Less Is More

As 2014 approaches, I’m planning/setting goals. I have gone back and worth with goal setting. For as long as I can remember, my only goal was to survive. In 2011 I started chasing my dream, this year was the first full year where my dream supported me.

This year I had goals, big goals and many goals. In 2012 I decided to try the approach Leo at Zen Habits recommends and went with no goals, that didn’t work at all for me. For 2014 I’ll be taking a combination of both years/ways.

One tactic that has really helped me with goal setting is a theme or word for the year. I write this word and theme on a board in my office, I look at it everyday and all the plans I make have to revolve around this theme.

My theme/word for 2014 is LESS. Thinking long and hard about this has made me realize (for me) less will lead to more. For the last, who knows how many years, I’ve taken on way too much. I had tons of goals and compounded that with taking on way too much other “life stuff.”

This year I want LESS! Less clutter, less busyness, less stress, less doing things just to be doing them. Less of agreeing to do things that I really don’t want to do. Less of saying yes to things that I don’t really have time for.

If I had a second theme/word it would compliment the first: focus. Have less stuff but focus better on those important things that remain. I want to really master the concept of being fully present, stop giving into the distractions. This will mean getting rid of a bunch of junk, this will mean saying no a lot more but less will lead to more!

Life is already crazy enough

I don’t need to tell you this, sometimes life makes you want to scream with all the chaos. Piling on too much “stuff” makes it worse. Less is my theme but think if it can work for you. Could taking on less and focusing on what’s important help you?

I wanted to take a little break in our series to really challenge you to think through 2014. If you have been chasing a dream for a while, I really want this coming year to be the year you make your dream your reality.

This will take a lot of things but one thing that will really help you is proper planning, we have to stop “winging it.” Since we’re talking about something online, do you have a content plan? Do you have a social media plan? What’s your marketing plan?

Keep it simple, take on less, and have a plan, this can be your blueprint to do this. What are your goals for 2014? Can less be more for you?