My 2013 Year Plan

I don’t make New Year resolutions. Instead, I select what are the 5 areas where I will concentrate my time. I started this habit after reading 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman. His method attacks the work/life balance issue that we all face by allowing time for personal matter and for your career. It helps me to keep my focus on what I want to achieve and on what I need to be happy.

I achieve my ideal work/life balance by setting 3 career-oriented goals and 2 personal goals. Then, I decide what percentage of my time to allocate to each goal. I take a few minutes, daily and weekly, to check if I am on track with my plan. The simplicity of the 18 minutes method means that it is easy to manage, and, most importantly, that it reduces my chances to be distracted by other people’s agenda.

To help you grasp what are possible goals, here are my 5 areas where I will concentrate my time for 2013.

1. My New Business: Joliflow. This project has been years in the making. I put it on hold when I became pregnant. Since then, my husband and I recruited two more founding partners. Joliflow will launch in 2013. As the CEO, I am aware that I will need to put a lot of work to make it a success. I am really excited by what we will bring you. As established bloggers (Harry Wakefield of MOCO LOCO and I are two of the founders), we know what bloggers and influencers need to research, talk or share a story. So, our tools put the needs of influencers first. I can’t wait to show you how our tools for influencers and brands will make your job easier.

2. Raise the Influence of At Home with Kim Vallee. Since Zack’s birth, I feel that I neglected a little bit my blog. I feel that I continued to create great content but I didn’t work on growing my readership. This is something that I want to change in 2013.

3. Generate More Revenues. It may seem like an obvious goal but it is important to put it there to achieve it. This way, I make sure that I take proper actions and that I monitor my progress.

4. Healthier Lifestyle. Since my son started to attend day care last fall, I caught colds too many times. I want to go to bed earlier at night, wake you earlier (so I can work more during the day), continue to cook home meals, exercise more often and finding time to relax.

5. Passing Time with My Family. I became a mom after 40. I did it because I want to experience what it is to have a child. My husband feels the same. Allowing time to do fun activities with my husband and my son is important for me, and to us.

I am confident that my 2013 year plan is the right recipe for my happiness. What is yours?

+ sourcing: Weekly meal planner on sale at $10 USD at Anthropologie