Time To Plan!

Written By: Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

Happy New Year!  I love this time of the year when it feels like you are given a do-over.  A time to plan and organize your goals and achievement s you want to seek out for the year.  I am a huge advocate on planning.  It is one of the major contributions to my business success.

When you're working on a big project, it's easy to get distracted.  By planning the project, and breaking it up into smaller, easy to achieve "mini-goals" you make it seem much less daunting and more achievable.  Plus, whenever you reach one of your smaller goals, you get that extra boost of confidence needed to keep you going.

When you focus really hard on a project, it's really easy to gain a lot of focus and get "on a roll".  The problem is, sometimes you get off track while your focus is so narrow and you end up wasting your concentration on something that doesn't need to be done, or will need to be redone.  By having a clear, written plan, you can always check back to it while you're working to make sure what you're doing serves the ultimate purpose of your project.

While the idea of planning is easy, actually making a plan can take some effort.  Start by breaking down everything that needs to get done into "bite sized" tasks.  You don't need to plan everything down to the minute, but break it down logically by what needs to get done, who needs to do it, and what they need to get it done with.

Once you're done breaking things down, organize them into an ordered list depending on what order things need to be done in, when people and materials are available, and when certain parts just have to be done by.  You can then fit this to a reasonable timeline for getting everything done.

Once you get your plan and get started, you can use it to motivate yourself.  Why not plan small incentives for getting parts of the plan done?  This could be anything from getting a massage or a pedicure or going to see a movie.   If small incentives aren't working, try motivating yourself by remembering your ultimate goals, like a new car or that warm vacation.  Try putting visual reminders around you or do a vision board.  That is one of the first things I do in 2015 is redo my vision board.  You will find it amazing how many things you accomplish as you take down the previous years.  It works for me every time.  Thinking and seeing these objectives will help motivate you until the end.

While it's great to have a plan, always be prepared to revise the plan if needed.  It will be worth your time to take a second look at your plan and make changes if needed (or verify that everything is as it should be).

Planning projects is a great way to successfully finish them and feel accomplished, but if you really want to make waves, you need to take planning a step further and start planning your business as a whole.  You can use the same concepts of determining your ultimate goals, breaking it into steps, determining who and what you need and developing a timeline.  A life goal probably needs a bit more thought and revision than a project, but the reward is that much sweeter. 

If you feel you need an accountability partner then ask a friend or spouse to go over your goals on a monthly basis but you need someone who is going to hold you to those goals if they are not accomplished.  Hiring a business coach is one way to truly maximize your planning efforts.  I would be happy to do a free consultation with you to help you with your business at this moment. You will walk away with 3 tips you can implement immediately.  You can schedule that free 20 minute phone call today.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!