Getting 2022 off to a good start

The long-awaited New Year is here and after the past couple of years, it’s probably safe to say we’re all keen to make this year a particularly positive one! It’s entirely normal to feel a bit deflated when our holidays come to an end, so here’s a couple of exercises to help you get 2022 off to a good start.
 
Take some time to reflect
OK, so you may just want to forget all about 2021, but it can be a helpful exercise to do a bit of a review of what worked well last year, and to get some perspective around your successes – even the small ones – so you can consider how you can attain more of those this year. And while many things that didn’t go so well may have been out of your control, it can also be good to acknowledge the things that didn’t work so well that you did have control over, so you can put some thought into how you can avoid or minimise the same things happening this year.
 
Use the following prompts to get your thoughts flowing:

• What went well for me last year?
• What were my accomplishments/achievements?
• How did I improve my life?
• How did I improve my relationships?
• What did I remove from my life that is now making me happier?
• What do I wish I had taken more time for?

 
Ask these types of questions about all the important areas of your life, such as family, relationships, financial, career, home, etc.
 
Keep track of your responses to these questions so that you can refer back in the future – your answers year on year could be very enlightening. You may even like to do a half-year check-in to gauge how you’re getting on and if you’re tracking towards having plenty of successes to reflect on come this time next year!
 
Finish what you started
Make a list of the projects and general to-do items you never quite got finished last year, then go through the list and cross out all of those that no longer matter to you or that no longer need to be completed. Be firm with yourself – if it doesn’t matter or won’t add value to your life, let it go.
 
With the items you do have left on the list, make a note of which ones can be done within an hour or so, and dedicate the time needed to get them done. Follow through, because crossing a few of those tasks off may well give you the motivation needed to get stuck into those bigger activities that will take you a bit longer but that you absolutely must get completed.
 
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, choose one thing to consciously work on at a time. There’s no prizes for attempting to do everything at once, but if you’re feeling full of energy and motivated, go for it! Keeping unfinished projects hanging around doesn’t do us any good, they just weigh on our minds – so get them done or let them go; either way you'll be giving yourself the satisfaction of a fresh start.
 
You don’t have to go it alone
While these activities may not be rocket science, they do require you to be an active participant. Be conscious in your decision-making about what needs to be done, and if you’re finding it all a bit much, talk it through with someone you trust – a colleague, your team, a friend, or your manager.

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