I usually get the coffee started and then open the house & curtains, and get the paper. Then I sit down at my PC and start the day.

Today was different.

After opening the house, and before sitting at my PC, I put in a few minutes just thinking about what needed to be completed by the end of the day. I thought about what processes I would employ during the day. I thought about how to avoid the time-sinks that each of us has – mine unique to me, but identical to yours.

During this time, I also thought about what I wanted this week to look like at the end of it. How would it stand up to backward scrutiny? What did I want to be able to write down as accomplishments during a weekly review?

That few minutes of reflection helped me stay on track for longer than usual, and I got quite a bit done that I might not have, otherwise.

I put in the time pre-planning my day.

What’s the big deal? Doesn’t everybody do this?

No.

Most people go through the day allowing random circumstances and events to sway their course and dictate their responses. Most people do NOT plan their day, but allow others to do it for them. In fact, most people EXPECT to have others tell them what needs to be done, and when.

The problem with this for the entrepreneur is that there is nobody to do this for you. Sure, the customer will have plenty to tell you, but that core response is why you are in business. In order to make your business more effective and you more successful, you have to spend time outside of customer-satisfying activities to plan and do improvement projects.

If you don’t take the time, you won’t do the work. it will slip away until the daylight fades with your willpower along with it. The lost opportunity to do SOME-thing to improve will cost you in the long run.

Put in the Time every day, to figure out at least ONE project you can complete that will have a positive effect on your business. Just One.

I’m going to do it again in the morning… How about you?

John L

The main website I had intended piggy-backing my efforts on changed the rules. They decided to change their own business plan a bit, and the howls began in earnest. What do we do, NOW!

In the forums, many began and continued their rants to lobby the owners to rescind the decision, After all, how could they continue to do business the way they always had if the changes stayed in effect?

Many took a “woe is me” approach. They were now destitute and would be homeless and starving. Their wails and whining was pathetic.

A few decided that this was a great opportunity to re-examine their business, and take it to a new level. These were the rational ones.

If your business plan depends on ONE something, then your success is always at risk. What is your Plan B, or C if the ONE gets changed or goes away? The ONE includes a single customer, vendor, production provider, marketing channel, shipping method, web hosting platform, programmers, outsourcer, sales guy… If you have one name in that slot… Think again.

Two things came from this for me.

1. Get up and get going. It is better to act on a good idea not fully formed than to never act at all. All the great intentions mean not a thing if there isn’t any effort to bring them to life.

2. My Plan B wasn’t deep enough. My main activity and traffic-generator was the ONE website. I didn’t have an alternative in mind.

I’ll get by, won’t die, and will find another way (or two) to get under way. Most of the rest of the “sky-is-falling” crowd will, too. Some will not. They will blame their failure on the ONE, not their inability to adapt.

Get those Plan B & C’s polished up. Change is inevitable

Hah! We can do better.

As long as I can remember, I have tried to adopt the principles of success as found in Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” book. I was a brand new teen when I first found and read that book. It sure grabbed me, like it has millions of others.

(For a Free Copy of this classic, you can retrieve a PDF version of it here: Think-and-Grow-Rich)

But, translating all that Great Content into a daily Plan of Action is a tough job. It takes other instruction to do that.

I have also been a student and user of every kind of Time Management method and gizmo devised to make us productive. Some is junk, some is great, some is complex, and some is simple. I have tried on Franklin, Day-Timer, One Page Management, GTD,… All with varying success. One of the most useful has been from a guy named Mark Joyner.

Mark is an online guy and author. He specializes in instructional coursework. You can see his primary online work, here: Simpleology I have been using his stuff for the past year, or so, and it has been very useful to me.

I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

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Update: The Simpleology  coursework on Blogging is just that: Simple. Unfortunately, all the material is written at the total beginner level. That’s probably OK for the beginner, but most of that content is available for free throughout the internet.

I’ll Pass on recommending it.

However, I still recommend Mark’s primary works, Simpleology 101, 102, 1nd 103.

Each of us engages in setting goals and planning each and every day. We just might not recognize it, that’s all.

Can you answer the following questions?

What do you want? Where do you want to go? How will you get there? What will you need along the way? How much will it cost? Who will help you? Do you know how? What else do you lack? What do you already have? Do you care about any of this? Will you pay the price? Given two choices of action, which one should you choose? What will you do, today, to get you closer? How will you know you have arrived? Are you closer or farther away? What are the signs you are missing the mark? Should you re-set the mark, or re-double your efforts?

The answers will, of course, vary between individuals, and in relation to the magnitude of the vision that motivates us. However, in order to manage or provide stewardship to our scarce resources – time, money, energy, talent, motivation – answering them to the best of our ability will bring a clarity and energy to each day that might be missing otherwise.

Mission or Vision

We begin with a framework of belief or a vision or mission that we use as a measure, a plumb line to our everyday ideas.

However, the vision and the mission are really too broad to be of much help in the routines of day-to-day work.

Goals

So, from the vision and the mission come goals or objectives or targets or destinations. These fix the vision with a concrete picture or description. This is a picture seen through a glass, darkly. It will not be as we expect it to be. But it will help us along the way as we work day by day.

