspects of life, not just to a list of projects within our hobbies.
Have you started thinking about what you’d like to accomplish creatively in 2015? How do you plan for your year ahead? Let us know in the comments!