Come and plan with me
It’s June, which means it’s time for a midyear review!
Lemme tell ya, I plan a lot. And I mean A LOT. I have a natural tendency to flutter allover the place like some brainless butterfly but that doesn’t mean I don’t have things I want to learn, achieve, reach or crush. And I believe you have them too.
It doesn’t matter whether you have your own business, a household full of screaming kids or rolling solo working to be the best at your game. A midyear review can help you get some clarity and direction for smashing some of those amazing goals.
Let’s start of with a little bit of reflection
Did you make a plan at the beginning of the year? Great, grab it.
If you didn’t, I bet there are some things you would like to do this year. Maybe you want to build a workout routine but you never move beyond going for a run once in while. Or maybe you want some more time, just for you, for painting, learning to play an instrument or refine some of your skills. Whatever thing you dreamt of doing last January.
First off, answer these questions: What went well? What did you achieve this year, so far? What things did you start? What are your proudest moments? Reflecting on your achievements is one of the biggest motivators to keep going. Take some time to think about this and celebrate your wins! Either with a dance, a gift or some good old Mars Icecream if you’re like me🤤
Just as important, is pointing out the things that didn’t go so well. What goals did you miss and why? Was it hard to keep the habit? Could you not find enought time to make it work? Was it too big and overwhelming?
From these answers we can create some action steps to keep going. Is there any way you could make your plans work? Do you need to free up an hour every day/week/weekend to work on your goal? Did you make too many plans and overload your schedule? Do you need some extra inspiration? Did you forget your why and your motivation?
Maybe some of your plans don’t seem that important anymore and that’s ok. Dropping a goal because it doesn’t help you is way healthier than trying to achieve it against all odds and stressing yourself the heck out.
I’ll take my business as an example.
I planned to create a Summer and Fall collection, research XMas trends, launch my website, launch a facebook page, open up my own shop, create a planning to attend arts&crafts markets, do a mothers’ day special, design business cards and write a monthly blog and newsletter. Before you spill your opinion on this, hold that thought for a minute. I’m sure we’re about to agree 😅
What worked? I created a planning for the year in December, which helped guide me through the year. It also helped me to temporarely let go of the things that aren’t important at the moment and focus on the things that are.
I did manage to create a Spring collection in time, called Summer loves to Surf. I finished researching for Fall, and I’ve started a last minute Summer collection full of cats. I’m proud to have launched my new website AND I managed to squeeze in a facebook page as well. I designed my businesscards, got them printed, and I’ve been working on planning and writing blogs, newsletters and doing comissions. All in all, quite a lot already. Whooo I’m going to give myself something nice!
BUT it DID feel like a struggle. I kept postponing my website, facebook page and commissions (oops). I missed my deadline for a motherday’s portrait giveaway and didn’t manage to reasearch for Xmas. I also just barely started with setting up shop and all the things that need to be done behind the scenes. Oh and according to my own planning, I should be working on my fall collection instead of those summer cats. So here’s where I think we’ll agree; I take on way too much work at a time. Everything I want to accomplish this year seems to be squeezed in the first half, and it leaves me feeling stressed, incompetent and lazy.
Not Good.
So how can I make things better? There’s not really something I can, or want, to drop. There are some things I’m moving to a later date though, like the XMas collection. I also don’t need to open any more shops, like Etsy or RedBubble, on a short term basis. I’ve got quite some new balls up in the air so I should focus on these first before adding some more. Creating a little bit of space brings a LOT of calm :)
Now let’s plan the second half of the year
What would you still like to achieve this year?
Is there any skill you want to learn? Do you have a health goal? Maybe you’d like to drink more water during the day, eat more fruit or run 5K. Do you have any business goals? Do you want to find a new job? Do you want to meet up with your friends more? Would you like to increase your savings?
Just make sure your goal is measurable. The easiest way to do this is to add a number or a date. I want to find a new job before October 1st. I want to meet up with so and so, once a week for six months. I want to have €1000,- in savings etc. Pick one, or a couple if you like, and we’ll have us some planning baby!
Break your goal up into smaller steps. Do you want to learn to play the guitar but don’t know where to start, and you don’t even own the instrument? Some of the steps could be; Google where you can find a local guitar shop that can help you pick the best instrument for you. Find a teacher. Free up time in your agenda to practice, and make it non-negotiable. Pick a song you want to learn to keep you motivated. Everything you pick can be broken up into smaller steps. Even drinking water. I’ve set my drinking water goal to certain times, so my first step would be to drink a glass at 9AM, and I have to drink another one at 11AM, 13AM etc. Want to have saved a certain amount of money by the end of the year? How many would you need to save every month? What can you do to save some?
Now that you have a clear list of action steps it’s time to plan it in.
Things that get planned, get dun, hun.
The things I’ll be taking up
I’ll be working on my shop, which I’d like to launch by september if all goes well. This allows me for some time to get everything set up and ordered, and still have some time to go on hols. I will look into Etsy in October and some other shop options in November. Collections will continue as planned; Finish Fall in June, Xmas in August/September, Spring in October and Valentine in November. Leaving enough time to order samples etc before they launch.
I also would like to be able to run 10K by the end of the year. I run about 6 now, so I’m going to try to add 1K every month. This might not be the best way to go about this, but if I have a plan to begin with I can adjust it on the go. Plus, I have a trainer, so I’m going to ask him as well. Which, actually, would be action step numero uno.
Here’s a little gift, to help a girl out
I’ve created a planner to help you plan in your goals. It includes a ‘half year in review’ page, so you can plan out your goals for the rest of the year. I also included a dateless week planner. Print these out 4fold and you’ll be able to cut your monthly goals into weekly and daily ones. This freebie will only be available until the 3th of July so grab it while it’s fresh!
In order to receive this little nugget all you need to do is sign up for my newsletter through the button below. While part of my list, you will receive updates on my business and shop, monthly freebies and some montly inspiration on things to read, do and see.
Happy planning!