New Year’s Goal Setting for Teachers: How to Start the Year with a Clear Vision

As we start 2023, I encourage you to take time to think about what you hope to accomplish this year. Is there a career move you’re hoping to make? Do you want to find flexible work in education? Prioritize your well-being? Create a more joyful daily routine? When it comes to New Year’s goal setting for teachers, the possibilities are endless! 

Maybe because of these endless possibilities, the idea of goal-setting for a new year can feel overwhelming. But with some prompts and support, it’s totally possible to create a clear vision for a new year. 

Follow these three steps to get started with New Year’s goal setting for teachers (and former teachers).

3 Steps to Better Annual Goal Setting for Teachers

Whether you want to lead your classroom differently, land a promotion or even leave the classroom altogether to find flexible jobs in education, yearly goal planning will be key.

By following these simple steps when planning the year ahead, you’ll have an easier time achieving your goals.

Step 1: Reflect on the previous year 

Before you make plans for the coming year, reflect on what’s happened in the past. 

Think back on the highlights and lowlights of your life, then write down what went well, what was challenging, and what you learned during the previous year. 

These reflections can give you important information on what’s working and not working in your life that you can consider when working on New Year’s goal setting for teachers.

Be sure to also reflect on where you found the most joy. This is something to lean into, recognize, and celebrate! By thinking about where you found joy, you can start to uncover what about the experience was joyful and make a plan for creating more joy in your life going forward. 

Step 2: Think about how you want to feel in the new year

Before even thinking about the goals or accomplishments you hope to achieve, envision how you want to feel in the new year. Do you want to feel relaxed, confident, joyful, or impactful? Of course we can’t control how we feel during every moment of the year, but we can work to align our actions and thoughts to the feelings we hope to achieve. 

For example, let’s say you want to feel confident in the new year. Actions you could take to help you feel this way could include being around people who make you feel confident or reminding yourself of your many skills. To align your thoughts with feeling confident, you could write out affirmations to read to yourself or notice when your mind starts to think less confident thoughts, then reframe those thoughts. 

Planning for a new year doesn’t have to focus solely on goal setting. It can (and should) also take into consideration the impact those goals will have on your life, your emotions and your overall well-being.

Step 3: Set goals 

After considering how you want to feel, set some clear goals. The key to effective New Year’s goal setting for teachers is to make sure the goals are actionable, measurable and realistic.

Set due dates, then use backwards planning to map out how you will accomplish those goals. If you think you can accomplish a goal in three months, think about what you will do in the first month, the second month, and the third month. You can even break this down into more micro-chunks such as weeks or days. Consider what you need to learn or do in order to make steady progress. 

In addition to considering what you want to accomplish, think about what’s holding you back. Are there any worries or limiting beliefs that come up when you think about your goals? Anything you need to figure out? Consider what might get in the way of your progress, then make a plan for what to do when obstacles come up. 

For example, maybe you want to start an education consulting business. What’s holding you back might be that you really don’t know the steps you need to take to build a business. You could solve this by watching videos about marketing, working with a business coach, and/or taking a course about starting an education business. 

Get Help With New Year’s Goal Setting for Teachers

As you make progress towards your goals, you don’t have to go at it alone. One of the best accountability strategies to turn your goals for the new year into your accomplishments is to be in a community of people who support your goals. Consider who you can lean on to support and inspire you. 

At Educator Forever, we’re here to be that support system for you! Consider joining one of our programs and being part of a community of educators expanding their impact beyond the classroom. 

Want more support with New Year’s goal setting? Join our upcoming free workshop on how to make 2023 the year you achieve your dreams.