Setting your intentions for 2020

How to set your intentions for 2020


As we start another year it's very natural to think about resolutions, goals, ambitions, targets, intentions, whatever you want to call them.  There seems to be an inbuilt need and desire within us to wipe the slate clean and start again.  Brilliant, great, fabulous, love it BUT where most of us go wrong is that we start things in earnest but never follow them through.  This is why it's so important to set out our intentions from the very beginning with touchpoints throughout the year to review what's going well and what isn't quite going to plan.  If you read my blog last year then hopefully one of the things you found most helpful was the quarterly reviews that we did together.  One of my biggest downfalls is that I often take on too much and end up stressed out trying to do everything because I've not built in enough flexibility - we don't have to complete all our goals by the end of January!!

Ok, so we're all keen and chomping at the bit to get going in 2020 but where do we actually start.  Here's what I do because, quite simply, it's what works for me.  That's the most important thing, you have to do what's right for YOU so although this works for me, it might not work for you ... and if you find a better way then please do let me know!!

 High level intentions
First of all, I come up with a phrase or words that embody what I am trying to achieve during that particular year.  For 2020, my high level intentions are:


 Descriptors
Underneath these are the descriptors I have come up with for each high level intention:

 BE BOLD - "In 2020 I choose to try new things without fear of failure"
BE BRAVE - "In 2020 I choose to think outside the box without fear of failure"
BE BETTER - "In 2020 I choose to better myself without fear of failure"

 Key areas
Once I have my intentions and descriptors in place, I can then start thinking about the areas where I want to apply these intentions.  For 2020 I've chosen 6 key areas:

 Blog
Fit for It
Nutrition
Exercise
French
Skills

 From here I can now start putting the specifics in place.

 Specifics
So what exactly do I want to achieve in each area?  In order to set things in motion I have to be very specific.

 Blog - "I would like to improve my blog by trying out new layouts and formats so it looks more professional"
Fit for It - "I would like to create new content for my PT sessions and boot camps so that my clients do not get bored"
Nutrition - "I would like to improve my cooking skills so that I can make my own healthy lunches and snacks for work"
Exercise - "I would like to challenge myself by doing different races this year"
French - "I would like to go back to basics and improve my grammar and vocabulary skills"
Skills - "I would like to improve my technology skills to help me at work"

The devil's in the detail
Now comes the hard bit ... putting your intentions into actionable tasks.  It's all very well having your intentions written down all nice and neat in your new 2020 diary or notebook but in order to achieve them, you have to carry out the actions needed.  At the end of every week, I sit down and write out what actions I need to complete over the course of the following week.  THINK BABY STEPS and create achievable actions so you won't feel overwhelmed.  For example, here's what next week might look like for me:

 Blog - Action: Research blog layouts to get more of an idea of how I want mine to look like.
Fit for It - Action: Look at a previous session and brainstorm how the exercises can be done in different ways.
Nutrition - Action: Find a new recipe to try out (I'm attempting savoury muffins later this afternoon!)
Exercise - Action: Take a look on race event websites and list which races I'd like to do.
French - Action: Learn 'Avoir' in all its different tenses and get Mr Bob to test me on it.
Skills - Action: Read up on how Microsoft Teams works.

 Do you get the idea?  Why not have a go yourself and see if this method works for you.  If not, then try another method.  As you can tell, I like to have lots of structure and defined actions for my goals but this may be your idea of hell.  

 Another really easy way to get you started is by simply letting your imagination run riot and listing all your dreams and ambitions by starting off with the phrase "Wouldn't it be great if ...." and then finishing the sentence.  For example,

 "Wouldn't it be great if ... I could save enough money by the end of this year so I could book my dream holiday in 2021".  From this you could then write down the actionable task of "Wouldn't it be great ... if I can put things in motion by saving £100 each month".  

 By using this method, there's not as much structure so you might feel there's less pressure.  However, whatever method you choose, you'll never achieve your goals if you don't put your plans into actionable tasks!!

 What are you waiting for?  Go grab your phone, iPad, Macbook, pen and paper, whatever works for you and start setting your intentions for 2020.  You got this, you can do it, this is YOUR year!!

 #2020

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