We’re about to be deluged with posts and articles about planning for 2023.
‘Make it your best year yet’ and ‘Fail to plan, plan to fail’ will be just two of the rallying cries for the business owner.
Not without good reason to be fair. I always find the quiet time between Christmas and New Year is a great time for reflection and setting intentions for the next year.
Here are some examples of things you may like to think about that maybe don’t feel so scarily like business planning.
Write a calendar entry for the 30th December 2023
Yes, that’s right, for the end of this year. This gives you the opportunity to write about the year as if it has already happened. Talk about all the things you achieved, both professionally and personally. They can be big or small. Do try and be specific. Mine includes consistent revenue each month (I’ve included the figure) along with my huge success as a stand-up comedian (terrifyingly I’ve booked myself onto a stand-up comedy course).
The important thing is that when you read it back to yourself, it excites you. Imagine if you just had the year you’ve written about. If you think ‘wowzers’ you’ve got it right. If you think ‘meh’ go back and try again.
Then look at it several times during the year and highlight your achievements as they’ve happened. It’s amazing how many of them come to fruition.
And one final top tip is to handwrite it. Research has shown that the physical act of writing (as opposed to typing it into your laptop or tablet) anchors the thoughts and intentions much more concretely.
Name the year
I came across an article by Lauren Brazzle who poses 13 questions to ask yourself and then come up with a tagline for what you want to achieve in 2023. (The full set of questions is here if you’re interested).
I’m going to be 60 in February (though I am definitely not old enough to be that age!). I loathed hitting 50, so I’m determined I’m not going down that road again. The last few years I’ve pretty much been a recluse and I need to make more effort and have some fun.
So I ended up with ‘Embrace life, fitness and fun’.
In light of my mad moment of booking the stand-up comedy course, maybe I should call mine ‘The year of living dangerously’!
Start, stop, continue
Write down three lists of things you want to stop doing, continue doing and start doing.
It is a good way to force you to reflect on last year and to bring only the good stuff into the next. Here are some examples:
- Stop doing all the work yourself or beating yourself up if you didn’t quite hit your targets.
- Continue delighting your customers or writing a blog each month.
- Start looking to outsource some admin tasks freeing you up to do more sales and marketing or reviewing your finances monthly rather than waiting until your accountant does your tax return six months after the end of the year.
Don’t hold back and be honest with yourself, particularly on the things you should try to stop doing.
And of course, the actual plan…
I’m sorry to say there’s really no getting away with not doing this one. Without a documented and objective plan to include your sales and profit targets and exactly how you are going to achieve them, you are simply throwing your business to fate and hoping that things will be ok.
Please don’t do this. And please don’t be overwhelmed with fear at the thought of doing it. My blog with my easy six-step planning process from last year will help: https://www.thesussexnewspaper.com/cant-plan-wont-plan/
Happy new year and here’s to 2023 being your best year yet!