So, you want to steal my top-most, efficiency-producing, do-this-for-your-goal-setting hacks? I’ve got you, right here. And it’s not what you think.
Instead of being more and more productive – rather than agonizing over picking the most needle moving biz goal of all time – we’re just going to lean into your intuition and start making momentum on something.
Here’s my counter-intuitive 3-step process.
First, pick what feels most “right now” for you in your business to-do list. (Aka, lean into that business intuition!)
So I don’t care whether that’s a launch you absolutely, positively, need to get out this quarter, or a backend clean-up project that’s been burning a hole in your metaphorical pocket so long that it’s starting to get corrosive.
You pick that really pressure-y, heavy, “I’m not going to sit right till I get this one done” project set that’s been on your plate – I know you’ve got one – and we’ll work on that.
This business dragon is the to-do list task monster that most needs slaying right now. It’s clear by your emotions.
So we’re going to put this one as your top priority, and you don’t get to do anything else until it’s done and dusted. (‘Cause you’re going to feel so much better when this is off your plate!)
And if you’re feeling really dicey about pushing off or deleting the “not feel into’s” in your business – aka, those “I should really update my Kit welcome sequence’s graphics and change their links, oh and fix all my site freebie pages” but I don’t really want to to do’s – then hear me when I say I’m a recovering perfectionist, and an overachiever, and I’ve got you.
Because if I can force myself to let go of the to-do list and switch to something else that’s feeling really aligned (like recording podcast episodes today instead of updating backend links for my welcome sequence), then you can too.
And believe me – it took about 4 years of running my own business before I started letting myself pick my own tasks for the day (from amongst a “these are all top priorities” list, of course), not pre-picking ahead of time and then using up my own discipline reserves forcing myself to complete them!
Sometimes, too much discipline is the issue. Which is why I want you to rely on your schedule – see how we’re doing that here? – and use that to tell you what you need to be doing today, not your mood each and every morning of.
‘Cause that’s wasting a ton of decision-making power you could have been using on arranging that backend system or writing that sales page or crafting your new low ticket offer. All right?
All you need to do is rely on scheduling your to-do’s – ‘cause yes, having a routine for what work you do when is so important – and then watch your work days smooth out and your work weeks meld together and flow more.
You’re getting more done, the client wins are coming, and you are feeling far more settled and secure in this business model and client pathway you’ve chosen.
That’s the power of relying on scheduling (and why I preach it so often in my done-for-you work/life balance program for biz moms). ‘Cause I know it’s going to change your business (and revenue!) life.
Now second, I want you to schedule that project out as far as it realistically goes (then add some wiggle room).
I.e., you pick the subsets of to-dos that go into this cash injection launch planning, or this back-end systems refresh, and then just calmly, logically, schedule them all out in your planner or Google doc till you reach the end.
With breaks for anything family-wise, of course.
This is what tells you what you need to work on each day.
You’ve got the overall plan; that’s your priority one level right there; but you need to translate that into “what’s my task list for today and this week” in your business.
Right? Right.
So you’re just going to grab that launch to-do list and start assigning rough time lines to each task, make sure everything’s in approximate “do this first” order (to catch all your prerequisites – kind of hard to schedule your social media promo graphics if you haven’t made them up in Canva first), and then pick the “which task for which day (or week)” afterwards.
It makes planning so much easier when you’re solid on the right order; have an approximate time estimate of how long it’s going to take you to complete each task; and know you’ve got weeks or even months to knock out this project in its entirety.
Now. Step three, the last one, is to loosely list out the next projects and priorities on your calendar and assign some mental dates to them.
(Like “May” or “after launch 2” so that you’re not tied to specific calendar dates, but you also don’t miss doing this project or launch because you forgot to write down that it needs to happen in the spring.)
You’re just going for a mental idea here of your overall year’s picture – did you forget a family vacation in there, or a “kids always take a week off homeschooling in February” lite work week, or an affiliate promo you’d already promised to do mid-current-launch-date?
Everything’s fixable; everything’s work-around-able; we just need to know what’s on your calendar in the first place so we can flex around it.
So that’s where this final step comes in of gut-checking yourself (not to mention your calendar!) on what else you might have going on in the business (or personal life) that needs to get cranked into this launch planning.
And from that point on, you’ve got a clear mental picture of “after I do this launch, I’m going to run my affiliate promo and then take that week’s homeschooling break watching movies with the kids and then start back up on my podcasting guest pitch list.” Something like that.
Whatever your after this top-most, “can’t wait to get it out of my way” next most important to-do thing is. All you need to do is double check that one to make sure it’s not tied to anything in your newly minted launch calendar, aka that it’s good to go (aka, wait) till your first quarter launch is complete!
And if it is, then congratulations! You just set up your top priority plan for the business; mapped out how long it would take; and cleared your biz runway of all other projects in your “maybe do this” hopper for the duration of your launch!
You now have the confidence that everything your business needs got done – because of scheduling. You laid it all out in your calendar. You dealt with your mom mindset by planning in those intentional family times. You’re ready for launch-time delegation because you know which weeks you’re gonna need extra help.
See how easy this is?
Grab an emotionally heavy project; lay it all out in your calendar (plus some margin for error); and do one last check that it’s all clear to devote this section of time to this pressing business project.
And you’re all set.
What do you need to do, either add or delete to your business schedule, to goal set for your Q1 this way?
Go do that. And watch the peace, security, and forward momentum roll in.
I’ve got you. Get up and make it happen.
