Planning out your business for 2024? Can I tell you a secret? There is not one “Right Way” to do it! But I thought I’d give you a peek into how I’m doing it.
I love planning for a new year. It’s that feeling of writing on the first blank page in a notebook. What can I say? I’m a geek! I own it. So here’s how I’m doing my planning for 2024!
When do I plan for the year?
I’m planning the first week of December. I want to have my plans all laid out and ready to go when I hit January. Next year? I want to plan even sooner- the week before Thanksgiving!
What cadence do I use to plan?
I like to plan using concepts from the book The 12 Week Year. The idea is similar to quarterly plans, but a little different.
It caters to ideas of time we humans grasp a little more easily. Quarters can feel unwieldy. “90 days” is similar to 12 Weeks too, but our mind has a harder time grasping it than weeks. Weeks are a simple container for our time, with a beginning and ending.
How does it work?
The idea of the 12 Week Year is that you plan each 12 week period out in detail as if it were a year, then you focus on it hardcore during that 12 week period. Then you stop – and breathe! and evaluate. and plan again for another 12 week period.
So I’m fleshing out my plans at a high level in 12 week buckets. Then I can get laser focused on what I want to achieve in those 12 weeks, break it up into what I want to do each week, then knock it out one week at a time.
Every week, I look at my plans for the week, at the beginning of the week, getting focused on moving that ball forward and at the end of the week I give myself a score on how much I achieved.
Progress over Perfection
Pssst! all you good-girl over-achievers out there! (I see you…) The goal isn’t to hit 100% every week. It’s just to push that score a little bit higher each time and eventually start hitting 80-90%.
The goal is Progress, not Perfection. That’s what I love about this system. It keeps me focused and moving forward, but it’s not rigid.
Bonus! Week 13…
The other cool thing about this, is that after each 12 week period, you have a 13th week. This is a planned week for celebration, restoration and strategic thinking – planning the next 12 Week period out. It doesn’t mean you’re not working that week, but it’s planned time set aside for strategic thinking & direction.
So in my case, what I end up with for 2024 is:
12 Week Year: January 1 – March 24. Then Week 13 – Celebrate, refresh & plan.
12 Week Year: April 1 – June 23. Then Week 13 – Celebrate, refresh & plan.
12 Week Year: July 1 – September 22. Then Week 13 – Celebrate, refresh & plan.
12 Week Year: September 30-December 22. Then Week 13 – Celebrate, refresh & plan.
Scheduling and blocking time for key events
I do look at the year from an annual perspective, though.
I start by blocking out holidays, school holidays, birthdays, and vacations on the calendar.
Next I block out my 13th weeks – making space for relaxation and strategic planning.
I also make sure to block time for repeating events in advance, like taxes, accounting, bookkeeping, KPIs, metrics and reporting.
Dreamcasting session
Before going into goals or getting tactical, I like to get into my feelings. I like to tap into how I want to feel in my business. I look at how aligned I feel I am to my personal values and my business values. I think about my “big why” and how I embody that this year. I ask myself what I’d like to do to have fun in my business too!
I go into this process a little open-ended. I have a list of prompts to get me going. I may end up journaling, using post-it notes, stickers or creating a Pinterest board. I like to bring lots of art supplies, put on some music, light a candle and just start getting that creative flow happening.
Goal Setting
I have a list of prompts here to guide me as well to look at my goals multi-dimensionally. I look at big picture goals I’ve already set for the next 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and consider if they need any revising.
Then working backwards, I create my goals for the year and then break those into 12 week periods. For each 12 week period I like to have a clear theme.
Launches & Campaigns
Here is where I would also plan out launches & campaigns in advance, considering seasonality, my schedule, balancing out the work across the year and planning for consistent revenue.
In my case, as a service provider, I’m not planning big launches of products or programs in 2024 at this phase of my business. But if I was… I’d be mapping it out in advance, creating a phased rollout across the year, planning out the campaigns and communication with my audience, and creating a forecast of revenue, budget and time needed.
Planning Systems Improvements
I also consider how I can improve my systems for running my business during this planning process. Rather than getting overwhelmed by trying to do it all at once, I like to map out the changes I’d like to see, making sure I’m making progress over time.
Wrapping it up
Finally, I like to take all of this, synthesize it into a clear, concise form. I like making a pretty deck in Canva! This way I can refer back to it often.
Then I get super tactical and make sure that everything is recorded in my calendar and my click project plan so I have built-in guardrails to keep me on track.
Cheers! and here’s to a wonderful, expansive 2024!
As an Online Business Manager, I can help you build out an annual planning process that will put you in the driver’s seat for 2024. If you’re interested in some structure & guidance for your annual plan, let’s chat! Set up your free 30-minute Discovery Call.