How to conduct your own Mid-year review

If you’re feeling like you’re either way ahead or way behind on your goals, now is the perfect time to do a mid-year goals check-in.

A lot has probably changed since the beginning of the year, and this is your chance to reflect on what’s working, adjust what isn’t, and make sure you’re focusing on the important things to achieve the results you want.

I am aiming to write this guide to tell you exactly how to do a mid-year goals check-in, update and how you can do this in ClickUp so you can stay on track.

Why Should You Review Your Goals?

So why should you review your goals? Well, how do you know where you are going if you don’t know where you are headed? Things change, and goals that you may have had at the beginning of the year, or even a few weeks ago may It helps you see how much progress you’ve made, spot any problems, and adjust your plans so you can still achieve what you set out to do.

By checking in halfway through the year, you can make sure you’re on the right track and make any needed changes to keep moving forward.

As a multi-passionate person, I tend to have different ideas come up mid-quarter or week and find myself distracted by the idea and trying to fit it into my already packed week despite my knowing better. My mid-year checking really help refine the things that I’m doing, that they align with my life and direction.

What is a Mid-Year Goals Check-In?

So what is a mid-year goal check-in exactly? It’s a time to stop and look at how you’re doing with the goals you set at the beginning of the year or at any time you sat down to set goals.

Like a progress report, it’s a chance to look at what has worked, what challenges you have faced, what has changed and what you may need to update to align with your values and your life.

This, and a few touch-bases with your goals will help you stay focused and motivated for the rest of the year.

How Do I Do a Mid-Year Goals Check-In?

Alright, so let’s get down to the actionable parts of your Mid-year goal check in. Look at the steps below, grab a piece of paper, and start hashing out the key points of these steps by using the right questions to narrow down your focus.

Preparation for your Mid-year review

Set aside time:

The first thing you need to do is set aside time, preferably an afternoon or a couple of hours to do a mid-year review.

Maybe a Sunday afternoon when there’s not a lot going on, or a Friday.

You can use a Google Doc, or Notion, or even just a pen and paper journal to write out your answers to the questions below.

(I personally use ClickUp for this, see how here)

👉🏼 Grab my Mid-year goals ClickUp Doc template

Gather Your Data:

Collect all the info you need about your progress. This could include notes, project updates, and feedback from others.

Most of this should be in your project management or data management tool. If not, make sure you gather and/or have the software open that would contain the information you will need to measure your progress on these goals.

Get comfortable and set yourself up for success

Sometimes I tend to be super-distracted when trying to focus on a difficult subject. There are always so many things going on that it’s hard to get in that focus state I need. To counteract this, I go into my office, shut the door, and turn on ambient or some sort of music that won’t distract me from the task at hand.

Remember WHY you set your goals.

First, think back to why you set your goals in the first place. This helps you see if they’re still important to you.

Your goals at the beginning of the year, after the holiday rush and the end of 2023 were probably pretty lofty and motivated. I know they were for me. I had seen a dip in my revenue and knew that upping my social media and emails were on the agenda.

I didn’t know however the events that were to transpire at the beginning of 2023, or the opportunities that would present themselves.

So I needed to remember WHY I had those goals in the first place? How did they support my values? How achievable were they really in my life?

So take out that notebook or notewriting software and answer the questions below.

• Why did I choose this goal?
• What do I want to achieve?
• Does this goal still fit with what I want for the future?

If necessary, think about the values that are important to you. (Check out this blog for more on values). The things that you are focusing on should not only align with those values, but bring you closer to what those values have brought to your life. For example, I have nature and family as two of my main values. Having time to go camping with them and spend time outdoors is a large reason why I do what I do.

Having a crystal clear understanding of your big WHY can keep you motivated. Picture your life in 5 or 10 years from now and think about how your goals fit into that vision.

Visualizing your ideal future can anchor your dreams and keep you focused on what matters.

Reflecting on your year’s goals so far

Next, look at the goals you set at the start of the year.

I bet you life (and your business) looks a bit different now than it did at the beginning of the year.

