Do you want to fulfil your vision of SUCCESS in 2018? Of course you do.
Do you want to achieve all of this while THRIVING? Yeah, durr!
Do you know exactly how you’re going to do that?
If the answer is yes, then STOP reading this and go start kicking some serious biz arse!
If the answer is no, fear not, Mama, as I have here the one key thing that will help you stay on the path to your version of success this year.
First, can I ask you something?
When you think about what you want, in an ideal world, for yourself, your family and your business in 2018 (because let’s be honest, they’re all intertwined, right?!), does it look a little like this:
More time to spend with your family
More time for yourself
More clients, more sales, more money
More of the parts of your business you enjoy
Less of the parts you’re not so jazzed about
Less stress, overwhelm, fatigue
Thought it might. Because when you tick off the things above, you THRIVE. And I think, all any of us truly want, when you get to the very core of it, is to really thrive.
The great news is that if you want, that doesn’t have to remain a wish list. It can start being your reality. And a lot sooner than you might imagine.
The Key To Thriving
So what’s the key to all this? The place where it all starts?
Getting really bloody intentional with what you do.
And not just now, at the beginning of the year (although it’s as good as any place to start). But continually reassessing and re-committing to your intentions on a regular basis.
Because here’s what happens all too often: you get caught up in the day-to-day, the juggling, the plate spinning. You become busy with All The Things you think you should be doing. And and what you want and what is important to you can get left by the wayside.
I don’t want that for you, Mama.
Remember, as a Success Coach, it’s my job to make sure you thrive.
So here’s the one tool we can use to prevent that: intentional planning.
What is Intentional Planning?
It isn’t a fancy or difficult concept. It is simply, planning your days/weeks/months, not based on an endless list of tasks, the need-to-do’s and the should-do’s but based on how you want your life to be.
It’s about deciding up front what your day is going to look like. When you are intentional about the way you plan your activities, you are being proactive, not reactive.
It is about setting boundaries in your business and your life to protect your time. To conserve your energy. To make sure you have the time and the energy for the important things…
Like working in your zone of genius.
Like doing the work that lights you up.
Like doing the precise things that bring in the money (which should involve the two points above of course!).
Like time to work both on and in your business.
Like spending time with your family.
Like having time for self-care and personal development.
Intentional planning helps you up to work smarter, not harder.
Ultimately, intentional planning is about setting yourself up for SUCCESS.
How to Get Intentional
Ok, so you’re convinced you need to get intentional. Now what?
Just follow the instructions below. Easy.
6 Simple Steps to Use Intentional Planning to Thrive
1. Decide what you want and when you can have it
This is the really great part because it’s actually fun.
Write down all the things that are important to you in your life and your business.
Write down what you WANT your life to look like. What do you want to do more of? Less of? What are the things that make YOU happy? Be really specific and don’t hold back.
Love naps? Write that down. Want to pick up your kids from school more often? Write it down. Want to make time for yoga every day? Write it down. Want to spend time on your personal development? Write it down.
You get the gist.
Now arrange the list into two categories: things you can start doing NOW and things you can start SOON.
This might be harder than you think. As if you are anything like most of my clients (and like I was a very short time ago!), you’ll need some persuading to be convinced that any of it can be done NOW. Trust me, the vast majority can.
Now go back over the SOON category. Look at each one. How hard – be really, really honest – would it be to start putting in place now?
Hopefully you’ll have a pretty healthy looking NOW category. It’s ok if you feel a bit sceptical that you can make this happen.
You can totally do it.
2. Make a list of other important activities
We also need a list of things that are essential to the successful operation of your business.
Add to your NOW list all the daily and/or weekly tasks that are necessary to keep moving the needle on your business. Things like marketing, client work, administration, etc.
Make sure you don’t add things that aren’t essential. When I get my clients to do this, often lots of interesting things come out of the woodwork. It’s really easy to be spending time on things we think we “should” be doing, but when you really analyse it those things aren’t moving you or your business forward.
If you find any of these, take them off the list!
3. Put structures and boundaries in place to support it
It’s time to really set that intention.
Depending on your work style, you can either map out your working week deciding exactly what it is going to look like, making sure you fit in all the things that are important to you.
Or if you prefer more fluidity to your schedule, you can arrange your NOW list into daily, weekly, monthly tasks that you tick off.
Next, decide if it would be helpful to make some rules for yourself. E.g. “I only answer client emails between these set hours each day”. Or, “I only spend 20 minutes per day networking in Facebook groups”. These can be really effective at making sure your day doesn’t run away with itself, taking your intentions with it.
There will likely be things on your list that you think you can plan in later. Don’t. Plan them in now.
If you’ve set an intention to have more date nights with your partner, then schedule in your next date night! Do it now. Phone a babysitter. Make a reservation. Make it happen.
4. Reassess regularly
This isn’t a do-it-once kind of affair.
You need to regularly sit down and have a look at your NOW and SOON lists and be honest with yourself at how well you are sticking to your intentions. How many have you managed to move off the SOON list and onto the NOW list?
Time to move some more!
If there are some intentions that you set but haven’t stuck to, don’t beat yourself up, just ask yourself why? Is there something holding you back? What can you do to feel like sticking to this particular intention is easy? Can you do the activity at a different time of day?
Or, as sometimes happens, perhaps you realise you set an intention based on a “should” rather than a “want”. Perhaps you realise that it isn’t going to make you happier, more successful. In which case, bin it.
5. Reconnect with the vision
Remember, this isn’t supposed to be some onerous task. This is all about designing your dream life. About living it the way you want. About setting out intentionally on the path to success on your terms.
Keep that in mind when you reassess your intentional planning. After all, it’s about making life more fun!
It’s about helping yourself thrive!
6. Get an accountability partner
It’s great if you can buddy up with someone for some of your intentions.
Perhaps you can have a self-care accountability partner? Or a positivity pal?
I used this technique a while back when I was still in the corporate space. I knew I wanted something more but I was struggling to figure it out. I knew I needed to change my mindset so I buddied up with my friend who worked at the same place and we started each day by sending each other an instant messenger note of things we were grateful for. It really worked!
And there we have it: intentional planning to make sure YOU and your business THRIVE.
I always love to hear from you, so head over to my Facebook Group – Self Made Mothers – and let me know what you are going to get more intentional about in your life and business.
Or if you are READY to start defining and achieving your vision of success on your terms and if you’re ready to THRIVE, then why not jump on a Discovery Call to find out about how I can help you do exactly that, or find out more about working together here.
click here to book your free discovery call
