I sat down and did my “year plan” last night…this entails a collection of coloured pens, a large, clean piece of A3 paper and some seriously clear thinking! I started off with working out what my goals were for the year – professionally as well as personally. Where did I want to take my business? What were the areas I wanted to focus on? What did I want to do more or less of…?

By knowing what I was focussing on then leads me on to work out how I am going to achieve this;

• who do I need to speak to?
• what do I need to organise?
• what will stand in my way and how do I deal with that?
• how do I manage my time in order to reach these goals?

These are all areas I work with my clients with – every session…and it’s hard work making yourself be honest and logical in your thinking.

However- the benefits are huge once you have done it. I have my mind map propped up on my desk and it is there as a visual reminder of what I am focussing on – so that the moment I get distracted by something else I can bring myself back to task and keep on track. This way I am fulfilling my first goal of the year – to not work harder, but to work smarter – don’t waste time on the things that are not directly helping you to reach your end goal.