What's The Plan? How Better Planning Could Save your Soul.

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Imagine running your business like your home… Notes on the fridge, scribbled down plans on shopping lists and sticky notes that get lost somewhere between lunchboxes and soccer boots.

You’d fire yourself, right?

So love it or never quite nail it, PLANNING is ermm, kind of important.

For me, ok there are a few areas that are still a work in progress, but when I get the planning right; it makes a HUGE difference to my workflow - and stress levels. I used to cram everything in my head or write things down and then forget where I put the diary or scrap of paper.

Uh huh.

Stressful.

So does planning sound like extra busy work for you? Or could better planning save your soul?

Positive planning – here’s why

1) Organising your work life boosts efficiency and productivity.

2) Planning ahead reduces repetition of tasks and helps you to avoid half completing projects.

3) Better planning helps you prioritise what’s important and therefore give it the most energy and time.

4) Using online organisers or schedulers such as Google Calendar and BookedIn save you time by reducing extra emails, texts and calls.

5) Having a clear picture of what has been achieved in a day is motivating.

So how do you become a better planner? Where do you even start?

How to do it (and stick to it)

• Pick your online organisers such as Asana or Evernote. Pick your methods - and stick to them.
• Prioritise tasks in order of importance - and be realistic. Can you really achieve all that in a day? Try not to overcrowd your plan.
• Be specific. Make tasks short and measurable.
• Factor in some flexibility. Not all plans are perfectly executed, especially when parenting calls. Leave some space - an hour in the morning for example - for the unexpected or the unavoidable; that birthday present you forgot to buy, the soccer socks that need to be washed, the personal call you have to make.
• Keep checking in on your plan – what has been achieved?
• Involve others. Good planners get help when they need it. So if you have a deadline looming and a friend or grandparent offers to help with children – take them up on it and block that time for work.

But better planning is not just about lists and ticks. Planning also means setting goals, being accountable and reviewing – all major tools in your business success arsenal.

Setting goals

Goals help you to see yourself, and your business clearly. What are your desired outcomes? How realistic are they? Write down your goals for this year and where you’d like to be five years from now.

Being accountable

Accountability and reliability go hand in hand. Being accountable means taking responsibility for your actions, “turning up” and showing that you not only trust yourself, you can also be trusted.

Reviewing

Just as important as setting your goals is reviewing them. You might find some goals shrunk in importance while others became the focus. And remember, it’s actually okay to press re-set on your goals sometimes!

So, do you like the sound of reducing the stress? Are you ready for some serious online organisation game changers? This is by no means an exhaustive list, (and no, I’m not being paid to promote anything I suggest), but here’s what I use after testing quite a few options:

Asana

• Helps you to know exactly who in your team is doing what - and by when.
• Allows you to create, store and share documents with your team using - Dropbox and/ or GoogleDrive.
• Helps messaging and communication across teams with Gmail or Slack.

Google Calendar – Free with Google Account

• Gives you reminders about meetings and appointments via SMS, emails or popups.
• Allows you to see your schedule (in read-only mode) without Internet access – no matter where you are.
• Shares your calendar with colleagues so you don’t need to over email or call to schedule events and meetings.

Evernote – free and paid service options

• Syncs your computer, smartphone and tablet – allowing you to access your notes wherever you go.
• Allows you to copy and paste files directly into folders. You can also transfer and save web pages.
• Helps you categorise your notes into folders – helping you stay even more organised.

BookedIn- free and paid service options

• Enables clients to book your services online 24/7 directly on your website. Or even via Facebook.
• Allows you to collect custom information about clients – great for getting to know new clients.
• Helps your business get ranked on search engines!

Xero

• Uses fast cloud software so you can access your financial accounts from any device with an Internet connection.
• Gives you multi-user access which means you can collaborate online with your team and advisors.
• Gives you a clear picture of your financial position – in real time.

So there are some tools to help you improve your planning! Now it’s up to you. Save yourself some stress with a more organised approach to your business in 2017. Sound like a plan?