Let’s face it.
Planning might feel a bit too-left brain and boring. It might give you flashbacks to your days in a corporate job or working for someone else.
It isn’t the sexy creative stuff that we truly LOVE to do.
Some of it is fun but most of it is just plain confronting.
I won’t lie when it comes to planning there can be lots of tears, tension, hiding and emotional eating! But in your heart you know you have to pull up our big girl CEO panties and get to work.
You can bring much more intention to each new year, new quarter and new week when you thoughtfully take the time to plan.
Here are some bits and bobs to make sure you include in your regular planning!
Keep in mind – Nothing is too basic! Fundamentals are key.
Whether you’ve been in business a few months or half your life, revisiting some of these concepts is incredibly enlightening because – guess what – things change! Business changes. Priorities change. We change!
1 | Vision
In a recent planning workshop, we kicked off with vision building and looking at our core values, core focus and core strengths. We each thought we had this in the bag and could just move on to the big work of planning. Surprisingly we spent a LOT of time here because our facilitator wanted to make sure it was super specific and succinct. Refine these core factors because everything unfolds from here.
2 | Purpose/Passion
Sum up your purpose in 3-7 words. It’s hard but I challenge you to get it to it’s sheer essence!
May require bouncing ideas off of a friend or using the thesaurus. Write out all your ideas first and then refine it to the essence of why you do what you do!
3 | Audience
Who do you serve… really! Yep the ol’ ideal client profile came up again.
Can’t get away from her (ha!). It is one of the most resistant-promoting exercises because we are all afraid of excluding people or loosing out on business, but the more specific we are, the better we will be able to serve them.
4 | Targets
Write down your big bold glittery goals. Your 7-10-years (larger than life) targets. The new home, how many hours a week you want to work, the people in your life, the things you’ll buy, the money you contribute to charity. Add profit/income goals to this. This is the stuff of vision boards.
Then… What will your life look like as well at 5, 3 and 1 year this time include income goals, revenue, profit and other measurables (Yes numbers!). Free associate on paper what exactly it will look and feel like once you’ve hit your targets.
5 | Numbers
Write down your revenue and profit goals for 3 years, 2 years and next year. As well as other KPI (key performance indicators) that you will want to track. If you want to make 100K next year what does this quarter look like and the next? How much do you have to sell? How many sales calls? How many new subscribers in your funnel?
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”
6 | Priority Q.
Figuring out your priority for this quarter (or the next one if you’re nearing the end of this one) in terms of products/offerings is the best way to make sure your biggest goal/s get your utmost attention and get done.
Each quarter should have a big 90 day goal to chase after. Having a strong goal that you accomplish in one quarter will create momentum for the rest of the year and beyond.
Trying to tackle several big goals and projects in the course of 90 days can lead to stagnancy, overwhelmed and most likely not accomplishing anything through completion. Multi-tasking is a crock so let’s become more myopic and get s**t done.
7 | Write Down, Share
Writing down and sharing your big dreams and action items with others improves your chances of success. This isn’t just my opinion research has shown that you dramatically increase completing your goals when you do so. Read More here.
8 | Get Accountability
You know we’re all about getting s**t done and that happens when you meet with an accountability or peer group frequently and consistency and share the journey. It is confronting and exciting. Exhilarating and scary. And sooooo very needed. All that planning is for naught if you don’t get it done!
If you do the work of planning – thinking through the biggest goals, writing them down and sharing them with a close, trusted friend – make sure you also keep your work handy. It is a working (living and breathing!) document.
Otherwise this well-worked and loved planning document you created could just be tossed in a drawer and forgotten. Along with your biggest dreams for yourself.
So schedule some time with yourself and begin scheming and dreaming. It doesn’t have to be super formal or require a weekend away.
Sit down with pen and paper and sketch out where you’re at today and where you want to be this time next year. It is incredibly powerful and inspiring.
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