Simple exercise to finish the year strong

As we hit the halfway point of the year, I want to ask you a question:

How has this year worked out for you so far?

Are you closer to achieving the goals you set at the start of the year? Or are you constantly buried in work and urgent tasks that are hindering your progress?

If you’re on track, then that’s GREAT! Keep going and doing what you’re doing.

But if everyday busyness is causing you to drift further and further off course, then here’s a simple exercise to get you back on track:

Schedule some “me time” to do your own mid-year review.

Now is the perfect time to zoom out and make sure you’re still on track because only you know what you want to accomplish.

3 Questions to ask yourself to conduct your own mid-year review

1. What worked well and what would I do differently?

One of my mentors and coaches, Jeff Walker, calls this “WWDD”. This stands for “worked well, do differently”.

Ask yourself, “What’s working well, and what do I want to do differently?”

Start by listing out all your accomplishments for the year, personal and professional. No accomplishment is too small (or too big – this is your chance to brag and take credit).?

Then write down all the things you’ve learned – both the things that went poorly and the things that went well.

From my experience, the things that don’t go as we wanted are ripe for lessons learned, and the best way to get those mistakes out of your head is to extract the lessons. It’s the single best way I’ve found to help myself move forward despite making errors.

2. What are my goals?

Look at the goals you set for the year and the goals you want to achieve in the longer term . You’re always evolving and growing, so the goals you’ve set in the past may not be relevant anymore. Or at least they might need some adjustment.

Are your goals aligned with who you are at this point in your career? Or maybe you’ve made so much progress that you need a new point on the horizon to strive for.

Either way, you’ll appreciate getting clarity on your goals so you can set the right priorities and commit to actions that will get you there.

3. What mid-course corrections do I want to make?

Having reviewed your goals and assessed your current status, you’re ready to decide what mid-course adjustments you want to make.

If you’re exactly on track, then that’s great! For you, it’s more a matter of making minor enhancements.

For the rest of us, it may require a little more action. A good way to get this down to some actionable items is to list out the following:

• Decision-making: How are you making decisions about what to take on and what to say “no” to, and does this still serve you well? Do your actions match your priorities?
• Key projects: What are the key projects you want to get done by the end of the year? How does this align with your priorities and what do you need to move these forward?
• Looking ahead: What do you need to do this year to set yourself up for a great year next year?
• Action steps: What do you want to start doing, stop doing, and keep doing?

You’ll always be triangulating between long-term goals and near-term actions.

It’s like tacking in sailing where you make lots of mid-course adjustments to reach the destination. Given the unpredictable elements of nature, sailors can’t just “set and forget” when it comes to the ocean. The same is true of your career.

So, as we head into the second half of the year, what will you start doing, stop doing and keep doing to achieve your goals and finish the year strong?