Business Strategy: Take Time to Plan
Posted on November 23, 2010 by d3so
One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made and still make to this day is not having an action plan. Most of us get excited and caught up in all the hype that we eventually get lost in it. Creating an action plan is essential for growing your business and personally developing your skills.
It isn’t that hard to create an Action Plan
Let’s take a step back into our daily lives. Surely, we have routines we follow everyday. Whether it’s figuring out where to start holiday shopping or planning your daily schedule. Planning is ingrained in our minds, now it’s time to apply it to our business. I admit that it’s certainly easier to plan short-team goals and keep them in our heads, but what about long-term planning?
Write out your long-term Action Plan
Truth be told, if your action plan isn’t written out, you’re more likely to forget or deviate from it. Writing out your plan will help keep you organized and on track. Start off simple and work your way to writing more complex plans and objectives. Mark your plans on your calendar, list tasks and responsibilities that need to be fulfilled. Set a deadline for each task. Evaluate your goals at the end of the month or given time.
Was your Action Plan effective?
Find ways to improve your plan. Ask yourself:
- Did I complete my goals effectively?
- Can I utilize my time more efficiently to get more things done?
- Did I deviate from the plan in any way?
- In what ways did I benefit from this action plan?
Remember to always set meaningful goals that generates results, community feedback, and most importantly profits! Ignore the hype that surrounds you. Go ahead, miss the boat, who cares? Don’t focus on other people’s business. Bring the hype to you.
The objective is simple, create an action plan, complete, evaluate, and repeat.
Web Design LA
- 23rd Nov, 10 08:11pm
Planning is really important when you are an entrepreneur. Without planning you can fail.
Web Design LA recently posted..BlackBerry Development Hiring a BlackBerry Application Developer
d3so
Reply:
November 24th, 2010 at 12:53 am
Another way of saying it is Not planning is planning to fail.
I forgot to mention this post is directed to entrepreneurs. Most businesses have planning mastered.
Adam
- 27th Nov, 10 08:11am
I am lazy to plan an itinerary for my business. I just go with the flow. I should change that
d3so
Reply:
November 29th, 2010 at 6:31 am
Just take out a piece of paper and list things that should be done in your business. Start by doing that and move on to more detailed action planning.
Partha
- 27th Nov, 10 10:11am
I fully agree with you that planing is very important. But sticking to it is the most important part. In the internet world there are many distractions and one can easily fall prey to them.
Partha recently posted..Garmin FR60 Women’s Lilac Fitness Watch review
d3so
Reply:
November 29th, 2010 at 6:32 am
Oh yes, I admit that I've fallen prey. The internet is growing an at fast rate that I feel I must keep up. That takes away time from my business which I should focus more on.
Bradley Nordstrom
- 27th Nov, 10 09:11pm
Planning is what starting a business is all aboout.Withought planning your business might as well go "Out Of Business" (very bad).
d3so
Reply:
November 29th, 2010 at 6:33 am
I hope I won't have to go through with putting up an "out of business" sign. It's true that you have to do some planning to even start your business. If you can plan to start and business keep planning.
PPC Ian
- 30th Nov, 10 10:11am
Great post, planning is super critical. Its really hard too if you love what you do. I'm always drawn toward execution and honestly don't really like planning because I'd rather "get stuff done". However, I force myself to plan because it's so important and actually allows me to get stuff done faster.
Jared Holland
- 28th Dec, 10 11:12pm
Great blog post. Planning your next marketing move is very important in this social and instant world we live in today. I look forward to reading more informative posts from you.
Jared Holland recently posted..Learn Master Photoshop Techniques at Your Speed
d3so
Reply:
December 29th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Thanks for dropping by!
Internet Marketing
- 28th Jan, 11 01:01pm
My problem isn’t the fact that I don’t have a plan, it’s that my plan keeps growing and growing until the amount of work in front of me seems almost insurmountable!
I have daily goals, monthly goals, 3 month goals, 6 month goals, and of course my long term 1 year goal.
I think I need to hire an assistant!
Internet Marketing recently posted..Top 10 Blog Killing Mistakes