If you were like me, you found yourself having mixed feelings about the upcoming 2011. I have little doubt that 2011 will be better for our business than 2010. I often hear or read comments that nationally, people are more optimistic about 2011. But why? Are their feelings based on what other people are saying or are they based on real facts? It amazes me that people so often make their decisions based on other people’s opinions.
It is my observation that today, many people are tired of waiting for things to turn around and they feel that it is finally time to make their own futures come true. The first step to doing this is to prepare a plan to follow. For most small and mid size businesses, planning often happens after, or because of the fires that are burning at their feet. Have you ever heard the saying that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? I never really understood it until now.
So, my New Year’s resolution for my business is to look at last year’s business overview and set some realistic goals for what I want our business to accomplish. Once I have set my goals, my first step will be to set a step-by-step plan of how to accomplish these goals. Then I will set my plan in motion and always monitor my progress closely to make needed changes along the way.
Planning for Success Made Easy
Follow these 5 easy steps to get started.
1. Get ready. Planning takes concentration as well as time, so you need a space where you can focus without distractions. If your one of those people who can’t ignore e-mails and phone calls when you’re in your office, gather everything you will need and go somewhere else to plan. A good rule of thumb is to set aside at least one hour of planning time for every month you are planning for.
2. Brainstorm. Brainstorm every project, task, and idea you need to complete by the end of the year to achieve your goals. At this stage, turn off the censor: Don’t worry about how important it is or how you’ll get it done. Just write everything down. Get it out of your head and onto paper or screen.
3. Organize / Categories Now that you’ve got it all written down, organize the items by grouping similar items together. Use categories such as marketing/advertising, sales, training, etc. You’ll find that some projects or ideas go hand-in-hand, that some tasks are part of a larger project that you’ve identified, etc. Make sure to write the groupings out in a way that makes sense to you.
4. Prioritize. Prioritize your goals and tasks using these ratings:
- A – Top Priority (Must do)
- B – High Priority (Important to do)
- C – Med Priority (Nice to have completed)
- D – Delegate (Can have someone else do)
- E – Eliminate (No need to be done)
5. Calendar. With all your tasks organized and prioritized, it’s time to put a time line together to determine when they will get done. To make sure the critical projects get accomplished, schedule all the Priority A items on your calendar first, then move to the B items-and if you’ve still got space, to Priority C.
You’ve planned the work; now all you have to do is work the plan. I’m committing to taking control of my business’s future and destiny and make 2011 our biggest and best year ever. How about you?
