REGROUP
The week between Christmas and New Years is quite possibly my favorite week of the year. There’s a general sense that no one is working, so for those of us that are working (I know…read last weeks post about my burnout), it is so quiet and calm <3. I love it.
I always spend this week planning and looking to the year ahead. It starts with taking a look back at what’s happened over the past 3-6 months to see what worked, what was a total disaster, and where our time was spent. Then, with that in the back of my mind, I look ahead:
· What do I want to achieve this year?
· What do I need to do/have in place to make that happen?
· What are my revenue goals?
· What services am I going to offer/continue?
It’s a brain dump, big wish, get it all down kind of session. I block my time off, put on an oldie but goodie movie (yes, I love doing “dream” work on the couch watching movies I’ve seen 1000 times – cozy & creative & nostalgic is what works for me), and grab my notebook and write. The ideas flow, and while they may not follow any logical order, that’s not the point. The point is to get it all down.
When that first movie is over, I then put on the next for part 2 of this regroup. This is where I make sense of the ideas – start putting things in order, to timelines, and with goals & budgets. This sometimes takes a few movies to get it all sorted, but the end result is quarterly goals and targets, and monthly to do’s to help get me there. What better way to spend your holidays right?? I’m a dork, I know.
Ok and here’s where my super-dork shines through. Want to know my favorite holiday (work) tradition?! Each year I pre-order, pick up, and wrap under the tree Wrinkle & Crease’s Day Planner - to me, from me. This year I went out of my comfort zone and pre-ordered the “mystery” color! I don’t do mysteries and was secretly paranoid that it would be some bright neon monstrosity, but I had faith in Kayley and every year she does NOT disappoint in her color pallet <3 So after my dreaming and plotting and planning, I crack open my new day planner and fill it up!!! The first few pages are all about your intentions and vision for the year ahead – and hell yes I fill that shit out!! You don’t know how many times I’ve flipped back to those pages over the year to remind myself why I’m doing this. I put in my Q1 goals and start laying out the year ahead.
I know, you might be thinking – what if things change? See I’ve got that covered too…not only am I obsessed with the W&C day planner, but I refuse to write with anything but beautifully colored ERASABLE pens (THESE are my current fav’s). I’m obsessed. I only write in pink, purple, teal, or aqua. Sometimes I color code my daytimer (certain clients get certain colors); Sometimes I just use whichever color I’m “feeling” that day (spoiler alert – most of my book is purple and pink). And when I make a mistake or decide to completely do a 180 on my plans, those handy erasers make everything pretty again.
Ok so now that you have a new appreciation for my level of insanity, tell me – do you use this week to get your shit together?! Shoot me an email and let me know what your holiday regroup entails!!
Happy New Year!
PS – if your regroup has you obsessing about all the bookkeeping crap you neglected last year – hang tight. I’m planning an event in the new year where we can deal with it all while catching up and having fun at the same time!