This is a high-level overview of the amazing year planning intensive that I do with my one-on-one clients. Grab a calendar and your journal, let’s dive in and plan an amazing year for 2022. Cue the confetti.
Let it go
I’m not sure about you, but the words let it go, and the movie Frozen go hand and hand for me. Still, I cannot see or hear those words and not have the song run through my mind. Anyway, my point, if you have any resistance to planning, I give you permission to let go of the resistance. What I’ve found for me personally is the things that I resist are the things I need to be doing.
You would not start out on a road trip without a map, well, unless you're totally in love with taking a long way.
If you want to have an amazing year in your life and business, you need to have some idea of what that means to you.
Spending time creating a plan will do that for you.
Always Start With Reflection
Every amazing year starts by reflecting on what worked, areas of improvement, and dropping what you need to walk away from.
What was really successful this past year? What did you achieve? The positive reflects always comes before the negative. Keep that in mind.
What didn’t go as smoothly as you hoped this past year?
What challenges did you face? Were you able to overcome those challenges? If not, what do you think you could have done differently to overcome those challenges?
Did you stick with your goal or hop around like a kid on a pogo stick? What pulled your attention away from achieving your goal or executing your plan?
Was it a shiny object, or was it a necessary pivot in your life and business?
Reflect on your numbers or metrics
Gather all the status of your business. How many people do you have on your email list? What is your traffic to your website?
What was your profit, expense, income, clients?
You’ll want to make sure that you’re measuring your progress.
Numbers tell a story that we can’t always see.
Here’s an example of how numbers tell a story. I recently met with one of my clients, she was pretty down about a launch she had earlier in the year, it was a complete failure in her mind. This was causing substantial mindset issues with relaunching her group coaching program again.
However, the launch numbers told a very different story. You see, once we dug into her numbers, her conversion rates were outstanding!
That story she was telling herself wasn’t true. Our minds are sneaky like that.
Reflect on your life balance
Do you want to know what makes for an amazing year? Feeling amazing! Do you know what can derail you? Not knowing what you’re priorities are in regards to what gets your time. Let me walk you through a life balance exercise to gauge where you are now so you know where you’re headed in 2022.
Feeling balanced is unique to you, but what does that look like for you.
Here are 8 life categories; please rank your level of satisfaction with each area from 1 (very dissatisfied) and 10 (fully satisfied).
- Family
- Significant Other
- Business
- Finances
- Health
- Home Environment
- Fun & Leisure
- Personal Growth
Please feel free to change any of these categories that are the most meaningful to you. Here are a few ideas for you: Friends, Security, Leadership, Community, Faith, Dating, Relationships, Motherhood, Career.
After you have ranked your categories, reflect on your answers.
- Are there any surprises for you?
- How do you feel about your life as you look at your answers?
- Which of these categories would you most like to improve?
- What change do you feel called to make first in your life to have an amazing year in 2022?
What’s your vision for the future?
What’s the vision for your home-based business?
Do you know where you want to be in three years?
Looking at your three-year vision. What should be the focus on in the upcoming year to bring the idea to reality?
What’s the vision for your life? Do you know where you want to be in three years?
What are your goals for the year?
Look at the upcoming year…
- What do you want more of in your life and business?
- What do you want less of in your life and business?
- What would make it feel like you were living the good life?
- Top Three – Business, Personal and Financial Goals
A question I ask myself when setting a goal “But, have you committed Michele to achieve this outcome?” If my answer is no, I need to set different goals that feel in alignment and that I’m willing to commit to achieving the outcome.
Oh, just one more thing, when creating my goals. If you use the word “want” and replace it with “will.” What that looks like. I will make it into the $200k Mastermind in August 2022.
Now it is your turn, what WILL you accomplish in your amazing year ahead?
Let Me Guide You Through An Annual Plan
Firstly, pull out the calendar and figure out the actual number of working days you’ll have available in 2022. What days do you plan to take time off for vacation, holidays, rest, and leisure?
Block those days off on your calendar now as out of the office. In other words, we will plan our business around the meaningful dates in our life.
