The Back Half Starts Now: Refocusing Your Goals and Reclaiming Your Time
Set aside dedicated time to audit your progress and goals.
It is the time of the year that we begin to spend more time outside, kids are out of school, and we realize we are halfway through another trip around the sun. That last piece is usually a sobering moment as we try to recall where the last six months have gone. This year has been full of surprises, change, and challenges. But ten years ago, people would hit June and wonder where time had gone as well.
Let this be a time when we spin it positively as a reminder to pause for a moment and take inventory of where we are. Technically, we have that option on any day, any month. But there are clearly symbolic points in the year that we all find markers for review. So, as we approach the mid-point of this year, I wanted to think about what that can mean for our goals.
I’ve previously shared articles about pushing through the challenges of accomplishing our goals. Taking time to review and reflect on your first half achievements and your expectations for the coming months can be helpful in assessing and planning for what is next. Here are a few tips for completing a mid-year review for your goal achievement plan.
Set aside a specific time
What seems like the easiest step is often the toughest. You will need to block dedicated time on your calendar to sit down without distractions and spend time reviewing what you have accomplished (or not) so far this year. Do not rush this. Ensure you block enough time to do this justice for yourself. Maybe a quiet Saturday morning or a Thursday afternoon might work best if you always work weekends. Whenever it is, make it your time. Close out all distractions and focus on yourself.
What has worked well so far?
Start with what is working well. I guarantee you have achieved more than you realize so far this year. Even those items that may not contribute directly to your goals should be captured. In fact, that may come in handy later as you review how and where you have spent your time. You can decide then whether that was the right thing to work on. But for now, write down everything you have achieved over the last six months.
What has changed since the start of the year?
This is a broad area, as there will be external changes as well as internal. External meaning outside your control. A war in the middle east breaking out and skyrocketing inflation are just two external factors that come immediately to mind which have impacted nearly everyone on the planet. Perhaps you have had other changes in your team, your position, your supervisor, or company priorities. All of those are good to capture, so you have a good context for what you have experienced.
What are you still passionate about that hasn’t gotten done?
As you move into your specific goals, it is a good time to think about what is really important to you that you may not be dedicating enough time or energy to. Consider ideas you have had but not begun to work on yet. This can help to reframe your existing goals, or even swap some of them out. Remember, your goals are YOUR goals. You can add, delete, change, or update anything you want. There may be a new passion that you want to dedicate more time to now that wasn’t on your radar six months ago.
Goal achievement is always going to be driven by what is most impactful to you. Be intentional about that. This is a good place to capture and spend time thinking about those things that mean the most to you.
What is holding you back or getting in your way?
This is a critical one: be very honest with yourself. The most likely answer is ‘you are’. As I complete this exercise myself, many of my biggest obstacles come down to how I have prioritized and where I am spending my time. It is easy to use the excuse of being too busy, or other people needing a lot from us, but we still have a choice on where and how we spend our time and with whom.
If you think something might be in the way, treat it as definitively in the way. You can address the specifics later. For now, the key is to capture the (potential) barrier.
I hope these review questions help you identify the steps you need to take to make the changes you want. After completing your review, pull out your calendar and see where you can make changes.
I know for me, the last question around obstacles came back to how I schedule my time and how I allow my time to getscheduled. The most significant change I can make is being more active in my calendar management and ensure I am directing where I am, and not allowing others to always dictate that to me. Then I can ensure I have the time I need for the things that are most important. And I do understand that we all have bosses and things that come up. Trust me, I had that reality check with myself already. However, I can take more agency in my activities, and even blocking out an extra two hours a week can make a difference. You can make these subtle changes as well, and I bet they will make a tremendous impact in what you can do for yourself in the next six months of the year.
How will you use your mid-year review process to ensure you have a productive and effective second half of the year?
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