Ever feel like you’re wasting your time doing lots of little things that don’t seem to have any benefit to your business? Or maybe you feel like you’re spending heaps of time trying to tackle a huge job, only to get to the end of the day and wondering how it suddenly became 4pm with nothing to show for what you did?
That’s how I used to feel too.
Until I started planning like a CEO.
One of the biggest challenges that comes with being a solopreneur is thinking long term which means whilst you’re juggling the everyday ins and outs of small business, you also need to be doing some serious planning in advance. This is especially challenging for newer entrepreneurs who have switched from a 9-5 where they are told what to do and when to do it, to suddenly being in the driving seat and having complete control of their own time and business growth.
The trick is to get into the habit of setting aside time to make plans and actually think about what you are going to need to do to hit your future goals.
If the idea of looking into the future makes you feel even more overwhelmed, here are some of my top tips to start planning like a CEO.
1. Get all your ideas out on paper
This is kind of a pre-planning tip but still so relevant. Try not to use a notes app or something digital, actually get it on paper. I know it might sound a little bit odd, but it helps to be able to actually feel the ideas as you write them (stay with me)
Studies have shown that by writing things down you are more likely to understand the things you are writing. It also keeps you distraction free (i.e. no notifications from your best mate tagging you in memes or quickly glancing at work emails and getting sucked back into your to-do list)
The process of actually physically writing whatever is in your head on paper, actually feels better because there is less thinking involved, you can just brain dump everything that’s spinning round in your head quickly and without any barriers.
2. Sort everything into groups
Grouping your ideas into projects can be a great way to start organising how tasks will need to be completed.
You could start by grouping things by categories so that you have a clear idea of how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
For example, you may split your ideas into social media content, emails, client work, admin etc. Alternatively you may want to group things into campaigns.
Once you have these groups, you can segment further by breaking them down into tasks within each category so you have a clear idea of everything involved to complete each project. You can even assign a time frame to each task.
3. Look at the bigger picture
Everything you do in your business now, will impact how you do business in the future. Thinking about tasks as stand alone from others can mean your plan becomes super detached and things don’t flow.
As a CEO you want to create a business where everything you do is intentional, so make sure you are thinking about how everything fits together and drawing relationships between tasks and projects.
Creating a plan, no matter how rough, will give you an overview of the way your business works and all the moving parts that operate within it.
4. Think weekly, monthly, yearly
Seriously, even if you just started last week, always have the future in your mind.
There’s no point only making plans for the next few weeks if you’re planning on running this long term. Something I find useful is to visualise where I want to be in that time-frame and work backwards. What are you doing daily? Who do you work with? How many hours do you work? Where are you based?
And then:
What steps do you need to take to hit those goals? Who do you need to get involved in those steps? What is the time-frame to complete each step?
5. Prioritise
I LOVE using a traffic light system – red is my high priority, amber needs attention and green can be left for later. You could try using numbers or letters or even emojis if that helps, 😃, 😟, 🤯 < perhaps haha?!
Whatever you choose to use, having a tiered system can help you to focus your energy on the things that matter the most at the moment.
Getting a lot of high priority items that you really can’t take off your to-do list? You may need to look at outsourcing or thinking about your marketing more strategically.
6. Get everything down into a calendar
A monthly one is great (software like Asana or Trello are useful if you are looking for something to organise your projects, tasks and sub-tasks. Your whole team can have access too so that if you plan on outsourcing or hiring you will be able to share these tasks with them without too much admin)
You can also go for a good old fashioned paper based calendar – I actually have an hourly diary which helps me to stay on track with everything I need to do.
7. Hold yourself accountable (or get yourself an accountability buddy!)
It’s amazing what a bit of time pressure can do for your business.
Start setting yourself deadlines to prevent you from procrastinating and actually start making progress. I have a few lovely accountability buddies who help me to stay on track with monthly meetings and we share our tips and learnings from the previous month so that we are collectively supporting each other.
Hiring a business coach or marketing strategist can also be so beneficial to help you stay on track, because they have usually been in your position before and can help keep you motivated and offer advice on future steps.
8. Retrospect is your best friend
Ever heard that phrase, “don’t look back, you’re not going that way?”
Well in this case, I completely disagree. Here’s why:
Assessing things that went well and things that were not so successful in your past can help you to make plans going forward. Metrics and insights are invaluable and should be used at every available opportunity to boost your performance. The more you do this, the better your planning will be.
Ask yourself:
- Was the launch the right length?
- Did people like the methods of communication we used?
- Did we use the right imagery?
- Were we clear on our sales pages?
All of these things will help you to build a better picture of what works and how you can improve.
What's next?
You’ve reached the end which means you are serious about becoming that CEO you were born to be.
So go invest in a decent journal, choose your calendar and GET STARTED.
