As the year winds down to a close, this is a good time to reflect on the items on your ‘must-do-in-2014’ list which you may not have accomplished as yet. Although we are heading into the busy holiday season, you still have a few weeks to try to clear up some of your important, unfinished business.

As you may have discovered, making plans and executing them are vastly different undertakings. It is easier to write down what you would like to get done, than to actually do the steps required to carry out your goals. Procrastination, doubt and indecision are usually the main causes of this failure to finish.

Instead of giving up and declaring that it’s too late, aim to make the last twenty days of the year really count. Let’s look at some strategies that can help you to refocus and re-energise yourself, and get moving on this year-end goal challenge which will allow you to head into 2015 on the right footing.

Review what you wanted to achieve

If you had ignored your resolution list for a long time, then you may have forgotten some of the tasks that you had set for yourself. Spend some quiet time looking back at the objectives which you had declared were essential for 2014. Cross off any items that are no longer relevant for you at this time.

Don’t waste your tears or time regretting your inaction; just identify any of the items that you can still get started on, or finish up where you left off. Be reasonable about how long it will take to fulfil these tasks; it’s better to work on only one commitment than try to clear up several incomplete assignments.

Prepare an activity timeline

Once you have selected the items that you want to work on, you need to create a plan for getting them done. The idea is to make a step-by-step timeline over the next 20 days which outlines all the activities which you need to carry out each day in order to achieve a specific objective.

For example, if you want to make a budget, your timeline could be: go to www.financiallysmart.org to download form; look at past bills to determine costs; establish limits on discretionary spending; fill in checklist with expenses; look at salary slip for income after taxes; calculate budget shortfall or surplus.

Be practical about what you can do

Your timeline should be realistically laid out with only one or two tasks assigned for each day, to help you accomplish your main objectives by or before December 31. Each activity should be broken down into simple steps that are easy to complete, so that you will be less likely to procrastinate any further.

Let’s say that you would like to finish a book on personal finance that you had started reading, but put down several months ago. You could count how many pages are left in the book, and divide this figure by twenty to work out your daily target of pages to read until you have covered all the material.

Get rid of distractions

Since you don’t have a lot of time to complete this money challenge, you will have to adopt a laser-like focus in doing the tasks on your timeline if you want to succeed. For the next 20 days, you must become consumed with your plans and ignore all distractions or deterrents that may arise.

For example, if you had an unrealised goal to earn extra income from selling your hand-made jewelry, then take advantage of the holiday period to accomplish your targets. Forgo your favourite TV shows and use social media to promote your offerings instead of mindlessly checking out Facebook posts.

Do whatever it takes to succeed

Very often, we don’t achieve our objectives because we are not willing to change our routines or leave our comfort zones. Although there are usually many demands during the holidays, if you really want to finish the year with a flourish, you must be willing to make sacrifices of your time, effort and money.

So, if you decide that you will not let another year come to a close with your savings account on a zero balance, you could refrain from buying gifts or going to parties for the season. You could channel the money you retained into building an emergency fund, or use it to open a new investment account.

Keep the momentum going

Once you have gotten into the groove of carrying out small steps every day to further your goals, it would be a shame to stop after December 31. Let the positive momentum work in your favour and continue the practice of breaking down your objectives into bite-sized jobs, which are easier to do.

Review the other incomplete tasks that were left on your 2014 list and prepare a new challenge for January. Set objectives for this month and divide each goal into daily tasks. Keep this plan going throughout the following months. With this strategy, you will be sure to finish all your goals for 2015!

Copyright © 2014 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.

Originally published in The Daily Observer, December 11, 2014

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Cherryl is a money coach and business mentor, and founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.entrepreneursinjamaica.com and www.financiallysmart.org. Contact Cherryl