– Lets make the annual plan today!
Starting the year in a right way is very important. You can only do it if you know exactly where you are going! How to know that? Well, I believe you can do it like this:
First make a list of five each of positives and negatives of last year. Then make an Annual Plan from those pointers. Incorporate those goals into the weekly planning. So, to facilitate, we make the Annual plan in same format as the weekly plan….Powerful weekly plan. Got it? Ok, get set, ready? Go!
Find out what to do by this positives and negatives’ exercise first:
- First the positives: write five things:
- Financial situation much better, but that too has its own hang-ups. Good investments, Alhamdolillah. (Note points to watch out.)
- Health – reduced weight: 2 kgs, (instead of 10.) Got out of high cholesterol too!
- Good relationships – Alhamdolillah! Parents fine, daughters all fine, friends doing great, and my staff doing well too.
- Work achievements – yes, published book, launched it, 11th Solo painting Exhibition, participated in group shows: 9th National Exhibition, at National Art Gallery, Regional Exhibition at National Art Gallery and Nazriya Pakistan. Regularly painted. Illustrated the book Allama Iqbal’s Tulip of Sinai.
- Achievement of most goals is okay – if a few goals are left, its fine too, what would we do this year otherwise!
- Negatives – find out what frustrated you the most:
- I had a financial stability target – only a quarter of it was achieved, and that too by fluke!
- Too much clutter! ( More sorting needed!)
- More books to write. It is such a painful process, perhaps I’ll put the point across through another medium closer to my audience or readers.
- Couldn’t make a video for my book launch! However, I consoled myself I’ll do it for my next book – its’ sequel. (However, I’ve started using videos in my blogs!)
- Garden in a mess due to Dog! Re-plan garden, make it as low maintenance as possible.
Now we have the material needed to make a brief Annual Plan.
Annual plan: It would be in the style of the weekly plan, only it is for the year now: The idea is to keep it brief and effective.
2018
Yesterday I was thrilled to see Nataliya planning her week according to the way I’ve done most of my life. The girls have watched me at it. Thank you Nadiya and Nataliya for incorporating it into your lifestyles too. This is how it helps you to succeed in achieving your goals. So, let’s take it a step further by making the master plan for the year now. This is how it goes for me. You can fit your own roles in life into your plan.
| Myself | Avoid multi-tasking, and fretting about the small stuff in life. Relax , and travel more . | |
| Physical: Reduce 1 kg per month. Manage sleep times better. Control food intake: stick to fruits, juice, soups and salads. Walk five times a week. Annual medical check-ups: specially, dentist, maintain cholesterol. | ||
| Financial: Reduce monthly expenses. Save more. Financial investment. Re-activate committee. | ||
| Intellectual: Read one or two books at a time only. (Not six!) | ||
| Spiritual: Half Sipara daily Complete six Qurans this year. Sadqa: Educate domestic staff member through tutor, sponsor a child in Mashal. | ||
| Social/emotional: Have at least one large party in six months for my friends and family. Have meet ups with friends and family members. | ||
| Spouse | Give special sadqa for husband. | |
| Mother | Outings with daughters separately and together. Also with their in-laws. Grandchild gifts and time with them. | |
| Daughter’s car maintenance. Car registration. | ||
| Anything they need, weekly meeting in actual form or on skype. | ||
| Daughter | More outings, have reading sessions. Have meals with parents. | |
| Mother: Take out, start physio-therapy. | ||
| Father: Monthly check up for UTI. | ||
| Homemaker | Revise the monthly and weekly chores in kitchen. | |
| Do up garden. | ||
| Clear up all storage spaces. | ||
| Staff management: | ||
| Cook: Revise menu, have more parties now that parents are better.
Gardner: Have vegetables, salads, & wall garden. |
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| Organize a family picnic. | ||
| Artist | Start work on next books’ illustrations. | |
| Set up home studio, start work in studio also. | ||
| Start workshops. | ||
| Writer | Start work on ‘Message from the East’. Finalize its’ composition. Complete editing with Naila. | |
| Blogs: make chart for complete years’ topics. | ||
| Work on two blogs a week. | ||
| Pay up printer.
Get payment from sold books. |
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| Shireen’s Studio: | More on-ground work: Set up studio: unique gifts shop, books, mugs, paintings, originals and prints, plaques with quotes. | |
| Workshops: Time Management for Creative people: Jan. 14th, 3-5 pm. Time Management for Homemakers. (Lets decide date & time.) Time Management for Teachers. (Lets decide date.) Time Management for Teenagers. (Lets decide date.) Art Classes: personalized art classes at individual level. I might start a free art class for all who are interested every Tuesday : 3-5 pm. If you all want. Personal painting time: Painting five times a week.
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| Talks by visiting professor: Abbas Husain: | ||
| Art gallery and exhibitions of paintings by Aania, and Asrar farooki and group shows too. | ||
| Counseling for family, students and married couples. | ||
| Film maker | Write scripts for dramas, documentaries. Perhaps I’ll turn my books into documentaries. |
Never under estimate the power of the written word!
So now I’ll print it out and put it up next to my work desk. Of course this is what I’m planning now. Let us see how it works out.
Now, how would you make your own Annual Plan? Come on! Do it now. Please leave the skepticism to others, they already do a damn good job of it. Be kind to yourself, and give yourself a chance to make it a year to remember.
What got me to all this was the speech by Mansoor Rahi on his birthday on January 1st which is always a thumping party. This year too he gave a short talk on how important it is to start your year properly. Just like it is important to start your painting in the right way. Otherwise, it won’t go well and there will be problems later on. So, to avoid all those, start it right.
Planning and execution has to be done well. Stay blessed and keep smiling with great satisfaction! 😉
An interesting article about planning ones life and year ahead.
I’m so glad you found it interesting.