Secondly, grab your notebook; it’s time to create an exhausting list of all the projects you want to accomplish next year, not only in your business but in your life. You do not want to be in the middle of a house remodeling project AND launching a new service at the same time. Girlfriend, that has stress, overwhelm, and a lack of sleep written all over it.
When I say exhausted, I mean get it all out, even those crazy ideas. No project is too small or simple for the list. Write down everything that pops into your head without any judgment.
What projects are aligned with your life vision
With your exhausted list of ideas, which projects do you feel are the most aligned with the vision for your life and the mission of your online business. Next, cross off anything on the list that is out of alignment with your vision, your mission, or doesn’t bring joy.
Then, circle ideas that feel aligned with your life vision, business mission and rank each of the tasks by importance to you and your ideal clients. This will help you figure out where to start.
Each quarter may be assigned up to three projects to achieve! If it is a massive project like a launch or house remodel – only one!
Basically, one per month if they are small. Start with the projects that have the most impact on the growth of your home-based business or are the quickest path to cash. Either highlight the three tasks for Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 with a different color or note the Q before the project.
Mindmap the Quarters
My favorite way to create a plan is, to begin with, a mindmap. I’ve talked about mindmap previously in the post if you’d like to read it. — find the mindmap post.
In the center of a new sheet of paper, pick one of the ideas from your list. This is how you start your mindmap.
Circle this idea that is written in the center of your page. Begin by drawing lines off of this idea with all the big to-dos for the project. Likewise, create smaller to-do items off of bigger ones that need to be completed.
For example, if one project in the next quarter is to create a new opt-in. You’ll need a landing page for one of the items. What are the small accomplishable daily tasks to create a landing page? Here are a few ideas.
- Find images
- Write Copy
- Create Wireframe
- What else do you need to do?
Get it scheduled
If you have a project management system, you can set this all up inside to know what to do when. If not, a paper calendar or Bullet Journal will work just fine.
At the top, write out your online business mission, life vision, and goals for the first quarter. Under this breaks it into three columns. One for each project.
Looking at your list, if you had to pick just one project, what would it be?
Start with that one.
Under the Project Header
Now we will put in all the tasks that need to be completed by who and when. Will you need any resources, such as a new software application, to complete the task?
Not all the tasks must be completed by you. You must stay in your lane and delegate out the functions that can be done by someone else.
Little Side Note
If you’re planning to create a new offering, this should be your single focus for the one whole quarter. If you’re going to remodel your kitchen and it will take six months, for the love of all that is good and holy do not try to do it all.
✁ Just a Snippet
Here is just a snippet of the important points, you know for the skimmer in you. 🤪
- Suppose you’re like me, balancing life as a mom, wife, and home-based entrepreneur. You get that planning is a difference-maker to feeling like you have it all together.
- If you have any resistance to planning, I give you permission to let go of the resistance. What I’ve found for me personally is the things that I resist are the things I need to be doing.
- Every amazing year starts by reflecting on what worked, areas of improvement, and dropping what you need to walk away from.
- Do you want to know what makes for an amazing year? Feeling amazing!
- Block those days off on your calendar now as out of the office. In other words, we will plan our business around the meaningful dates in our life.
- Grab your notebook; it’s time to create an exhausting list of all the projects you want to accomplish next year, not only in your business but in your life.
- Then, circle ideas that feel aligned with your life vision, business mission and rank each of the tasks by importance to you and your ideal clients.
- Each quarter may be assigned up to three projects to achieve! If it is a massive project like a launch or house remodel – only one!
- Get it scheduled!
Stop believing that old story that you're not someone that likes to plan.
Do you have a recurring pattern of starting and stopping when you feel unsure, frustrated, and incapable of doing the things you want to do?
90-Day Plans Are Important Because:
You figure out beforehand what needs to be done. No more deciding as you go.
You confidently step into the leader and CEO of your business.
It creates a clear plan, vision, and goals for your business. No more second-guessing yourself.
Download The Planning Workbook Today!