3 questions to ask yourself at the start of the year
At the start of the year, it’s easy to find yourself back at your desk and in the reactive nature of replying to emails, catching up on the things you left behind at the end of last year, and running blind into the year ahead…
But this is the exact moment you need to pause and set yourself up for the year ahead.
Now, before you think you need to create a perfect, highly detailed 132 page business and marketing plan (I'm looking at you, architects + designers!), I want you to take the pressure off. There are some quick and easy ways to understand where you're at, the direction you want to head in, and begin making plans to get you there - without the overwhelm.
*Grab a pen and paper, or open up the notes app on your phone/desktop*
Start by asking yourself 3 questions:
What am I proud of in the last year?
What lessons did I learn?
What do I want to move towards or away from?
The trick is not to overthink it. Write down exactly what comes to mind for each question, free from judgment or editing.
Take it one step further
Now that you understand where you’re at and what you want to move yourself towards (or away from), you can dive a bit deeper into each of your answers. This is what will help set you up for a successful year ahead:
For the things you’re most proud of, ask yourself:
How can I do more of these during the year ahead?
Is there anything I need to stop doing - or do more of - that will push me closer towards the desired outcome?
For the lessons you learned, ask yourself:
What decisions did I make that allowed these “lessons learned” to happen?
What actions can be put in place to shortcut this in the future?
For the areas you want to move towards, ask yourself:
What actions can I take this quarter that will move me closer towards this goal? (keep it simple and achievable)
Write a list of ways these will impact you positively in the next 12 months
For the areas you want to move away from:
Write down a list of the impacts this had on you, your business, team, workflow, market perception etc.
Ask yourself: what actions can be put in place to prevent this from happening in the future?
Once you’ve completed this, you will be in a much better position to begin making some solid plans for marketing and positioning your studio in the year ahead.
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