How to Plan Biz Goals when Things Feel Unknown

How to Plan Biz Goals When Things Feel Unknown

How to Plan Biz Goals when Things Feel Unknown
How to Plan Biz Goals when Things Feel Unknown
How to Plan Biz Goals when Things Feel Unknown

We’re half-way through the year so now is the perfect time to take a 1000-foot view of what’s coming up in the next 6 months in your business!! But how do you do that if you just don’t know what’s coming?!

I know none of us can really predict what will happen, but for some of us, we might truly be in a season of unknown. Maybe you’re pivoting your biz or you’re in a new personal/professional season of life. Whatever it is you’re facing, I’m sharing with you tips today on how to plan biz goals when you are in that position!

In full transparency, I am right there with you. I’m currently on maternity leave, at home with our 3rd child (yes we now have 3 4-and-under at home!) I’m in a season of unknown myself!! So when I look at my own biz & what’s coming in the next 6 months, things seem a little wonky. And let me tell you — my Type A personality doesn’t like that!!

In an unknown time, any sort of goal setting or “what’s ahead” feels like a lot of pressure! And while you do want to have some strategy with what you’re doing (and not doing!) in your business, I have 2 tips for you on how to practically take steps towards planning what’s next even amidst the unknown.

1. Mid-Year Review!

We talked about this in more detail here & I wanted to remind you to go and grab this FREE worksheet so you can do your own Mid-Year Review for your biz!! You’ll be able to ask yourself: What has been more concrete? What’s more tangible? You’ll take a step back and reflect back on the last 6 months and that’ll help you be able to move forward.

2. Focus on what you DO know.

There’s a LOT you can’t anticipate, but there are always going to be some things that you DO know. As you consider your biz — looking back AND looking ahead — there are 4 things you want to look at:

  • Time
  • Money
  • Dreams
  • Dailys

These are foundational for any sort of goal planning or setting in your biz. Time & money are concrete, so that’s where we’ll focus today. The dreams & dailys you might just not know yet, but that’s okay! There’s still a place for them.

TIME

You can start here because you have an educated guess of what that’ll look like in a time of transition or uncertainty. Even in my current season with a newborn, as unpredictable as that is, I had & have an idea what time will look like. So, I can start to think about and lean into what I do know about time. What is your educated guess on the current TIME that you have or will have. What’s on your plate? What’s not on your plate? How full does your current plate feel? Is there something that can be removed? All these questions are good to consider when you review & plan.

MONEY

Money is critical because it’s how you run a profitable business. You’re going to want to look at money though as you weigh that together with time. Money is a key component and looking back will help you have a better feeling of where you are financially at this moment — and then you want to also look at what revenue looks like for the 2nd half of the year. Time & money are critical and foundational when it comes to setting goals. So even if you’re not in a season of unknown, and especially if you are, you’re going to want to look at these so you can make educated guesses on what is and isn’t working in your biz.

DREAMS

Dreams & Dailys are likely the pieces that feel the most stressful pieces in the unknowns. Dreams are the projects, the new goals, where you’re headed big picture. My hope is after you look at time or money you can really consider what can become a goal for you for the next 6 months.

You don’t have to have new dreams & new goals all the time.

In our industry, we seem to hear the message constantly of “hustle, hustle, hustle” and “more, more, more” — but YOU may be in a season where a new dream doesn’t make the most sense right now, or maybe after looking at time & money, one dream comes up and that’s it. That’s okay.

DAILYs

Dailys are the micro look at your time. If your big dreams & goals are macro, your dailys are what happens every day, every week in your biz. The daily aspect of my biz for me right now feels more unknown because of Baby #3. I can look at the big picture when I think a few months ahead, but the daily feels the hardest. I have to lay my Type A personality aside and know that my daily rhythms aren’t going to look a certain way right now — and that’s okay because that’s where I am.

SO, while all 4 of these work together to help you create a strategic plan, time & money are the most critical, and dreams & dailys are going to follow. Now let’s move on to some more motivational tips for you if you’re in this season!!

4 Encouraging Tips

1. Be flexible.

Whether or not you’re in a season of unknown, being flexible is key. You don’t know what you don’t know, right?! Sure, there can be fear in that, but right now I’m choosing to lean into flexibility instead of fear. I want to be flexible & roll with the punches.

2. Have lots of grace.

Know that this is a season of unknown and while, yes, I want you to put on your strategy hat for a little bit while you look ahead, certain things might not meet timelines or deadlines. For example, I had a course planned to be launching before this baby came… but it didn’t happen. I needed to give myself grace and set that aside for lots of reasons personally & professionally, and so I moved the launch back. (AND I currently only have a tentative launch date set the calendar because Lord only knows what will happen when time comes!!)

3. It’s just a season, and this season will end.

It might feel like it’s going on forever & ever (Hello, 2020!) but it ended. While yes there are still some repercussions of 2020, it was still just a season and it has already changed. It’s the same thing for you in this season of unknown. You won’t be like this forever.

4. It’s okay to press pause.

You can, in fact, stop the train. You are the CEO, you are in charge. You can take a detour, you can take a break for a minute, you can change directions! I’ll never forget what a mentor of mine once said: “Never make a big decision after 9pm.” In this season, everything might feel like it’s after 9pm right now. You’re exhausted in all the ways, right?! But that “after 9pm” feeling is probably pretty consistent. So don’t feel like you have to (or even should!) make big life-altering decisions right now — you can press pause if that’s what you feel is best.

If you’re in a season of unknown please know that I’m right there with you. I’d love to encourage & help you through this so comment below and let’s face the next few months together!

 

I'm a biz coach and integrator for creatives! My job? To help you dreams & dailys happen every week. Rinse and repeat.

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