Yearly Plans are Christmas Spirit Killers, aren't they?

This must have been a nasty habit I picked up while I was still in sales. For some reason, I can't help myself making yearly plans. When it's working then it's OK. This can be a strong motivator. On the other hand, if the business isn't working out as I planned, usually this time of a year, I become extremely depressed and demotivated. You set a number and then you chase it the whole year, in a freelance business. This really sounds like a mission impossible. There's no way telling how many clients and project I'm going to have at the beginning of each new year. So, it's a gamble, and I'm repeating this mistake over and over again.

I don't know about you, but I should definitely give up on yearly plans. They are true Christmas Spirit killers. At the same time, I need to have some kind of an orientation what I'm doing and how successful or unsuccessful I'm during a current year. I'm all over in statistics, charts, and tables. It's ridiculous to use these tools in a business that is a synonym for insecurity. So, I made a promise to myself that this year would be the last I'm using yearly plans and charts. It is what it is. You do your best and at the end of the year, you just have a quick look back. You say to yourself it was a good or a bad year, and you move on. With no time for analysis and statistics. Hope I can live up to my own promise.