7 No Nonsense Tips To A Rockin New Year

December 28th, 2011 by Diane Conklin under Direct Mail, Event Planning & Marketing, Information Marketing, Marketing, Social Media. No Comments.

Can you believe how this year has flown by?

One of the interesting things I’ve noticed recently (and it’s quite different than previous years), my colleagues and friends are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the New Year.  Many of them are feeling a shift toward positive thinking and energy.  The consensus is that 2012 is “The Year”!  I feel “it” as well.

The Complete Marketing Systems Team has been coordinating calendars, planning, setting priorities and organizing for 2012. As we’ve reflected on this business year, we have taken note of improvements for next year, the need for building our Team, shifts in our focus, and the projects we want to develop over the next year.

If you haven’t begun your planning process for next year, you are as late as we are!  Here are a few tips to get you moving in your planning process.

7 No Nonsense Tips To A Rockin’ New Year

1. Review 2011!  Don’t be easy on yourself.  Don’t make excuses.  Praise yourself for successes.  Give yourself a hug.  Like a good friend of mine says, “It is What It Is!”  Be in integrity with yourself.  Remember that thoughts are things.  If you try to embellish the truth, you will fool yourself into “non-growth” in 2012.  So the bottom line is… Be Real!
2. Lean Forward In The Saddle!  Ok, – 2011 is done and you can’t change a thing.  It is what it is, so let it go.  What would you like to accomplish in the New Year? (It’s called “New Year” for a reason you know!)   Nothing is impossible.  Are there products you’d like to create? New programs to introduce? Write everything down and I mean everything!

1. Choose Your Priorities!  Now that you have your list, you can evaluate what your priorities are.  What’s first, what are you most passionate about?  What can you implement quickly?  What’s second, what will take the most time and effort to create or implement?  What will you continue and how from the previous year.  Now you’ve whittled down your list to the items you really want to FOCUS on during the NEW YEAR!
2. Grab A Calendar, Sharpies and Sticky Notes!  This where and when you start to develop your plan.  Start by placing all of the known events, travel, workshops, seminars etc, and YOUR VACATION , on the calendar.  Then select the item from your list that you are most passionate about.  Select a date (milestone) as to when that item WILL be completed and implemented.  Place that date on your calendar.  Do the same with the other items on your list.  Remember to schedule only the items (plus one) that you can reasonably get rolling. It’s always great to stretch yourself however; scheduling too much will cause you to become quickly overwhelmed.
3. Backward Plan Your Priorities!  During this step you’ll want to think about all of the steps required to implement your priorities.  Starting with the end result and date in mind , place on your calendar those key items necessary for each of your priorities to be completed.  Don’t forget your marketing plan in the process.  You may find that you over-scheduled yourself, or that you will require additional team members to complete your priorities.  That’s OK!  Adjust and move forward, my friend!

1. Visualize Your Priorities Completed!  This step is one that most people don’t do.  You chose your priorities for the New Year – the ones that you are specifically passionate about.  You have a “Burning Desire” to bring your creation and contribution into the world and to your followers.  Visualize the project complete, visualize you completing each task, visualize what the launch will look like, and visualize how happy you will feel and proud you will be when you’ve completed launching your program or product.  You’re mind will help you find the way to complete your priorities.
2. FOCUS and Implement! Of course we all know if you don’t WORK and implement, nothing gets done.  Most entrepreneurs really don’t have a problem with working per say, what they have the biggest challenge is with FOCUS .  Be ruthless with yourself, use blocks of time to accomplish tasks, don’t answer the telephone during specified times, turn your email off (minimize) or don’t even check it randomly.  Schedule appointments of FOCUS time with yourself.

I’m excited about it because we get to dream a bit, have fun and focus our energy and thoughts toward a fabulous New Year.

We wish you all the best in your planning process and the New Year!

Lean Forward In The Saddle and Let’s Rock!!

Tags: business, business owner, Business Strategy, calendar, Complete Marketing Systems, Diane Conklin, entrepreneur, Marketing, Small Business, small business owner, Strategy.