Always too busy? Take a step back to move forward.

Running a business is time-consuming, and often it feels like it’s never-ending. There is always more to do to get new clients, refine services and plan for the future. And it is very easy to get into the mindset of just working more and more.

I know I’ve been guilty of being too busy to stop, take a step back and work out my priorities. Because if I don’t just keep going, my to-do list will be ever expanding. Which can be so overwhelming.

Shifting perspective

Last week, Billy and I spent a day together planning what we are going to do over the next quarter. For me the most valuable part of the day was the thinking time together. Taking a step back and visualising then end of 2020 has really shifted our thinking. The biggest value of the day was from some enforced time to work ON and not IN our business together.

Focussing on action

It’s one thing to think about where you are going, but translating it into concrete actions adds the value. There’s lots to do, but creating a plan of what we are doing in the different parts of the business each week has really helped us focus. It has made it easy to communicate to the rest of the team what we are aiming for, and how. But even more important, is that it enables us to articulate WHY we are doing things.

Holding ourselves to account

Having established a plan, another potential issue is not delivering on the plan. As we have clear goals for the end of 2020, it was easy to choose Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These will enable us to measure progress and ensure that we have chosen the right actions. But most importantly, it is a way to hold ourselves to account for progress towards our goals.

And what about you?

So how are you planning your business goals and actions for 2020? At Kan Do Ventures we offer help to small business owners with planning and accountability. We have two business owner skills workshops in February in Bolton and Macclesfield. They are designed to take you from being a confused or frustrated business owner to a focused and confident entrepreneur.

So what are you waiting for? Come and join us to start achieving your 2020 goals, as we’d love to help you.

For the Bolton Business Owner Skills Workshop, click here.

For the Macclesfield Business Owner Skills Workshop, click here.