How to build a plan you’ll actually stick to, part 2

In part 1, I showed you how to start your plan by getting clear on where you are and where you want to go. 

You did that. Now what?

Look for differences.

Think of your two business descriptions like two cities: New York and Los Angeles.

You are bound to notice these two cities are different: one has the Hollywood sign and other has the Statue of Liberty.

Read the descriptions you wrote. Think about all the things about your business today that are different than the business you see in 12 months.

Maybe your future company makes more sales, has more employees, or has launched a new product. Or maybe your future company is a serene zen-like paradise where everyone is centered and calm - a far cry from the barely controlled chaos of today.

The differences could also be in the tasks you personally do and how you spend your time. For example, in your business today you doing majority to all of the administrative tasks such as emailing clients and scheduling appointments.  Do you still want to be doing all that in 12 months?

Whatever they are, notice them and write them down.

Transform those differences into changes.

Now that you have a list of what’s different about your company in 12 months, It’s time to plan on what to do to get your business from today to your 12 month goal. This is like deciding on the route you’re going to take from New York to LA.

Think of the differences as the things you need to work on. Go back to your list of differences and write down the things you need to work on to make those differences become reality.

If you are having difficulty with the transition from differences into what you need to work on, think back to our cities:

• New York is colder than Los Angeles - that’s a difference. 
• You start wearing shorts instead of jeans - that’s something you need to work on.

Now follow that same reasoning, but relate it to your business:

• Your business today attracts young customers, but you want to target an older demographic - that’s a difference 
• You create a new marketing strategy to appeal to older customers - that’s something you need to work on. 

Why does writing down what you need to work on matter?

Identifying specific things to work on is the link between your goals and your actions.

The biggest problem I see with the business owners I work with is they set a goal but don’t think through what they need to do to achieve it. Instead, they  assume something magical is going to happen and they’ll hit their goal by the end of the year simply by saying it’s their goal.

That never works.

You will be much more successful in reaching your goals if you take the time to identify exactly what you need to do to achieve them.

Prioritize what you need to work on.

If you’re like most people I work with,  you will have a lot of things on your list to accomplish. Probably more than you can realistically get done in a year.

That’s okay!

Simply prioritize what you need to do.  The changes that stand to benefit your business the most and/or the soonest should be at the top of your list.

And don’t worry about the stuff that sinks to the bottom of your list not getting done. If it’s at the bottom of the list, chances are it’s not really than important. And, it will still be there waiting for you to work on after you’ve finished the things that make a bigger difference.

Having a hard time coming up with what you need to work on? Looking at your list and realizing you have no idea how to do most of it?

No worries!  We’re here to help.

Book a free Breakthrough Session to get clear on what you need to do and learn some strategies for getting it done.

Next week, we’ll go a little deeper and show you how to start break those things down into tasks you can actually do today and how to schedule your work so you know exactly when it will all get done.