New Plan, New Year

Plan for success in the New Year

New year is the big time we make resolutions. I was chatting to a friend of mine about the health resolutions people make in January: 30days of doing something or giving up something. Diet fads and exercise promises that aren’t sustainable or don’t fit in to people’s actual lives. Some of these resolutions may have already gone the way of the discarded Christmas tree! I know in previous years I haven’t had a great success rate!

It made me think. What if I applied some of my work life skills to my personal goals? Could this help me achieve those new years resolutions that so many of us make and quit?!

Most successful companies will have a plan, a set procedure for achieving the end result the client/customer is paying for. My company designs and builds gardens for individuals. When I go for that first meeting with new clients I always go with a plan that I follow to ensure nothing gets missed so achieving the best results for happy clients.

New clients will give me all the ideas they’ve been thinking about for however long the idea of sorting their garden has been in their head. It’s my job as the designer to pull from their vast assortment of ideas the key points and essential non negotiables on their wish list and design a scaled plan to dovetail with these main wishes. The end result is a clear, focused plan of action which we can then set timescales, targets and budgets from. A realistic and achievable version of their dream garden.

What if I did exactly the same with my personal new years resolutions? This year, instead of just making resolutions that go by the wayside, I have decided to plan how to achieve what I want in 2016.

So I started by spending some time writing down all my hopes and dreams and goals for 2016. Everything I could possibly want. Just like I ask my clients to do. Then I had a cull! I put into separate lists things that I felt half hearted about, things that are seriously unrealistic, things that I should do but really just don’t want to. I put to one side everything that did not get me excited. It’s amazing how much you can take off your list doing this. It doesn’t mean those things are gone. Just that it’s not their time yet.

The next step was to break my hopes and dreams down into acheivable parts. What do I need to do in order to achieve this? How many steps will it take? How long will it take? Then I had another look at my list and made sure I was still certain I wanted to put in the work to achieve these results. Once I did this with each idea I had a realistic plan and timetable for achieving my goals.

We each have our individual dreams and goals. And they are very personal. But by using some of our work skills we can increase our chances of succeeding and achieving what we want. I now have my plan for 2016 in place and am so excited to start and get stuck in. A plan is for life not just for New Year!

Happy New Year to you.  I hope that 2016 brings you everything you hope, plan and work for!

PS

The very flattering pictures were taken by the lovely Shelley of Photography & Design in Motion.  Such a fantastic photographer that put even me at ease!  The pictures were taken at my 2nd home The Athlete Centre Didcot.  It's a crossfit gym that's a whole different fitness experience to normal gyms.  Have a look.  See if you can spot me!

Design for You

Sara Southey

Dip. PSGD

Mobile Tel: 07860 454514

Office Tel: 01235 834868

Email: [email protected]

www.bluestonesgardendesign.co.uk

 Bluestones Garden Design Limited - Registered number 06155850