Holiday Wrapping: The "7 Inventories" You Need to Do to "Wrap Up" this Year and Set Yourself Up for Success in 2024

The final week of December is the perfect time to take stock – not only of whether you’ve been naughty or nice over the past year – but of where you may want to focus your time, attention, and energy going forward into the next.

And one of the best ways to achieve this objective and enhance your focus and productivity is by conducting the following "7 Inventories”:

[1]?GOALS inventory - What goals did you set for yourself for 2023, What did you achieve, What did you not, Which goals do you want to carry over into next year, and Which ones no longer matter? Keep in mind that, as the poet Robert Burns wrote, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. So, instead of beating yourself up over unmet goals or expectations, this is the perfect time to give yourself credit for what you DID acccomplish, wipe the slate clean, and allow yourself a fresh start!

[2]?PERSONAL inventory: Take some time to hit the pause button, look in the mirror, and assess how you're doing -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It's been a really rough past few years in so many ways...so, again, go easy on yourself. And then think about what you want and and need to do in the coming year to work towards becoming your best self...as defined by YOU and only you.

[3]?ENVIRONMENTAL inventory: How's your physical (and mental) space? Whether you are working from home, back at the office, or hybrid, look around you and consider what possible modifications you might want to make to help you to be more organized, more efficient, and more effective by creating a climate that is conducive to both your productivity and your mental well-being.

[4]?RELATIONSHIP inventory: Consider not only WHAT you are spending your time doing, but WHO you are spending your time with. Whether in person or remotely -- including all your interactions on social media -- ask yourself if you are giving the most important people in your life (both personally and professionally) the time and attention they need, want, and deserve? If not, it is entirely within your control to make any necessary modifications in the coming year.

[5]?FINANCIAL inventory: In these challenging economic times, taking some time to assess both your short-term and long-term financial situation and goals is so important. Whether you are aspring to increase your income and profitability, lower your costs, maximize your savings, lower your taxes, etc., taking some time to really reflect on and reevaluate "money matters" is definitely time work spending.

[6] TIME inventory: The management guru Peter Drucker famously said that "Time is the scarcest resource; if it is not managed, then nothing else can be." So, reflecting on how you spend your time -- and taking control of your calendar -- can truly change your life in a positive way. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and focus on the urgent rather than the important, only to turn around a year later and realize that you got none of the big and important things done. So, think about the things on your "one of these days" list and make TODAY "one of these days." For example: Pick up that hobby. Read more. Start writing your book. Apply for that TEDx talk you always wanted to do. Reconnect with old friends. Make some new ones. Or (as we did), get yourself a puppy (or two)!

[7]?SELF-DEVELOPMENT?inventory: Take some time to think about what changes you need to make to enhance your performance, your productivity, and your potential in the coming year. Develop new skills. Learn new things. Be more curious. Be proactive. As the saying goes, if you need shade, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; but the next best time is today. So don't wait!

Conclusion: I could go on and on with a million more suggestions and examples, but I'll stop here. Keep in mind that these "7 Inventories" are not mutually exclusive, but overlapping. And I hope that reading through this list will give you some food for thought and encourage and empower you to take that first step. For, even if you do JUST ONE THING differently -- or better -- as a result of reading this post, then it will have served its purpose.

And, if so, reach out anytime to let me know! I love hearing success stories! (As well as failure stories.) And if I can ever be of assistance in any way, please feel free to reach out and let me know that as well.

As for the year 2023 -- as we used to say when I worked in Hollywood: "That's a wrap."

So, find your "inner Rudolph," lead the way, and here's to lighting up the world in 2024!

*One valuable skill to work on in the new year is enhancing your visual thinking, visual communication, and visual leadership! To help you become a more visual leader, I hope you'll check out my book, "VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life"! And, if you've already read it, it never hurts to dust it off, open up to a random chapter, and think about how you might apply that practice to your work and life.