This week I dove into a day of planning for 2015. Now granted as business owner, it is good  important vital to do some serious planning for business. Setting goals, projects and checking in on my vision for my business as a whole. I absolutely love this part of what I do. It is filled with so much hope and dreaming. Just taking time to plan energizes me so much.

Years resolutions vs. year planning

So, the main difference between making new years resolutions and yearly planning is the planning part. New years resolutions is like making a wish. Yearly planning is actually thinking about how to make that wish come true. Who doesn’t want to try to make their wishes come true?

Why start now?

Because planning now gives you time to actually reflect, mind map, step out and really think about your path to your goals and plan for it.

We are exactly 6 weeks out from the new year.

And the next 6 weeks is littered with holidays. So, start the ball rolling now. Give yourself time to let some juicy possibilities fester.

But, let’s say I did not have a fiber art business. Would it still be worth planning out my creative goals for 2015?

[I know rhetorical question, you already know I am going to say “Hellz. Yeah. it is…”]

The way I see it, while growing creatively can happen organically, why not really dive deep into your dreams for your creativity and make a plan. Set out a map for how you want this part of your life to grow, even if it is not a life priority. Creativity is a way to express yourself in visual language. Creativity is taking time for yourself to play. It is just one tool to knowing yourself. And, darn it, it is just fun.. Make a resolution to make time for creative fun, and plan now for how to make that wish come true. You do not have to convince me how important knitting can be in your everyday life. I totally get it. I think it is important enough for you to plan for it.

Here are 5 steps to planning your most creatively fulfilling 2015

Step 1: No need to think huge, just significant TO YOU.

Yearly planning is not just for those looking to become a fiber arts rock star. It can be as simple as tackling a new knitting technique, making sure you get in a set amount of time to enjoy your knitting weekly, or promising yourself to knit 48% of your stash (because 50% might be taking things a little to far…) These are all very important goals, because they matter to you and where you want to go creatively.

Step 2: Looking back and looking forward.

I learned this from Leonie Dawson’s Creating Your Shining Year Workbooks. It is crazy important when planning for your new year to take inventory of your prior year to right now. Your prior year holds so much awesome information about why you are creating your 2015 creative goals. I know for me personally, it can be painful looking at the parts that were not good. But being able to carry what I learned in 2014 makes my 2015 goals that much more laser focused.

Step 3: What are your core feelings? 

Danielle La Porte has a great book, Desire Map, that dives deeper into taking action based on how you want to feel. And I have to say ,especially for creative work, it is so important to look at how you want your plans to make you feel. ACCOMPLISHED, for having tackled a difficult technique. BLISS, because you have been spending a full afternoon a week just knitting. ENERGIZED, because you have so many new freeform crochet ideas.

Step 4: Once you have a goal in mind, what are the steps?

There may not be many steps. But it is super important to think it through completely. For example, if my goal is to knit for 30 minutes everyday, then what do I need to make that happen? Pull together a portable bag? Create a special inviting space at home? Start a lunch time Stitch and Bitch at work? Line up some projects to work on for the first 3 months?

Step 5: Schedule those steps.

This is probably the most important step. Break out the calendar and SCHEDULE THE STEPS IN. Even if you are scheduling things for October 2015. If it is not in your calendar, then you have NOT made time for it. Don’t just assume it will happen when you can fit it in. Fit it in now. Besides, you may see that, realistically, you might need to consider smaller chunks. Just remember, even if you are scheduling a super baby step, super baby steps are still moving you forward, and that is awesome.

I invite you to join me in planning for your most creatively fulfilling 2015, no matter what that looks like for you. I have personally used Leonie Dawson’s Create Your Shining Year Workbooks for the last 3 years. Her brilliant workbooks guide you through some probing questions and helps to really build a solid plan. You can order digital or spiral bound versions of those workbooks here.