Summer is one of the best opportunities to recharge and reset which is why I always take the time to complete a mid-year review.
I look forward to doing it every year and use my Summer holiday when I have time away and proper head space.
It’s all about looking back and looking forward… evaluating your progress, reassessing your goals, and adjusting for the next six months.
Here are 12 practical tips for taking stock and creating a plan.
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1. Identify Challenges. Reflect on the obstacles and challenges you’ve encountered. Understand why they occurred and consider how you can overcome and mitigate them going forward.
2. Reflect on Surprises: What’s happened that was unexpected but has been helpful? How can you leverage them and what adjustments would now make sense?
3. Gather Feedback: Ask colleagues, business buddies, friends, or mentors for their thoughts. External perspectives can provide valuable insights and help you identify blind spots.
4. Let Go: It there anything that is no longer serving you? Maybe something is holding you back or slowing you down.
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5. Review Your Goals: How are you doing against where you wanted to get to? Start by revisiting the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Identify which ones you’ve achieved, which ones are in progress, and any that you haven’t started or completed.
6. Celebrate Achievements: Acknowledge and celebrate the milestones you’ve reached so far. Recognising your accomplishments will boost your motivation and confidence for the next half of the year.
7. Assess Personal Growth: Evaluate how you’ve grown both personally and professionally. Consider the new skills you’ve acquired and the lessons you’ve learned.
8. Time Management: Assess how you’ve been managing your time so far. Identify time-wasting habits and work on improving your time management skills to be more efficient.
PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
9. Reassess Priorities: Priorities may have shifted throughout the year. Analyse if your current goals align with your values, long-term vision, and changing circumstances.
10. Trim or Adjust Goals: If certain goals are no longer relevant or feasible, be open to modifying or discarding them. Focus on what truly matters to you. What gets you excited?
11. Create a Realistic Action Plan: Break down your remaining goals into actionable steps. Set realistic timelines for each task to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
12. Find the Quick Wins: Kick start things by identifying what you can do quicky without a massive investment of time that will have an impact. These quick wins will boost your sense of accomplishment and motivation.
Top Tips
- Write this stuff down. Keeping a physical or digital record can help you track progress and stay organised. I use an A3 pad which different coloured pens to mind map the process.
- Accountability and Support: Share your reflections and plan with someone you trust, like a friend, family member, or a coach. Having someone to hold you accountable and offer support is a gamechanger.
- Stay Flexible: Even with a well-thought-out plan, curve balls will come! Stay adaptable and open to adjusting your goals and strategies as needed.
- Celebrate Progress Along the Way: Keep checking in so that you can acknowledge and celebrate the milestones and progress you make during the next six months. Regularly rewarding yourself can keep you motivated and on track.
Remember, the purpose of mid-year reflection is not to criticise yourself for what you haven’t achieved but to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.
Use this time to set yourself up for a successful second half of the year.
