This time of the year is my favourite. ⁠It’s quiet.⁠ There doesn’t feel like any pressure to DO anything – days and dates don’t even really seem to matter.⁠ This is kinda how I like to live my life ALL the time, but – energetically – it’s like the collective sighs a little.⁠ It’s also when I love to lose myself in big visioning, so I’ve been doing my 2021 business planning this week. Oh I love it so much.
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I know that can get a bit overwhelming for some of us overthinkers, so here are some things that work for me when I’m in planning mode.

 

3 Steps For Simple 2021 Business Planning (for introverts and overthinkers) ⁠

There are so many different ways you might like to do your planning and brainstorming for the new year, and there are so many people who share their way. I think the most important thing is to find what works for you.

I’ve been doing some version of this since I was a teenager, and here are some things I’ve learnt and applied to my business planning over the years.

 

1 – Separate creative visioning and brainstorming from strategy and planning.

As far as I’m concerned (and I’d say this is a fairly educated guess), visioning and brainstorming require a different part of your brain to strategy and planning. So why would we try to do them together? Especially if you have a propensity for overthinking. It can get messy.

Get out coloured pens and paper, or whatever it is that makes you feel the most creative (maybe you’re a list person, it doesn’t matter).

Give yourself time to be in your big vision, immerse yourself in the energy, all of the ideas, just how it FEELS.⁠

(Need some extra visioning guidance and energy? Come and Step Into Your Soul Work with me with my free visualisation and guide. Get instant access here)

Braindump, make lists, get all your ideas out of your head and onto paper (physical or digital). This is the no holds barred, childlike joy of creativity. No rules, restrictions, or editing. Just catching those dreams.
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And then walk away. ⁠
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2 – Ground Those Ideas

Come back later or on another day and start making sense of all your dreams, goals and ideas.⁠ This is not about what you THINK you should do, but more of what FEELS good to you:
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What’s the thing your soul is pulling you towards?⁠
What’s the thing that feels energising and exciting?⁠
What’s some stuff you’re looking forward to bringing to life or doing?⁠
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I always, always, always go where the energy is. ⁠
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I don’t care if it doesn’t make sense. ⁠
Or if it’s not what anyone else would do.⁠
Or it’s against what the ‘gurus’ say.⁠
I don’t care if it’s not even what I logically think I ‘should’ do next.⁠
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The energy – and how I feel about it – is all that matters.⁠ I’m also always open to the idea that it might change, shift, or evolve over the coming months and that’s okay. This is a judgement free zone.

 

3 – Choose 1 Thing To Focus On

I see it all the time. As a multi-passionate millennial, I DO it a lot as well. We can start with one idea we’re excited about and (quickly) pile on like 50 other things, which is where the overwhelm comes in.⁠

We either start seeing all the huge hurdles in the way or we start picking it apart before it’s even had a chance to live.
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PICK ONE THING. ⁠MAKE YOUR 2021 BUSINESS PLANNING AS EASY AS POSSIBLE TO BRING TO LIFE.
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Sure, other stuff will come up, your plans will change, your energy will go elsewhere. ⁠But starting with one thing takes the overwhelm out of it and makes it easy to break down into bite sized chunks.

It might be your next launch, or your next quarter. Your focus for the month. Or ONE idea that you want to put your energy into.

This is literally what I do once I pick my one thing:

• Brain dump all the things you can think of that need to go with it (sometimes this is when you realise there are 20 other steps you hadn’t thought of in the visioning stages, this is where the overwhelm can arise. Keep going).
  
  
• Breathe. Go through the list and remove or move anything to another list that is unnecessary or can be done in the next iteration of your idea (like in your next launch, your next update, or season 2 of your podcast). This way your to do list only has the VITAL elements for NOW on it.
  
  
• Go back through the list and number the items in order of priority. You may realise there are other steps you have missed, add them in and number them also. You may need to do a couple of passes.
  
  
• Break down the list into the days/weeks/months before your ‘launch day’ or when you’d like the project to be completed. Keep it simple. Try not to do 50 things a day or even a week, because, overwhelm.
  
  
• Work on ONE THING at a time and, little by little, it’ll get done.

 

The Rules Are, There Are No Rules

The most important thing is to spend this time visioning and planning in a way that feels right to YOU. I am far from an A-type personality, I’ve always loved to go with the flow. But having some sort of plan helps me – as a highly sensitive person – feel grounded and stable (otherwise I’d get nothing done).

I’m also a future thinker and get so bored with reflecting and looking back. That might not be your style – journalling and being with the lessons and reflections from the past may be what lights you up to move forward with. It’s so important that you feel where you are being guided.

I’m not a fan of a methodology or a one-size-fits-all approach to ANYTHING, and the important thing is finding the joy in it for YOU. It’s your business, after all, and it needs to align with what you love. There are no rules!

 

What Are You Planning For 2021?

These are some of the first steps to taking my big vision for my business and my year and making it REAL. It’s always a mix of the energy (what feels good, where my heart and soul are leading me) and then grounding it in some solid action and strategy.

I personally think both are required to not just create momentum in your business, but to also LOVE what you do in a sustainable way.

What are your plans for 2021?

Are you ready to emerge, starting out, launching something new, or looking to supercharge your start of year momentum? The first ever round of Emerge starts on January 5th and we’re going to be creating an immersive incubator to fine tune those MOST important things to focus on, as well as getting the accountability, support, and space to bring your idea to life.

Want to know more? Head over here or contact me here and let’s chat.

 

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