As business owners, it can be easy to get caught in a cycle of reactivity. 

But if you want to break out of the hustle cycle and start scaling your busy in a strategic, aligned way—you absolutely MUST learn how to plan effectively.

Personally, planning and strategizing are some of my favorite things to talk about. Learning to effectively plan for your business is essential to:

• Feeling aligned with your work
• Creating space in your schedule
• Avoiding burnout
• Not overcommitting or overextending

And yet, so many business owners don’t really understand how to plan, in a long-term sense. So today, I’m sharing with you a few of my favorite tips for planning your year of entrepreneurship.

3 Strategies For More Effective Annual Planning

1. Not Sure Where to Start? Put All Your Most Important Dates On Your Calendar.

There are certain dates you want to make sure you don’t accidentally double-book—these might be birthdays, family vacations, anniversaries, holidays, or any other date that’s important to you. 

Putting your non-negotiables on the calendar first gives you a strong foundation to start with and ensures that you’re planning your business around your life—not vice versa. 

Looking for a new calendar? My favorite is this one, from Etsy.  It’s a 36” x 48” tool that allows me to easily see the big picture for my year. It hangs in my office and even travels with me when I go on my solo business retreats!

2. Schedule Existing Obligations

What things have you already said yes to? Add those dates to your calendar next. These could be clients you’ve agreed to work with, speaking engagements, masterminds you’re offering or attending, etc.

3. Refer to Your Goals List

Now that you know what free time you have available, it’s time to think strategically about how you want to spend that time. Where do your launches fit? What big projects will you prioritize, and when will you work on them?

Planning your projects and promos around big life events makes it easier to determine which seasons you’re more likely to have time and energy available—and which seasons may require you to move at a slower pace. 

Blocking out your projects this way also allows you to plan for your revenue goals.  In looking at your big picture, you can easily break down your annual revenue goal into quarterly revenue goals. Then, you go one step further and figure out what products and services you need to sell to hit those specific goals. This is the key to consistently hitting your revenue targets, without overextending, burning out, or feeling like your work is getting in the way of your life.

Ready to Get Serious About Planning For Your Business?

March 4-5, 2022, I’m hosting a retreat for women business owners and professionals! During this 2-day event, you’ll learn how to create meaningful goals for your life and business, in a way that creates ease, focuses on all of the domains of your life, and prioritizes what matters most to you.

This is not your run-of-the-mill, create-a-goals-list retreat. You’ll leave this event with a life plan and a goals planner to help you manage your time and energy this year, so you can maximize your productivity without procrastinating or losing focus, and crushing your biggest goals.

Interested? Get more information & secure your spot here.