The Complete New Year Checklist
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Planning frenzy! Last-minute Christmas shopping! Keeping it all together, oh my!
With enough people telling you how to set goals, what accessories you will need (queue eye roll), and the overwhelming quickness of the holiday season, I've put together a concise and comprehensive checklist that even only half-completed will set you up for a killer year.
This post is part of the Planning Season Series. Check out the high-level overview and get stoked for the whole planning process in this previous post, How to Plan for a New Year.
Close out the current year
Do an end-of-year assessment of your paper piles, digital hordes, email inbox, and to-do list. If they're too big to think about now, schedule at least 2 - 3 hours in the next four weeks to process, complete, and clear out those areas to make room for the new year.
I use Unroll Me to clean out my inbox and roll-up all the newsletters I love/hate to receive into a single daily dispatch, keeping my distractions (and clutter) to a minimum.
Schedule or cancel those stubborn to-do list items! Is it a goal for next year? Is it even a priority anymore?
Get your financials + taxes ready to file. Services like mint.com and Turbo Tax are my go-to for personal financial analytics and personal tax filing - even for small LLC. Get yourself ready to receive W2 forms and other tax documents for quick + easy filing at the first of the year.
Apply or renew your health insurance. In the USA, it's imperative to complete your health insurance enrollment or renewal by mid-December. Don't put it off!
After reviewing your personal finances, create your yearly budget. Be sure to include the basics:
Home expenses: Mortgage/rent, utilities, staples, repair and upgrades, services
Transportation: Car, public transportation, insurance, fuel, maintenance
Food, pets, and incidental food expenses for potlucks and gift cookies!
Personal expenses: Purchases, entertainment, personal care
Savings + emergency
Debt repayment
Discretionary spending
Complete a "Year in Review" and celebrate yourself. Take a couple hours to go through your year. Think back to the major moments. Revisit your social media posts and journal entries. Look through your calendar at what was on your schedule back in March or June. Write it all down. It can be messy or structured - but let it be as comprehensive as possible. Celebrate it - and ask yourself as you plan your upcoming year:
What did I truly enjoy? What brought me happiness and nurturing?
What would I want to continue or do again?
What didn't work for me? What left me feeling tired, drained, or unhappy?
Where was I spontaneous? Where did planning pay off?
Why did I do [this] and how did I do [that]?
What's missing? What do I wish I had done or tried?
Set your goals + intentions
Start with your vision for your life. Get to know your deepest wants and desires because frankly, they won’t come to fruition if you don’t pursue them with intent! Get clear on what is that you want so you can work backwards from your vision and establish a plan.
Create S M A R T goals for your year, at semi-annual and quarterly intervals, and short-term monthly goals you can tackle in less than thirty days. Remember, SMART goals are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable (or Actionable), Relevant, and Time-bound. Building out your goals sets you up for success - and makes scheduling your goal-oriented tasks a breeze.
Choose your theme word, mantra, intention, or vision statement for the year. When I approach choosing a theme, I prevent myself from searching too hard for the word and instead focus on what I’d like to cultivate in my life. I look at what’s missing for me - in my lifestyle, my character, my personality, or my style. I consider what I love most about myself and how I might amplify that with increased focus. My theme always comes to me like a whisper from the next room over. Make sure you’re listening!
Create your systems
Purchase a planner or calendar. Choose one that fits your needs, as many include sections for goals, meal planning, daily inspiration or journalling, to-do lists, and much more.
Set up your digital calendar on your smartphone or computer. Creating reminders for appointments and standing "protected time" will help you stick to your priorities, even when you're overwhelmed!
Assess what felt haphazard, what was oft forgotten, and what you wished you would've implemented years ago and set up what you need to make it happen! Have you been lax with meal planning? What about spending more time playing with your dog? Check out apps and accountability opportunities to keep you on track.
Set up your new year schedule
Schedule important appointments:
Doctor, dentist, optometrist, chiropractor
Veterinarian, doggie daycare
Continuing education classes or application deadlines
Oil changes, auto servicing
Home cleaning and servicing (air conditioning, carpets, attic, air filters)
Schedule self-care appointments:
Massage, facial, haircut
Health cleanse, personal training, nutritionist
Input important dates into your calendar. Some of these might include: birthdays, death days, anniversaries, yearly traditions or gatherings, events for which you already have tickets or reservations, travel, days to remember, and commitments. Bonus activity: schedule the actions you'll need to take ahead of each event to make sure you're ready. For example: purchase birthday present, mail anniversary card, pack for travel.
Create a "shopping list"
What have you been putting off purchasing? A proper pair of warm hiking socks, a throw blanket for the den, that reusable coffee filter. Go through your wish lists, your home, and your wardrobe to see what's noticeably missing. Make a list and spread your purchases out accordingly all year. Your budget and your patience will thank you!
Assess the big purchases you want to make this year and factor them into your budget. Consider what you year would be like if you didn't make any large purchases beyond what you set out to make. Reduce impulse, increase savings!
Consider subscribing to your staples and repeat purchases on Amazon or other subscription service. If you know you receive pet food, supplements, toilet paper, and toothpaste each month - automate it! Let those items show up at your door and streamline what you have to "remember" to buy.
Optional activity: Write a letter to yourself, sealed and to-be-opened on December 31, next year.
For your benefit or bemusement, here's my letter to future Amelia:
Dear next-year’s Amelia,
When I wrote this letter, I was sitting in our living room on Ashwood Pl, with a freshly debuted Christmas tree and little personal effects peeking out between the glaring renovations still in progress. This space is nothing short of a miracle, and it is only one of many blessings we’ll take into the new year.
This is the year of your Saturn return, and it’s a big year for your expansion. Right now, we’re dreaming of spending a month living and working in Europe in September, renovating the kitchen in October, and growing the company that’s provided us such a spectacular career opportunity to new and exciting heights.
I truly hope that this year, you have the opportunity (and the wherewithal!) to pay it forward to your community and, especially, your friends. The community you have built in Knoxville is unparalleled in generosity, humility, and downright awesomeness. We started last year at what felt like the bottom of a miles-deep pit, only to come out on the literal top; all with the help of our friends.
You don’t need me to tell you, but you have everything going for you. All there is to do now is make the most of what you have - and to share as much as possible. A rising tide lifts all boats, or something like that. ; )
With all my love and gratitude,
Amelia
To the new and experienced planners joining me here today - have I missed anything? I want this to be your best year yet and I'll be right there with you.
