We have just switched over to a new year. I think we can all agree that last year was challenging. Some clients saw a surge in their revenue, and many customers did not.  The was very dependent on where our clients’ location; the courts were either open or closed. It also varied by practice area.

Personal Goals

Let’s get back to personal. I want to start my year off with personal goals and then work on the business ones. Laying the groundwork with a foundation on the personal side will help you figure out what will work with your practice or business.

Let’s start with the typical one that almost all of us like to set, losing weight. I don’t know too many people who don’t want to have this one on the list.   How many of us made a goal on January 1st year-after-year at the gym or eating better for it all to fall apart within the first couple of weeks?  Typically, by January 15th, our goal went out the window. Maybe a better way to set this goal would be to say instead of “I want to lose weight” to “I’m going to get up a half an hour earlier and go for a walk or go to the gym.” See where I’m going with this?

Personal Goals: Vacation

Of course, we don’t know what 2021 will look like for us after how difficult 2020 was. A good goal is a vacation.  Did you know that the average American only takes 17.4 days off a year? Some of us take less than that. A break is still necessary from our daily routine,  even if it’s a “staycation.” Take a look at your calendar now to figure out what date works the best. Most conferences are virtual. Try to schedule a time around that and any other education or learning you need to have on your calendar.  Perhaps find a great place to go that’s outdoors. My husband and I cancelled a trip to Arizona and the Grand Canyon last year, but we rescheduled it this Fall. It was to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. We have now rescheduled it for this October. It is imperative to schedule something and make that part of your personal goals for this year.

Learning Goals

Take the time to set a goal to learn something, to master something. Make it something you always wanted to do. A learning goal doesn’t have to be anything to do with business. It could be learning a new language or learning a musical instrument.  I recently went to an art and yoga class, and it got me thinking about doing some painting again.

Business Goals

Why discuss personal goals?  Because they lead to our business ones.  Not all of these individual goals will lead to your business goals. Stop and reflect on how many hours you want to work. I am 100% guilty of overworking, and I want to make this a year of changing that. As much as I love what I do, it’s essential to take time off.

Revenue Goals

Is your goal to make 1 million dollars this year? Or is your goal to be able to compensate yourself fairly for the work that you’re doing? I can remember my first year in business and how excited I was to pay myself a salary. It took a bit of time to get there, but I can still remember that excitement.  Last year I set a goal that was more of a “pie in the sky” goal. Sometimes, it’s good to set an obtainable goal and then map out a way to get there. Do you want to increase your revenue by 10%? Is that doable, or is that unreasonable? Are you still doing hourly billing and making that an impossible goal to accomplish?

I will dive into business goals in more depth next week, but I wanted to start with personal goals to set you up to be ready to work through those business goals.  

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