Monday, January 28, 2013

Business Planning part 2

A couple weeks ago (Jan 14), I confessed my laziness.  I’ve allowed certain circumstances to dictate my business decisions without even trying to think beyond those circumstances.   Well, all that is changing.

I seldom have problems with my creative side – I struggle with the more concrete aspects of the business side of what I do.  I found a website that’s been very helpful for me: 
http://www.productiveflourishing.com/
Check out the link "New Here?" for lots of nifty articles!

I can’t say there is a whole lot that’s really new – I’ve known all this stuff.  But since it’s the time of year for evaluating, the reminder has been excellent!  And the writer lays out his principles in such a logical manner, it has prompted all sorts of thoughts and ideas for HOW to approach, implement, and improve my business. 

I do like to plan.  Even if I don’t follow the plan exactly, the process of preparing a plan helps me to think through my priorities and what activities I need to implement.  Writing it down helps me to articulate my thoughts and it’s easier to act with focus and purpose.

Years ago, I read a book called “Confessions of an Organized Housewife” by Denise Schofield.  At the time, I was trying to de-clutter my house.  One of her premises was that if you have an overall plan, and you implement it, your thoughts no longer need to be consumed by worry whether something needs to be done – you have accounted for it – you can relax.  In the housework realm, if you decide you need to clean the bathroom mirror twice a week, and you make Tuesday and Friday your mirror cleaning days, once you do it on Tuesday, you don’t even have to think about it again until Friday – the task is complete and you are freed from the strain of indecision about when to do it again.  Another of her premises is that any project, no matter how large and looming, can be made manageable by breaking it down into small tasks (“you can eat an elephant one bite at a time”).  I'm working to translate these concepts to my business planning ...

More on making a plan in a couple weeks.

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