Why personal goals need to be in the spotlight in your business planning
This week I hosted a 90-day planning sprint for members of my Confident Copywriting coaching group. I hold this planning space regularly throughout the year to help copywriters prioritise what should get their time and energy.
Because it’s easy to get stuck on a treadmill of minutiae or client work.
I’ve learned that when I have a clear set of priorities each week, I’m much more likely to 1) schedule time to work on them and 2) stay focused while I work.
But I’m not talking about a long-ass to-do list that pops up every Monday.
I mean a clear sense of the work that will impact my business.
Much of my time is spent working in my business. But it’s still only one part of my life. And all those other parts also have an impact on my business.
Which is why our planning sprints begin with one very important goals prompt:
“Something I want to do for myself is…”
What would that be for you?
It’s easy to get obsessed preoccupied focused on our business. Getting new clients. Writing and delivering copy. Learning all the things. Marketing our business. Getting paid!
And then, before we know it, we’re working all the time. We don’t remember the last time we went out with friends. Or when we had a lazy Sunday with the fam.
This hit home for me in 2021, the second year of the pandemic.
I started to question my life choices. Were all the hours I was putting into my business really having an impact?
Not really.
I needed to make smarter choices about what got my energy and time. But I also needed to prioritise my personal life. And self-care.
I started…
- Going hiking by myself every second Sunday (and letting the family figure themselves out).
- Plonking myself into a chair and reading (rather than doing housework).
- Blocking my calendar out in the evening (so no one could book meetings).
Now, it all sounds quite straightforward, but it took a bit of practice to build these new habits. I often tried to talk myself out of spending time on myself.
But here’s the thing.
If there’s a lifestyle you want, you have to start crafting it. And it happens in really small moments.
Moments when there’s… nothing urgent to do and nowhere important to be.
As a business-owner-parent-adult, doing nothing can feel like wasting time when I could (should!) be doing something productive. But I’ve come to consider it a choice.
The choice to chill out instead of folding laundry. Enjoy some sunshine rather than clearing emails.
Some people make those choices easily. Like my husband. 🤔 I don’t. But I’m trying to. This is why I started putting personal goals into my quarterly business planning.
If I want to enjoy myself, I need to make some time for fun!
And it starts with getting clear on what you want to achieve — for yourself.
- Learn the ukulele?
- Start rock climbing?
- Read more books?
- Do more exercise?
- Make macrame plant holders?
(This may or may not be my list from 2020.)
Step 1: Declare it.
Step 2: Do it.
If you’re already thinking, “But I can’t do that because”…
Stop. Remind yourself that if you want to have a certain life, it’s up to you to make it happen.
Train yourself to have fun just like you trained yourself to work as hard as you do.
One more thing…
If joining a planning sprint like this appeals or building a business that lets your life take over, my Confident Copywriting coaching group is open over the weekend.
It’s a private coaching community for copywriters looking to advance their copywriting skills *AND* grow their businesses.
But not just any business. A business that allows you to work less and enjoy more… time, freedom, career fulfilment… without the ego, hustle or glorified grind.
After this quiet open of the digital doors, the price changes from $67 per month to $97. If you want to lock in the lowest price it will ever be, join before TUESDAY APRIL 18.
Join Confident Copywriting and create a business you LOVE.
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