There’s nothing quite like the fresh start of a brand new year! I’ve got 5 tips for a fruitful 2020, so you can take advantage of that surge of inspiration you’re feeling and turn it into a goal setting plan that’s guaranteed to meet your goals.

Hopefully, you already wrapped up 2019 with a great reflection on the important work you did and a celebration of your successes. 2020 is going to be a big year, it’s the start of a new decade!

So before we get into the details, drop down to the comments and tell me one thing you’ll achieve this year.

Now it’s time to get to the good stuff.

Here are my most helpful tips for a fruitful 2020.

1. Set your intentions

Going into a new year, everyone is always tempted to set big, sweeping goals for themselves, both personally and professionally. Unless you’re truly committed, come February a lot of those goals are long forgotten!

So you’ll notice we’re talking about goal setting, not resolutions. While resolutions are all about striving for what you don’t yet have, intentions are more like the direction you want to keep moving towards.

Instead of creating a list of tasks that you want to accomplish (don’t worry, those will come later!) goal setting is focused on allowing you to use your existing skills to focus on what’s most important to you so you can continue to grow.

Your intentions will power your goals, so what is your aim this year? Here are some examples:

You’re a corporate L&D leader with a great team, but energy is low after a hectic end of the year/quarter. You want your team to go into a new quarter with newfound energy, so you set the intention to maintain a positive environment.
As a freelance instructional designer, you’re all about the hustle! With multiple clients and various projects always on the back burner, it seems like every time you cross one item off your to-do list, you have to add 3 more! Your intention is being prolific.

Your intention may evolve as your year progresses and it can serve as a mantra you can use to propel you towards achieving your goals. What I love about intentions and goal setting is that they’re not specific to your professional life. A real intention is something you can live and use to feel fulfilled personally too (we’re not just worker robots, after all!)

2. Broaden your horizons

As instructional designers, we literally live off learning! It’s easy to get so focused on developing the best learning experiences for your clients that you forget to enrich yourself. So what are you going to learn this year?

Reading is a great way to expose yourself to new ideas and inspire your creativity. Something I read this year was Creative Trespassing by Tania Katan. It wasn’t instructional design-related, but it left me with some great takeaways. I was able to apply them to the way I approach problem-solving in my own workflow.

I have a friend who plans out her reading list in December for the entire next year and orders her entire reading list before January 1st. She is all in on her self-development, wouldn’t you agree?

Now, if you’re looking at your to-do list thinking, “who has time to read!?” allow me to introduce you to audiobooks and podcasts. Download a new read to your phone and listen on your daily commute. You can also grab some headphones and listen while you exercise or make dinner.

I alternate between listening to a podcast and an audio book during my morning bike rides and walks. It’s a morning two-fer with both personal and physical development.

If you have the time and the means, I highly recommend attending a professional conference. There are many great ones to choose from. Last year, I attended the ATD conference in DC. This year, I am considering Learning Solutions in Orlando this April because it is a great event, close to home, and I have a friend who is facilitating! DevLearn in October is also a consideration.

When you attend conferences, you leave with so many new tools, ideas and connections.

Another great way to add to your personal toolbox is by learning a new skill. Do you love getting into the nitty-gritty of image editing but always end up hiring a specialist to do your graphic design? Are there interactions in Articulate that leave you stumped? Join a course online or in-person, you can subscribe to a service like LinkedIn Learning or check your local community college for a cheap way to add a useful skill to your resume.

Whatever your learning goal is, set yourself up for success by putting a plan in place right now to help you achieve it.

3. Make time for you

There’s a reason why I want you to focus on yourself first before I ask you to get to work on your personal agenda for 2020. You can’t drive a car on an empty tank! Before you reflect on your past work year and put a plan into place for your quarterly goals, what’s your plan for taking care of yourself so you have the drive to meet those goals with flying colors?

Whether it’s waking up 10 minutes early to drink your coffee in peace while you scroll through your social feeds or watch the news, exercising on your lunch break or setting a recurring date to watch the game with friends, you need some kind of self-care regimen.

Put this time for yourself on your calendar or your to-do list and plan around it!

4. Finalize your quarterly goals

At the end of every year, I encourage you to reflect on what contributed to your success or caused you setbacks. It’s time to dust off that list and use it set new goals for each quarter in 2020. You’ve got the power of hindsight in your corner as you move forward knowing what worked and what didn’t. Use it to your advantage when goal setting for the next quarter or year!

Make sure your quarterly goals are obtainable and help move you towards your long-term goals. If you’re part of a team, work together on these goals to get everyone on board and moving in the same direction.

You can even flowchart your goals on a whiteboard or somewhere else where you’ll see them every day. Personally, my quarterly goals hang inches above my computer monitor so that I see them daily.

Start your flowchart by writing your intention in the center. From the center, branch-off into your quarterly goals. From there, you can break it down into milestones that will build towards your goals.

5. Get your supports in place

Contrary to popular belief, you can’t do it all alone! To help you reach your goals and have a fruitful 2020, set up your supports now. These might be people or resources (or a combination of the two).

What tools do you need to work productively? Renew your subscriptions to software or other products that you can’t get your job done without (and cancel the ones that you don’t need). Clean house of old hardware that’s taking up space in your office. It is best to start the new year in a clutter-free space.

If you work on a team and you haven’t had a 2020 kickoff meeting yet, get everyone together for goal setting. Work on your agendas and make sure everyone’s on the same page. If you don’t have an office team, check in on your favorite consultants to make sure you can count on them for your upcoming projects.

Everyone can have a team, even if you’re a fearless freelancer doing it on your own. Join a professional community online via Facebook or Twitter. Weekly chats can help you stay current on emerging trends and practices. Sharing with others in your field is a great way to feel connected.

Are you ready for an amazing year? I know I am! Now that you have some great plans in place, add me on Facebook to join my community and jump into the conversation! What are you going to learn this year? I’m interested to know what books are on your to-read shelf or what podcasts you’ve got queued.