Business Coach, Joan Nowak

Planning: 9 Do’s & Don’ts to Make It Easy and Effective July 20, 2010

Mention planning to small business owners and then watch the reaction. Some look sheepish and respond with things like ‘I know I should but don’t have the time’. Others cringe and say it’s a waste of time and insert some ‘logical’ reason why.

The truth is that taking some time to plan is the best investment of your time. It provides the focus and clarity you need to achieve what you want — to BE, DO or HAVE — in business and in life.

So if planning is not your thing, here’s a few do’s and don’ts to make it easier and more effective.

Don’t Strive for Perfection. A plan is a road map but results come from doing. Spending countless weeks and months trying to create the perfect plan comes at the expense of doing! Doing creates learning and you can adapt along the way. A plan that is 80% perfect and implemented now, will always outperform a perfect plan that is never executed. Remember, sometimes good is good enough!

Do Focus on What Not How. Don’t let the how kill your dreams and vision. One of the biggest roadblocks when it comes to long-term goals is linked to our practical nature. If we can’t figure out how to get there today, we simply change the goal to something in our comfort zone. It’s okay to not have a perfect picture of how you will achieve your vision and long-term goals. Don’t change the dream, simply look for opportunities to appear and act on them.

Do Start With a Life Vision. As a business owner, your income and lifestyle come from your business. But your life vision should drive your business goals – not the other way around. So start by thinking about what you want your life to look like in 5 or more years. How do you spend your days, weeks and months? How do you spend your ‘free’ time? What do you have in the future that you don’t have now? How would others describe you in your ideal future? Jot down your thoughts then craft a paragraph or two that visually describes your life. It should be compelling and inspirational to YOU – so don’t worry about what others would think! Here’s a few sentence starters that may help along the way: I am enjoying…; I am grateful and proud that… It feels great to…

Do Set Goals. Goals are nothing more than specific outcomes or results you need to accomplish over time in order to achieve your life vision. They act as milestones along the way to measure progress. Ideally your personal goals should cover important areas of your life — financial, personal development, relationships, spiritual, health and well-being, community, etc. Your business goals should include all the important areas that drive growth and profit (not just sales). Think of goals in terms of what you want to BE, to DO or to HAVE. Be specific – vague goals create vague results.

Do Take Action. Goals without actions are nothing more than dreams. Whether you want to lose weight, earn more money, expand your business, spend more time with family or travel the world, your ability to create these outcomes will ultimately come down to what you do and the actions you take – each day, week, month and year. Every goal should have key tasks or activities you must do to accomplish it. The number of activities will depend on the goal, but action is required. Write them down – and focus on these activities.

Don’t Keep It In Your Head. Put your vision, goals and key activities in writing. Be concise and clear. Keep it short and answer the following questions. What is my life vision? What are my high level, critical goals for the next 3-5 years to get me where I want to be? What are the key goals for the next 12 months to move me forward? What actions and tasks must I do to accomplish my 12 month goals?

Do Keep It Simple & Chunk It Down. The best plan for your life is probably no more than one page. The best plan for your small business is not the 50+ page business plan that ends up on the shelf. Instead a simple action plan outlining your goals, key actions and timetables for completion will serve you much better. A 5-7 page annual plan and a 2-page quarterly action plan works for my clients, works for me – and can work for you. The first pulls together the longer-term objectives, the latter details the short-term ‘stuff’ that supports your long-term goals and keeps you moving forward. Most of us can focus on 90-days, but struggle beyond that.

Do Review It Often. A plan will only keep you focused and on-track if you review it often. Spend 10 minutes each day reviewing your vision and goals. Here’s why. First, it reinforces them in your subconscious mind and helps you attract what you need to achieve them. Second, it helps you set priorities and manage your time more effectively. If you know what your priorities are, you are far more likely to turn down time (and money) commitments that don’t fit your priorities! Finally, it formalizes your commitment. For most of us, commitments we put in writing are stronger than verbal ones we make with ourselves.

Do Build in Accountability. Once you commit to your goals and develop a simple plan of attack, share them with someone who will hold you accountable to yourself – your personal accountability partner. This may be a spouse, friend, colleague or coach. But it should be someone who has a vested interest in your achievement of the goals and will support and push you to do what you need to do.

Find this helpful? Then share it with others. If you are still stuck on planning, visit my website for additional articles and resources. While you are there, join my mailing list to receive my monthly eNewsletter or check out my Ultimate Planning & Goal Setting Guide.