About your 2019 Goals - Mid-year review

It's July already - where did the first six months of this year go? I am sure I say this every year, but I feel like 2019 has been a very fast year. Earlier this year we planned for the year in a post titled "About your 2019 goals – March Edition". Now it's time to review the year so far, celebrate our accomplishments and plan for the next six months.

In this blog post, I will share some of the thought experiments I did, share the five steps I went through during my mid-year review and provide a look behind the scenes of the insights I gathered .

Step #1: Make time and find a place for your goals review
To get the best results from your review, set time aside, and find a quiet place where you can concentrate. You want to take as much time as you need to ask yourself key questions, reflect, and write things down. Personally, the library is the best place where I can concentrate and have fresh thoughts. I have also found that I need about two to four hours.

Questions to consider

• Where can I do my best thinking or concentrate the most?
• How much time do I want to set aside, and when am I making time?

Step #2: Review your goals and measure your progress
An excellent place to start is by reviewing the goals you set for 2019. It is essential to view this exercise as an opportunity to check the progress you made and get clarity on what you are yet to do. To avoid the trap of getting disappointed, remind yourself that there are still six months in the year. You now know where your focus should be to drive the results you want. One thought that helps me is - "It is great that I am getting clarity half-way through the year and not at the end of the year."

Questions to consider

• What assumptions did I make at the beginning of the year that have changed?
• What new things came up that I didn't know at the beginning of the year?

Step #3: Evaluate what changed and what needs to change
As we know, change is constant. When we set our goals at the start of the year or the quarter, we set them based on the information we had at that time. As the year progressed, life happened, and things changed. As part of your mid-year review, analyze your goals with the new information you have gathered. Another point you want to think about is, what needs to change for me to be more successful in achieving my goals. Taking time to ask ourselves these crucial questions will help us be more successful.

Questions to consider

• How have my goals changed based on what I learned?
• What am I going to stop doing or do differently in the next six months?

Step #4: Update and set new goals
After you have reviewed your progress towards achieving your goals, you now have the opportunity to update your goals and think about new ones you may want to add. While you plan for the next six months, remember to set bold goals. When we look back on 2019, I want us to be very proud of the bold moves we made. Check out my post titled " Do you dare to do something great?". You also want to set goals in the categories that matter to you. Some examples of my priority categories are personal, finances, career, business, learning, and training.

Questions to consider

• Are there any new goals or categories you want to add to your list?
• What bold goal(s) would you like to add to your list?

Step #5: Celebrate your achievements
The best way to wrap up your review is to write down all your achievements over the first six months of the year. This has become my favorite part of my reviews. Seeing my achievements on paper serves two purposes. Firstly, it shows that the hard work I put in is paying off and secondly it motivates me for the months ahead. Remember to add small achievements as well.

Questions to consider

• What did I achieve over the past six months?
• What made me successful? What do I want to continue doing?

MC's Journey
About a week ago, I took out a few hours to reflect on the past six months. During my review, I started by reminding myself of my theme for 2019, which was " being brave or bold." Throughout my review I looked at my past months and future six months through that lens. I then went on to review the goals I set in January this year, measured my progress, updated them, and outlined my achievements.

Some of the things I did differently over the past months and during my review included the following:

• Identified new goal categories that I wanted to prioritize for the rest of the year, such as bold goals, family, and giving back.
• Highlighted my six-month achievements. Typically, I do this at the end of every year. Seeing all I have achieved in the past six months motivated me to do more.
• Made time for planning sessions every quarter. Having time to plan the next three months helped give me clarity on what was next.
• Utilized the technique of time blocking to schedule time to work on my goals.

Reflecting on some things I want to do differently to be more successful in 2019, here are some examples on my list:

• Looking for ways to be more efficient with the tasks I have to do - use productivity tools and resources.
• Get more help and delegate tasks that I don't have to do - free up my time.
• Prioritize personal health goals and rest more - make self-care a priority.

I am very excited to make the next six months count and looking forward to the upcoming quarterly goals review in September.

Call to Action
Set aside two hours to review your year so far and plan for the next six months.

• What have you achieved in the past six months? Write down your accomplishments
• What are you going to work towards over the next six months? Write down your goals

Final Thoughts

• The goals you set are meant to be a tool that enables you to do great things - set goals and work towards them.
• You have the ability to take stock and make changes for the future - seize the opportunity.
• You are doing a great job - celebrate your achievements.

Great resources

• Review Your Goals Weekly
• Set Goals That You Actually Want to Accomplish
• How To Conduct Your Own Annual Review
• The One Aspect of Goal Setting You're Forgetting (and Why It Matters)
• How to Make the Most of Mid-Year Reviews
• Are You On Track To Reach Your Goals? A Seven-Point Mid-Year Review Checklist
• Mid-Year Review: 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Today