GAP ANALYSIS: Your cheat sheet to a productive 2024!

It’s been a hot minute since I spilled my thoughts out on a full page, but it’s December 31st and I’m in the mood to share.

I’m aware that the attention span of an average human is less than that of the humble goldfish so I’ll keep this short, sweet, and hopefully, a tad bit enlightening… (Joking, but not joking!)

2023 is ending and with it, all the resolutions, plans, and affirmations that heralded it in. Now it’s on to the next one, on to the next one… (In Swizz beats voice).

I feel as though I’ve lived four different lives in this one year, each phase a lesson embraced with gratitude. I’ve loved, lost, laughed, cried, risen, and sunk but every single thing has chiseled me more into the woman I want to be and I’m grateful.

Like most people this period, I’m taking the time to realign my life’s compass and give winning another go. I’m analyzing different aspects of my life, from my spirituality, destiny, and family, to career growth, self-development, finances, love, and leisure for 2024. Taking inventory of these past 12 months has been a part of the process.

So…I scribble a lot and I was going through my musings last night and came across a note where I made reference to Gap analysis and how to use it as a tool to evaluate business processes and it stuck out to like a sore thumb.

I realized that the concept mirrors the introspective assessment I am currently undertaking on my life in preparation for 2024. And then the lightbulb flickered:

Ergo, the reason you’re reading this now!

In simple terms, gap analysis aka needs analysis is used to examine where your business is (the present state) and where you want it to be (target state), by assessing the difference between the actual and the expected.

While this is a business principle, it is so relevant to most people at this time of the year, as they try to figure out what the future holds and what they can do to bring positive change to their lives.

Whether you’re optimizing your daily routines, investing in personal growth, navigating and adapting to changes or aiming for peak performance, a gap analysis can work for you. It’s like a strategic GPS for your life in 2024.

Applying this to your life means taking a step back and analytically assessing where your life is right now, where you want it to go and what you need to do to bridge that gap between your reality and your future (dream self).

In psychology, congruence is a state in which a person’s ideal self (the person you want to be) and self-image (the person you think you are now) match or are very similar. According to Carl Rogers, the humanistic psychologist, it is rare for a complete state of congruence to exist because people experience incongruence (an imbalance between who you are and who you think you should be) at all times. To try to find congruence or at least get closer to where you think you deserve to be, you must be strategic, not just optimistic. You must leverage opportunities in the midst of challenges. Start this by recognising the loopholes, gaps or pitfalls in your way.

Here are key areas where the business concept of gap analysis can be applied in your personal life:

Process Improvement: Evaluate how you allocate your 24 hours. Are you making efficient use of your time?

Product Development: Consider your investment in personal development as an asset to your professional and personal spheres.

Change: Use periods of change, be it in employment, residence, or status, as opportunities to reevaluate and realign with your goals.

Performance Management: If you feel there are no issues with where you are in life now, you’re wrong. There will always be room for enhanced efficiency and proficiency, so challenge yourself to be more than you are now.

Define the Focus Area: What aspect of your life requires elevation, change, or elimination? Determine what steps will bring you closer to your ideal self.

2024 Goals: Establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for the upcoming year.

Present State Assessment: Candidly evaluate what is working, what should be discarded, examine habits (both beneficial and detrimental), and assess decision-making processes.

List Actionable Plans: Connect actionable plans to each goal outlined above.

Hmm, if I try to go in-depth into this thing, it’ll take more than 3 articles (Another lightbulb moment: I think I should make this a series for January).

I can’t be the only one who thinks a person can’t manifest a reality they’re not planning for.

Believe in yourself, create an action plan and see it through. There may be a 50% chance your plans won’t work once you try but there’s also a 100% guarantee that you won’t grow if you do nothing.

Everyone has the ability to change and develop themselves but you have to believe that you are made for more, you have to believe that the dreams you have are valid and real. Now bridge that gap to your true self the analytical way.

Get a notepad and pen, I won’t recommend a digitized approach because I want you to write, calculate and cancel but still see your workings as part of the roadmap.

Stop and stare (figuratively) at the past 12 months, taking into account all you remember happening in each month. What were your highs and lows?

What were the goals for 2023 that didn’t come to fruition?

What are the SMART goals for becoming your best self in 2024?

What habits and routines are you dropping that are impeding your growth?

What habits and routines are you reinforcing to get you to your goal?

How will you know you have achieved your goals? What are the results you expect from your hard work?

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done once the roadmap is clear.

Here’s my mantra for 2024: Look back, live today, open up to tomorrow.

In all things, be kind to yourself, be patient on your journey, and be grateful that you have breath. Na only person wey dey alive fit dream dreams of aspiring to perspire and acquire!

Welcome to my new blog, it’s all about self-development and scaling up as an entrepreneur. If you’ve known me long enough, you must have read articles from my mental health blog. Subscribe so you get notified of my latest pieces, leave a comment below, and share this with someone you care about. Don’t gatekeep!

Happy New Year!