It is hard to believe it, but we have a little more than two months left before we hit 2025. I, for one, am not sure where the year has gone. It’s been one filled with a variety of emotions, highs and lows, and much forward momentum. How about for you? How has your year been going? Either way, you can always improve. And, what better time than the present, before we get overly busy with the holidays.

In order to ensure that you finish 2024 strong and set yourself up for success in the new year, there are certain steps you can take. The best way to begin is by conducting a year in review. What have you completed on your checklist? What do you still have left to do? What went well for you this year? What could have been improved. I just completed this analysis for myself recently. As I looked over at my vision board, I noted the things that I’ve already accomplished as well as those that are still outstanding. You should do the same.

Then, home in on areas that you still need to work on. With only two months left, there may not be enough time to achieve everything that you want to before December 31st, however any action taken will put you on the right track to accomplish it as you move into 2025. If you can confidently say that you’ve made effort towards everything on your list, then that’s amazing. If not, it may be that you just need more time. Or perhaps it’s just that you’ve neglected certain areas which likely need more of your focus.

While conducting your review, you should take note of your wins. What has come into fruition? Give yourself a pat on the back for all of those things. Several items on my vision board have already happened and others have begun sprouting. I have, however, noticed one area where I haven’t had any momentum, and I can confidently say it’s because I haven’t been putting any of my focus on it. We have got to take initiative in order to bring things about so I must change my action towards that particular goal. In other areas, I have already met the goals or am well on my way. In others still, I am getting there but need to make more progress. Your breakdown likely looks similar.

After that, it’s time to create action plans towards the areas that are lacking. Identify what you can still achieve in 2024 and then break it down into action items, attaching a timeline to each. You should also make action plans for those things that will carry over in 2025.

You may need to adjust your vision board as well. What are you going to add to it? What can you safely remove because it has already come to pass? I can tell you that even the action of glancing over at my vision board from time to time has motivated me and caused me to achieve more. I’m sure it will for you as well.

In summary, there is still plenty of time left in 2024 to achieve many of your goals. And never fear, whatever you don’t finish, you can get right back to in 2025.

Author(s)

  • Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD

    Author, Corporate Trainer, Business Mentor, Consultant

    Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD, LLC

    Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD is business mentor, higher education and writing consultant, corporate trainer (Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD, LLC) and author of Launch Your Inner Entrepreneur (McGraw Hill). She is also the host of Launch, a TV show which streams on Amazon Fire, AppleTV and Roku (D B TV), and an expert on Quora's Business, Education and Society spaces. Additionally, Charlene teaches business and entrepreneurship courses at UCONN and the University of Alaska, was selected as one of 150 Marketers to Follow by Rubicly, and is featured among other CEOs, influencers and celebrities on the BAM Network.