Why You Didn’t Get Everything Done Last Year (and How to Change That)

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The new year brings with it hope for the future but also a little guilt as well. Guilt because we look back at the previous year and think, “I didn’t get to do as much as I set out to do.”

It happens— and it’s disappointing.?

Nothing reminds us more of this than looking at that unfulfilled bucket list when the new year rolls around.

So how do you break out of the vicious cycle? It all starts with how you make your goals.?

Try this little trick to come up with meaningful and actionable goals: imagine next year’s holiday letter.

Every year, people send out holiday letters detailing all the exciting trips they’ve been on and all their new jobs/houses/kids/etc. Whether or not you regularly write one of these, productivity guru and author Laura Vanderkam explains in her TED talk about? time management how you can use them to focus your goals.

Laura suggests you imagine what you would write on next year’s letter today.? That vision includes the 3-5 key things that would have to happen for it to be a successful year. Once you have picked those things you have your goals for the next year. Now you just need an action plan.

Here are my tips for creating the plan you need to finally cross off some of the most difficult tasks on your list!

1) Prioritize

Once you’ve picked your goals, you don’t need to roar ahead trying to achieve everything at once.

Write out the steps you will need to take to achieve each goal and create a priority list of what is more urgent.

Things that need to be started on right away, like training for a marathon, take top priority. You will need to start carving out time in your calendar for training and book your place in the race. Less important things like cleaning out the garage can wait until a later date (but this doesn’t mean you should ignore them altogether!).

2) Find the why

I wrote about a talk Julie Morgenstern gave, where she explained how she always used to hoard cookbooks. And she couldn’t throw them away until she understood why she kept them. The reason — she kept them because they represented the mother she wanted to be. Once she knew that, she could make plans to deal with the cookbooks.

Similarly, you can’t successfully do-over your goals from last year until you understand why you failed. Perhaps they were too big, or you didn’t give yourself enough time to do any of them or any research that would have helped. So before just rolling over your old goals from 2024, take a long think so you can decide if they make the list for the upcoming year.?

What are some of your goals for 2025?

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? CLICK HERE to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.