Podcast 20: The Power of Setting 90-day Goals for Your Holistic Business

business ethical business mindset podcast productivity Jul 02, 2020

We’re just starting the second half of the year and as it’s been a bumpy ride for many practitioners. Many of us have had to completely change the way we work with lockdown. The best way to ensure the next quarter is productive is to set yourself 90-day goals.

It’s very easy to get stuck in the day-to-day tasks – before you know it, another month, quarter or even year has passed by. A lack of progress is amplified when you find yourself going around in circles, not really knowing what to do next.

We’re not taught how to set useful business goals when we train as practitioners, even though you’ll be taught to set goals with your clients. The same as for your clients, you want to set business goals that are a stretch and will help you grow.

Start your next quarter strong by focussing on your most important projects and knowing what your next steps are. This clarity will stop you doing the stuff that doesn’t make a difference and focus on what will move your business forward.

Why 90-day goals?

3-months is far enough away to give you the chance to achieve something big, but near enough to be achievable. It helps you gather your focus, energy, and attention in one direction, which is where the power lies.

Many successful business owners will have a vision for their business, goals and an overview for the year, but they plan 90-days at a time. This keeps their focus. Even if new and exciting opportunities present themselves, they’ll be assessed for the next period which is a maximum of 90 days away.

Where are you now?

What time do you have available to work on your projects? Knowing this will help you to set goals that are achievable in the time you have available.

What resources do you have available to support your goals? If you’re doing everything yourself, you won’t make the same progression as someone who can outsource tasks. Do you have the budget to hire support?

What will you stop doing? Reflect on the least valuable things you’ve been doing in your business. These are the things to stop doing – they’re often the places you find yourself procrastinating and hiding instead of doing the important work. Decide on what you’re going to ditch as it will free up time and energy.

Start with the end in mind

Review your vision for your business and decide if anything has changed. Where do you want to be in 5 or 10-years’ time? If you need to re-visit your vision (or create one), this article will help you.

Where do you want to be in 90-days from now?

List out all the things you want to do in the next 90-days and prioritise them. Check each item on the list moves you towards your vision for your business – if it doesn’t, question why it’s on your list.

Now take the top 3-5 items (dependent on the size of the projects) and create these into your goals. What will you have achieved in 90-days if you complete these goals? How happy will you feel with your progress?

Ask yourself why is this important to you – why you want to achieve this? Note this down and put it somewhere you will see it. This will help you to focus your efforts and keep you motivated to make it happen.

When and where do you need support?

Identify where you need support to make your goals happen. This could be getting a coach, learning new skills or outsourcing elements – know where you need to invest.

How do you set the plan in motion?

Take your goals one at a time and work out when you need to complete it – some may be 30-days, others will take the full 90-days. List down the steps you need to take and plot them across the 90 days. This will show you what you need to do, and when.

You then start to break the goals down into smaller ones. Move your focus to what needs to be accomplished in the next 30-days and then the next week. This will give you weekly goals which you can then breakdown into more details and set tasks for each day.

Reflect on and celebrate progress

At the end of each day reflect on your progress and celebrate your wins. Do the same thing at the end of the week – it’s also an opportunity to see if you need to make any adjustments for the following week.

Don’t wait until the end of the 90-days to find out you’ve fallen off track and things haven’t worked out. It’s important to reflect regularly and adjust as you go to ensure you’re moving towards your goal.

There is great power in having 90-day goals for your business. They will help you spend your available working time in a purposeful way rather than drifting along.

If you struggle to set your 90-day goals, there are two ways I can help you. I can help you create a 90-day plan for your business in a strategy session so you know exactly what you need to do and can then make it happen.

If you need more support and accountability, check out my 12-week coaching programme designed to support you step by step through this process.

Book your free discovery call today and let’s get this show on the road.