Hi there

Happy New Year, and Happy New Decade! Yes, I realise we are midway through January, but I’ve delayed this month’s post for two reasons.

 

Firstly, many of us have been left bereft and distressed by the bushfires engulfing our beautiful country and so focus has been diverted away from planning out the start of the year to showing our support for our incredible fireys.

 

The second reason I delayed January’s post is because the vast majority of my clients use January for their downtime. They reflect, rest, rejuvenate and replenish, taking advantage of the slower pace to do a whole lot of nothing, but allow the creativity juices to flow and ideas to percolate. Often, it’s through the quiet times that big shifts in focus happen. No big shifts in your thinking? No fear - I have you covered!

 

Sometimes, the subconscious needs a gentle prod to get the wheels turning. My favourite process to facilitate some start of year big thinking involves my hallway, coloured textas and butcher paper, where on individual sheets, I brain dump against the following questions:

 

§ What are the top 3 things that I ticked off my list in the last six months?

§ What slipped off my radar?

§ How am I feeling about how my goals progressed? Hint - go for the visceral here to get down and deep on your emotions. Are you impatient with yourself, disappointed, elated? I find that thinking about what is working for you - or equally important - what isn’t working in your business and life will clearly highlight what you want more and less of this year.

§ What are my big wins for the first half of 2020?

§ What roadblocks could get in the way of achieving these big wins? For example internal and external challenges such as illness, school holidays, reduced projected cash flow.

§ What steps could/should I put in place to reduce the impact of these roadblocks?

 

As you wander up and down your sheets of paper, goals will inevitably reveal themselves to you. Before you launch into goal-setting mode, I think it’s important to give energy and thought to some key considerations.  All of these are potentially enormous in themselves, so I’m including links to more information to guide your thinking, planning and goal setting.

 

First and foremost, I encourage you to put yourself first on your priority list. The women I work with - solopreneurs juggling All. The. Things. often relegate their own personal needs to the bottom of their to do list. This is unsustainable and ultimately unproductive. My White Paper and my latest eBook  explores this phenomena and offers actionable solutions to help women attend to their own oxygen tanks first.

 

It can be incredibly exciting setting goals and making lists of the actions that will drive your business success. It can also be overwhelming when you’re faced with an almost insurmountable mountain of ideas and strategies. I have some key strategies to help you move from information overload to being a person of action. 

 

New year, new decade - surely it’s time for some new thinking too? It’s not easy to shift your thinking, but when you do, when you open yourself to new opportunities and stop pigeonholing yourself, the benefits far outweighs the discomfort. And make no mistake - it can be uncomfortable and also tricky. I have some quick steps to help you step out of your mental comfort zone and think differently. 

 

Whilst last January was all about the Konmari method, I think that whilst you’re in the headspace of organising your year, it makes perfect sense to Konmari your business too, both your physical space, your assets and your processes.

 

Completely clear off your workspace and give it a good scrub, then only replace items you use daily, or, dare I say it, those that spark joy. Gather your last six months of credit card statements and go through all of your memberships and subscriptions.

Are you paying for design programs that you’ll never use? Multiple social media scheduling apps? Two lots of accounting software?

 

Finally, think about the best way for you to work effectively and efficiently and lucratively. Are you using your time in a way that maximises your return, or are you like the average office worker who research shows checks their email over 40 times per work day?

 

My final piece of advice for you to think about as you plot out your year ahead really has very little to do with the nuts and bolts of your day to day running of your business - or does it?

As you plan and set your goals be authentically you. Don’t spend your 2020 living in the shadow and limitations of the assessment of others. It simply doesn’t serve you. It hinders your success, your motivation and your intrinsic happiness, and that’s no way to run a business or live a life you love. 

 

So, what next? Now it’s time to take all your scribbles, notes, dreams, observations and obsessions and turn them into a plan with clearly articulated goals that are measurable, realistic and inspiring. Add some deadlines, and you have a solid beginning.

 

Personally, I like to structure and allocate my goals across timeframes - and this is how my coaching services unfold too. Basically, goals for the short term are for the next 90 days.

I find allocating some specific goals to a quarter are a fantastic way to build momentum and get some quick wins that energise. Mid-term goals are a focus for up to 12 months, so usually bigger pieces of work, that often have a big impact. Long term goals have a 12 month - 2 year focus.

 

I absolutely love the goal-setting process - there’s something so wonderfully exciting and compelling about turning dreams into reality through well-considered action. Is 2020 the year you reenergise your business and live a life you love?

 

You’re not alone  - I’d love to work with you.

To your success…