5 Signs You Need a More Effective Planning Strategy
Do you know what’s the most valuable asset to get you from point A to point X-marks-the-spot where your goals are? An effective and easy-to-execute plan.
A strategic plan is the difference between sitting at your computer with a blank stare trying to figure out what to work on today vs. jumping into action each day to conquer effective to-do’s that make progress.
Most people agree that planning is important. But many people also recognize that planning can be a pitfall. Like with any task or method, there’s often a best and a not-so-great way to do something. And planning is no exception.
When it comes to planning, there are countless ways to get hung up. From not knowing how to create a plan, to staying in a planning stage for too long, to not being able to follow through on a quality plan.
As creative business owners, we have a lot on our plate. New ideas and opportunities seem to flood our notebooks and calendars, overwhelm sometimes knocks on our office doors, and at least a few of last month’s tasks are looking for a place to fit into our busy schedule. In fact, entrepreneurship brings so many hats that we either try to stack them in order of priority or shrink them to wear multiples ones at the same time.
With everything going on, our original dreams and goals can feel out of reach all too often. Like a distant memory, our long-term goals get buried, and our short-term goals feel impossible to work towards.
Thankfully, there’s a solution. And a simple one at that.
It’s called an effective plan. And if you’ve tried planning before with less-than-desired results, I’ve got you covered. This month in the Brand Strategy Treehouse, I’m going to show you how to turn those efforts into an easy-to-follow plan that takes your business places—rather than one that runs you ragged and yields no progress.
With videos, guides, and workbooks to walk you through each step, you’ll come away with a fresh perspective and a new approach to planning.
What is the Treehouse?
The Treehouse is the brand strategy membership for creative entrepreneurs who want to work smarter—not harder.
Designed to help you stay focused and make consistent progress in your business, we focus on a powerful topic each month and cover it in-depth.
In an actionable workshop style, I walk you through key points and show you how to apply them to your business. Not to mention, your subscription includes new stock photos, graphics, and caption templates to use throughout your brand and save you time.
If you’re ready to quit the trial-and-error and hop into the fast lane, subscribe or log in to the Treehouse to get started today.
Effective Planning for Creative Business Owners
This month inside the Treehouse, we’re taking a deep dive into planning.
But not just any kind of planning, we’re planning in a way that propels our businesses forward, helps us reach our goals, and ensures we focus on the most effective tasks.
It’s easy to get stuck in the planning cycle when we’re not quite sure what to do. That’s where strategy and an easy-to-follow plan come in.
When you’re able to turn your ideas and brainstorm sessions into small, daily steps that get you to your next goal, that’s when the magic starts to happen.
By the end of this 4-week workshop, you’ll have an effective planning strategy and action steps for the next 30 days for your brand.
Effective Planning Workshop Lessons Include:
A Creative’s Intro to Effective Planning
How to Revolutionize Your Planning
Lay the Foundation for an Effective Plan
How to Create Your Effective 90-Day Plan
5 Signs You Need a More Effective Planning Strategy for Your Creative Business
You’re stuck in the planning loop.
You spend a lot of time planning. You enjoy planning or use it as a crutch. You spend time creating plans but can’t seem to get past the planning stage. When you set out to work each day, your first instinct is to sit down and plan. You feel stuck in planning mode when you really just want to make progress.
Key sign: you plan or brainstorm more than you take action.
Your plans are overwhelming or don’t fit in your lifestyle.
Your plans aren’t really achievable. You don’t or can’t follow the steps on your plan because you have too many tasks or too little time. Your plans are so involved or have so many tasks that you get overwhelmed just thinking about your to-do list. Your dreams feel so far away and you sometimes wonder if you should just give up.
Key sign: your plans are intimidating or jam-packed with lots and lots of ideas and goals.
Your plans don’t lead to your goals.
Your plans don’t work. You are productive. You take action. You check tasks off of your to-do list each week. You follow your plan. But you don’t achieve the results you hope for. Your goals are still leagues away. You feel like something key is missing.
Key sign: you follow the steps in your plan, but you don’t get the desired results.
You don’t put much thought into planning.
You rarely sit down to plan. You tend to wing it. You aren’t sure what your long-term project or goals are. Or you’re still following a plan or an idea from a year ago. You haven’t outlined your brand’s direction or strategy in a while. Things might be going well or they might not. You feel like you could take your business way farther with a little more strategy.
Key sign: you jump in and get in the groove without weighing pros and cons or before tapping into all of the strategies.
Your plans constantly change.
You sit down and create epic plans with your latest ideas. You follow a few steps before getting discouraged or bored or thinking of an even better idea. So you switch gears and try again with something new. You intend to follow through, but it just doesn’t seem to stick. You feel like your plans tend to be all over the place.
Key sign: you can’t remember the last time you followed a plan all the way through to the prize.
Become a More Effective Planner to Bring Your Business to New Heights
Using the guide above, what areas of planning do you struggle with most?
How would mastering a more effective planning approach impact your business and life? How would it help you reach your goals?
The neat thing about planning is every business owner does it in some respect, and we all have our own unique way of doing it. But when you implement strategic planning techniques into your process, your productivity and efficiency will soar.
Become a more effective planner to bring your creative business to new heights.
