Seven reasons to complete a half year review this week.
1 July. Wait. Already?
Why is it these dates seem to sneak up on us every year? Rather than flinching at the fact half a year has gone by in a flash why not take 20 minutes to review your year to date? Here’s some compelling reasons to get one underway.
Fresh Starts. It’s been proven that using a calendar date such as the start of the week/ quarter/ half year to review and reset increases your motivation to change. Katy Milkman, behavioural scientist and author of How to Change has conducted many experiments proving fresh starts “give you either a real clean slate or the impression of one; they relegate your failures more cleanly to the past; and they boost your optimism about the future”.
Written proof. It’s been proven if you write your goals (preferably by hand) and check in to review regularly you are significantly more likely to achieve your objectives. Study after study shows the more when we write things down the more top of mind it is. More on the neuroscience behind it.
Priorities. A lot of people fall off the wagon because they reprioritise less important actions over their bigger picture, often without realising. Be intentional and focus on the long term vision rather than short term gain. A review will highlight where you’ve lost focus and then contribute to a plan going forward.
If you don’t prioritise your life, someone else will. Geoff McKeown.
Plan. If you had goals in January but no plan you might be finding yourself drifting along in a direction you have no control over and other people’s priorities might soon become your own. Making sure you have a step by step plan to get you there with systems such as habits and commitment devices to ensure you stay on track are essential.
Roadblocks. If you had objectives in January but you haven’t achieved them or even started you need to ask yourself why. Perhaps you need to do a deep dive on what really drives you. Or are the obstacles tougher than you thought? What resources such as people or tools like new habits can you use to plan a way forward?
Confidence. When you review what you have achieved since January it’ll remind you of what you are capable of and build a plethora of examples of how you can completely nail it when you are fully focused. Make sure you consider all areas of your life - how have you helped others? Where have you made improvements or decisions that have impacted you positively? Where have you used your strengths?
Rewards. We are driven by rewards. When reviewing your wins so far be sure to acknowledge yourself even if you’re only halfway towards your goal. Ensure you have built enticing rewards into your grand plan for when you reach those milestones throughout the year.
If you’d like a half year review template to get you started get in touch and one will be sent to you.