Not to freak you out or anything, but there are only 123 days left in 2018.
123!!
And if you’re anything like me, summer was so loosey goosey that you’re feeling like you better get moving to accomplish everything you set out to do this year.
Today on the podcast I’m covering 5 ways to absolutely crush your goals this fall, EVEN IF summer wasn’t hot and you weren’t as productive as you wanted to be.
By taking time to walk through these 5 quick steps, you’ll instantly set the next four months up for success.
#1: Set a goal that challenges you, is directly tied to revenue and that has a deadline.
Goals that don’t work are generic ones like: “grow my list” or “fill my client slots” or “max out my program.”
I can’t help you crush goals that aren’t quantifiable. Why? Because you can easily rationalize why generic goals didn’t happen. There’s no accountability. There’s no framework and there’s no way to make sure you succeed with goals like that.
Instead, set a goal like “Grow my list by 500 new leads by Dec. 31” or “Sign 2 new 1-1 clients in September, October and November” or “Get 12 women to join the Mastermind when it launches in November”
Now those goals ☝☝ are ones we can work with.
#2: Know what metrics show the health of your business and track them
Set benchmarks for yourself/business so that you know at each step of the way if you’re on track to hit your goal AND what needs to be adjusted so that you can still hit it.
Obviously, if I’m telling you to tie it to revenue, tracking the revenue coming in will be one metric.
But you also may need to know the path a lead takes until they say yes and how well you convert at each touchpoint.
You probably need to track basic stats like the number of people you make an offer to and how many say yes.
You may want to track how many people are qualified who join your list and how many are simply unknown leads. This tells you if you need to tighten up your optin so that you’re attracting higher caliber leads who are READY FOR YOU.
Listen to episode #005: The Down & Dirty of Marketing Metrics and How to Print Money For Your Biz and snag my free Marketing Metrics Cheatsheet to start tracking the metrics most important in your business. The spreadsheet gives you metrics to track, formulas so that all you have to do is plug and play.
#3: Execute by blocking off your time to do the most important tasks.
Time-blocking is one of my favorite ninja moves for executing. So many women entrepreneurs struggle with executing the plans and goals we set for ourselves. Part of it is because we second-guess everything and another part is because we can be paralyzed when we’re so close to our business to know what’s actually making a difference. Using my time-block method, you will make time for the most important things AND STILL have time to do what’s important to you outside of work. (and minus the hustle).
Download my Ideal Schedule Planner to walk you through exactly how to block out your schedule this fall and get everything done you need to. OR join my email list and get all these goodies and more sent straight to your inbox each week.
The secret to time-blocking is blocking off everything in your day. Not only does it force you to evaluate what’s important to you, but it also helps you see if you’re under planning, or more likely, over-planning and trying to cram 30 hours of work into a single day.
To get started, block of these things in this order:
- Non-negotiables (appointments, kid activities, events, obligations)
- Date Night With Your Spouse
- Time for YOU
- Income-Producing Tasks
- Admin & Work IN Your Biz Tasks
- White Space
#4: Focus your tasks by creating a Minimum Viable Task List
We all have emergencies pop up that totally wreck a carefully planned day. By creating a MVT List (minimum viable task list) you’re allowing yourself to focus on only the most important things if you DO have to readjust, without feeling like everything you carefully planned is ruined. This backup feature also gives you peace of mind that even if a tragedy strikes or something requires your immediate attention, that you’re still moving toward the goals you set.
#5: Don’t lose momentum when you transition to a new task or stop work for the day with a To Start on Tomorrow List
I told you I love lists. I especially love this list because it closes the open loop I create in my mind when I wrap up a project because time is up, but am not completely finished. By tracking the project, what I was working on and the very next step to take, I allow myself to immediately jump right back in when I’m back on that project without losing 15-20 minutes each time getting refocused.