View the goals through the lens of the person you are now (not the one you were 6 months ago) and not only understand why you set those goals in the first place, but what you would change about those goals now, knowing what you know.

Time to do the work. Answer the questions below. Take as long as you need to really dig in and figure out if what you envisioned at the beginning of the year is really working, or needs to be changed.

• Are these goals still important to me?
• Have my priorities changed?
• Do any of these goals no longer make sense for me?

Understanding how far you’ve come and where you’ve stalled helps unlock what is and isn’t working.

Once you have done this. Make sure to celebrate your small and big wins. If you have reached any of those goals, or if you have pivoted to a place where those goals are no longer relevant, celebrations are a great way to motivate yourself for future goals.. Celebrate the work you did do!

Reflect on What is and Isn’t Working

As an ADHD woman, I am extremely sensitive to things that aren’t working in my life. (Self-critical much?) Sometimes however, I am not able to see the forest through the trees.

Taking the time to reflect on my goals and really figure out and give myself meaningful feedback as to what is or isn’t working is key to knowing whether I am going the right direction.

The questions below have been extremely helpful to really figure out what is working in what I have been doing, and what isn’t.

Answer these key questions for yourself to figure out the obstacles that you may need to overcome.

• Which strategies have been effective?
• What obstacles have I encountered?
• What can I do differently to overcome these challenges?

Think about areas where you may need to focus more or streamline your efforts. Are you working on too many things at once? How can you simplify and create a repeatable process? Look at how you spend your time and make sure your strategy aligns with your goals.

Let’s Reset.

Okay, so now you have looked at your past goals, reflected on what you did, or did not accomplish, and figure out what is and what is not working, it’s time to adjust those bad boys to be achievable and aligned with who you are what is actually going on in your life.

Because life happens, and that’s okay.

Based on your reflections, think how you need to adjust your goals, strategies and action items for the next 6 months.

Do you need to set new milestones for your goals? Like creating consistency with your blog posts (who me?)

Do you need to modify or scrap an existing goal to make room for another?

Has something happened that requires completely setting new goals?

Is there something that needs to be added to get you to that next level?

Ask yourself these questions and adjust those goals to match, being realistic about how achievable they are in the time provided.

For more on setting SMART goals, check out this blog post

Once you have set these, then it is time to really look at the projects you need to complete to help achieve them.

Here are some tips for getting your goals back on track if you have fallen off the path and still want to achieve them.

Tips for Getting Back on Track

1. Break Down Goals: Make big goals into smaller, manageable tasks.
2. Set Clear Milestones: Create clear, easy-to-reach milestones to help you see your progress.
3. Create a Support System: Surround yourself with supportive people.
4. Stay Accountable: Use ClickUp (or another Project Management tool) to set deadlines and reminders to keep you on track.

Sharing My Own Goal Review

I recently did my own mid-year goal review using ClickUp, and it was very helpful.

I set my goals by Year and Quarter to make sure they are achievable in the amount of time provided.

First, I reminded myself why I set my goals. This helped me see that my goals are still important.

When I looked at my progress, I saw that I had done well in some areas but needed to improve in others. By thinking about what worked and what didn’t, I was able to reset my goals and make a clear plan for the next six months. Using ClickUp made the whole process easier and more organized.

Remember, a mid-year review isn’t just about checking your progress. It’s also about learning and making changes. By taking the time to reflect and adjust, you set yourself up for success for the rest of the year.

Using ClickUp for planning out the rest of your year.

You can use almost any tool, down to a paper and notebook to do your planning. But if you read my blog, or my emails, you will know that I can’t really mention something business -related without talking about how to do it digitally.

I have shown you how to add your goals to Airtable in a previous blog.

— Check out Goals in Airtable here —

Now it’s time to do it in ClickUp. I use to do my goals in Airtable, but have recently tried to do it in ClickUp since that is where all the projects I create actually live. It is better to keep your goals in a place where you can see them and remind yourself.

Check out my video below.