An annual part of P-Card program housekeeping, as well as an organization’s broader payment strategy, is to identify goals for the new year. They are like guardrails for your program, guiding decision making as a year progresses. Here we are with January nearly over. Are you firmly on a path with 2023 goals or are you paralyzed by the enormity of the task? Regardless of whether goal setting is left to your discretion or prescribed to you by management, you might enter January feeling a bit overwhelmed. To help you move forward, following are four tips, which can also be applied to personal goals.

Use Regret as a Starting Place

If you are having trouble identifying goals for your card program or payment strategy, think about any regrets from 2022. What do you regret doing or not doing? Turn them around in 2023 and incorporate into goals.

Set Priorities

Saying that everything is a priority is not realistic. Work with your management to create a list in order of importance. This brings much needed focus to our busy jobs. If goals inevitably sit on the back burner most of the time because you are too busy putting out fires every day, take this as a cue. Determine what causes the majority of fires and make it a priority to resolve the issue. This can be a great goal. 

Take a Manageable Approach

It’s a lot easier to accomplish a daily intention than shoot for a big goal for the new year. (I heard this advice recently while listening to A Mindful Moment podcast). Any time you are pulled in multiple directions, revisit the priorities and let them guide your actions. Ask yourself, “What is the best possible decision I can make in this moment?”

Let Go of Perfectionism

“The rapid pace of change means we also have to let go of perfectionism—not just because it’s better for our mental health, but because it’s a necessity if we want to keep up.” (Once again, I credit A Mindful Moment podcast). If you are like me, you have high standards that sometimes get in the way of productivity and achieving goals. Will “good” get a job done? Is “perfect” really necessary?

Final Thoughts

I grimace at headlines such as “New Year, New You.” This is a pressure-producing type of statement, and there is nothing magical about the calendar changing. Instead, think in terms of incremental improvement. Setbacks happen, but goals can still be realized. What matters most is not giving up along the way.

Related resource: Card program goals

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About the Author

Blog post author Lynn Larson, CPCP, launched Recharged Education in 2014. With 20+ years of commercial card experience, her mission is to make industry education readily accessible to all. Learn more…