Have You Ever Thought… What Will I Achieve in the Next 90 Days?

There’s no doubt that this question conjures the thought of a ‘paint-by-numbers exercise, Business 101 or 90 Days for Dummies.’ However, not every business owner will take the time to plan out the next 90 days—whether this is for their business or for their life.

I’m very aware that for a number of business owners, and of course their team, they consider a 90-day plan as just another item on their to-do list. They don’t view it as an opportunity to be engaged in the right things at the right time. The real question is: what if you could start over every 90 days with a clean slate? Meaning, you created your plan and implemented it.

Having been a business owner for almost 20 years, what I know for sure is that if you do commit the time and energy to writing down what you will focus on over the next 90 days, the plan will start working on you!

Reality Check: 11 weeks are already done!

Why I’m passionate about this topic is that as of 20th March 2011, we have all completed the journey of the first eleven weeks of 2011! We cannot go back and as we are all very aware, the significance of the world events during this period is a great reminder that a lot can happen and will continue to happen in our lifetime. We are being reawakened to the fact that our world is changing—rapidly.

So, the question is: are you on track to complete your first 90 days with a sense of achievement? Has your business done exactly what you thought it would? Have
you personally experienced all the things you set out to do? Have you connected with those people who matter to you? Or has life not gone according to plan, nor
does it feel on track?

90-Day Plans: how do you create this?

There are many schools of thought relating to the concept of a 90-day plan. Most businesses will have in place a cashflow projection, or a sales pipeline, a general
quarterly plan, a 12-week action plan or perhaps a 3-month road map. The point is: it’s not what you call it, it’s about having one in the first place. And, having one that inspires you to be in action.

Now to get started, you need to book a meeting with yourself. You might need half an hour—you might want to take 2-3 hours. The person you need to invite to this
meeting is the Director of your life. Yes, not the person that is run ragged by the day-to-day business. Who we need in this meeting is, the Ideas Entrepreneur. What I also want you to commit to is that you will be reporting to the Invisible Entrepreneur in your business at the end of the next 12 weeks. The Invisible Entrepreneur will either be ecstatic regarding the return on investment that has been achieved, or yet again questioning why are we continuing to play this game!

To get the ‘right’ goals written down, it is vital that you review the past 11 weeks. No escaping this I’m afraid! There’s no point in putting a layer of varnish over peeling paint. Let’s scrape it off and prepare ourselves for success.

Step 1: Review

Timeframe: Last 11 weeks
What have you achieved? Stop and acknowledge the successes, the highlights, the new opportunities that have come your way
What have you not achieved? Identify the challenges, obstacles, write down the frustrations, the disappointments
What have you learned these past 11 weeks?

Step 2: Your Next 90 Days

Timeframe: Next 12 weeks
What will you achieve? Scan the following list and identify what your most important priorities will be for the next 90 days. Don’t overload yourself—perhaps choose one key focus and do it justice.

Business Goals

Financial: what will you aim for?
Sales: who will you connect with?
Marketing: how will you communicate with your clients?
Operations: how will you deliver what you sell?
Professional Development: is there a particular subject that you want to learn more about?
Strategic: do you need to create a bigger game?

Personal Goals

Self-care: what must you do for your own self-care?
Partner: do you need to book that date night?
Family/Friends: do you need to connect with anyone?
Financial: do you need to give yourself a raise?
Holiday/Vacation: do you need to take one, book one, plan for one?
Health & Wellbeing: do you need to schedule a walk, fitness, health check-up?
Personal Development: do you need to read a book, see a movie, take a class?

Step 3: Celebrate / Reward

Date: 12 weeks from today
How will you stop and celebrate your achievements? What is your reward?

We are told that we only have one life. What I want you to realize is that you will only get one chance at making the most of the next 90 days—so don’t waste this opportunity. This is not a dress rehearsal.

As always, we love receiving your feedback. Email William or give him a call at +61 2 9955 8888.

Begin this week with the end in mind. And, I highly recommend that you do not underestimate the power of this methodology.

Time for a reality check! And, equally, a time to be grateful for what you do already have in your life!

Louise Woodbury

For further insights about this topic we highly recommend reading:

The Invisible Entrepreneur | Chapter 4 "Understanding the Entrepreneur"

When you really know who you are – you can work to your strengths