A goal is a target — a destination — an expectation — a measure of faith — a challenge of faith — a statement of desire — a statement of motivation. A goal is NOT a statement of fact or a prediction of the future, nor a rigid, mechanical, unalterable, inevitable control device. It is a guide to actions, a helper for planning, a measure of decisions and actions. Without a goal, it is difficult to make plans; it is difficult to make decisions of value.

I have used the example before of the targets in an archery range and a bunch of little boys and girls. The targets are not there for these children to hit bull’s eyes, but to keep the arrows all going “that way”.

But keep thinking about the ones who return to practice – who are captured by the thought of actually hitting the bull’s eye. In time, they will hit the target, and finally hit the bull’s eye. But because they are small, the target is close and the bow is weak. As they grow physically, soon there is no challenge in hitting bull’s eyes so close. They get a stronger bow, and move the target farther away, and keep practicing the skills that allowed them earlier success. Someone will become good enough to go to the Olympics and win a gold medal.

We aren’t out for gold medals. I believe goals are what will help us put to work what the Lord has put in our charge.

A goal is something we can see, touch, feel, and describe.

Therefore, a goal is SMART. This is an acronym for:

S pecific

M easurable

A ttainable

R elevant

T rackable

Specific

Can you see it in your mind? Can you describe it to someone else? Can you touch it, or feel it? Can you draw a picture of it? Can you see what is around it? Can you hear it? These are specifics. “Make some money” is not specific. “Make $100,000 in Net Profit by March 10th,” is specific.

Measurable

Related to specific is the ability to measure it. How many? How much? What date? What pace? The above specific example has a number of measurable attributes. What are they?

Attainable

There is a need to be realistic about a goal. We need to be able to believe in it. We need to be able to say… “It could happen.” This doesn’t mean that we put limits on what’s possible. It does, however, mean that we don’t set a target or goal so unrealistically unachievable that even the most faithful prayer and petition can’t convince us that we believe in it.

Relevant

Relevance keeps us from pursuing something that does not contribute to overall success. This means that it “fits.” Here is where we measure against our Mission and Vision.

Trackable

This simply means that the measurables are available often enough that we can stay informed about our progress. Imagine setting a goal and not being able to see how well we are doing until the end, only to find out we were “this close” to making it… Daily, Weekly, Monthly collection and comparison of progress towards goals is important.

This also allows periodic comparisons of progress against a plan, and adjustments either to the plan or to the goal.

Within the Vision and the Mission are the Goals. From the Goals flow Plans.

Planning

Planning is defined simply as deciding – today – what to do – tomorrow. A Plan is a series of pre-made decisions about how to accomplish a Goal. The Goal must exist before a Plan can be made. Once the goal is SMART, it is easy to make a Plan to reach the goal.

Begin at the end and work backwards. Divide the time into smaller and smaller chunks until you are able to see today. You will ultimately be able to answer the question “What do I need to do, today, to reach the goals I set?”

I recommend that your plan focuses on the Production or Action kind of Goals. Answer these questions:

How many customers will I need? How many do I have now? What is the demographic profile for my customer base? How will I identify prospects? How many prospects will I have to ask before I get a yes answer? How will I recruit them? How will I train them? How will I lead them? When do I get started?

I also recommend you start at the far end of your goals to get the big picture for your plans, and then re-focus on the coming Year, then the Quarter, then the Month, Week, finally the Day. Each day, in your quiet time, meditate on to do this day to accomplish your goals.

Another illustration to help give light on this topic. Imagine yourself embarking on a vacation. You just start driving one day, and then you find yourself back at home. Did you have a good time???

Start again. Imagine you want to have an exciting two week vacation this October. Where do you want to go? Who will go with you? What means of transportation will you use? ? If you are driving, what route will you take? What stops will you make along the way? If you are flying, which airline will you use? Will you fly Coach, or First-Class? What kind of living accommodations will you require? Will you make reservations, or trust that there will be openings when you arrive? What will you eat? Will you take it with you, buy along the way, or eat in restaurants? How much will all of this cost? Do you have that much available today? How much will you have to save before you leave? How much is that each day? What will you have to give up to save that much money? What about alternative plans? What happens if it rains, or doesn’t rain? What do you do if there is a detour? What if you can’t save that much money, what would your second choice be?

You get the picture. Planning is not only smart, it is required.

We begin with the Goal – the Target – the Destination. We build Plans on the Goals – decisions today about what we will do tomorrow. As we work our plan, we are always evaluating progress so we can change plans, or readjust goals.

What kinds of Goals do you need to establish? What level of Planning do you need to do?

This Blog is a startup, of sorts, for a new phase of my life. I’ve retired from active work. I have no job. It’s wonderful!

It’s time to step out of the offices and the storefronts and stretch my legs as a writer of business wisdom. Not that I have any particular store of it. But what little I have gets to go on display and will attract its share of raspberries and huzzahs. And I’ll get to do my share of new research to stay ahead of everyone else.

So, what Action for me? I’d say concrete Goals and Plans.

Some would say this should have Mission, or Purpose at the head. But this is a small endeavor, for now, and such higher ideals will only get in the way, one more time, of what really needs to be — Action.

So, an Initial Action is to write this post. My Initial Action Goal is to write another dozen. A secondary Goal is to compile a list of 100 potential topics to write about. My Action Plan is to write posts, research blog enhancements, activate various affiliate programs, and participate in selected promotion activities to increase readership.

Simple. Direct. Effective.

What Goals, Plans or Actions would you recommend?