Need Focus in Q4?
Need Direction or Focus in Q4?
At the end of every month, I block 4 hours on my calendar to plan out the upcoming month. Every 3 months, that time includes planning the next 3 months as well. This past Monday, I planned October and Q4.
It’s financial. It’s operational. But mostly, it’s my sanity for the next 1-3 months.
If I were a boat, these 4 hours would be my rudder. A boat with no rudder floats wherever the wind and waves take it. That’s how I feel if I don’t take this time every month for my business. Maybe I’ll end up in Oregon or in Japan. I don’t know…depends on the wind and the waves.
These 4 hours, every month, give me direction and a solid (also realistic) plan of what I can do and when I can accomplish it.
Here’s what I cover in these 4 hours:
Monthly Financial Review (30 min)
Review the reporting my bookkeeper (read: me) prepared
Ask myself: What major expenses are coming up? Do I need to invest in anything? How’s the sales pipeline? What will my cash levels look like on Dec 31st? (these questions are foundational for the rest of the time)
Operational Review (15 min)
Review the plan I made last month
Ask myself: Did I get everything accomplished I planned to? Was I realistic about what I set out to do?
Quarterly Goals (2 hours)
I’m not a journaler, at all, but I get a real notebook and pen to write out answers to these 3 questions:
What went well last quarter? (so that I can see my successes)
What did I learn last quarter? (so that I can see my growth)
What are my priorities in this upcoming quarter?
I then take the answers to that last question and organize them into buckets (client work, marketing, admin, personal) and lay out when / how I’ll execute those priorities in the next 3 months (if you were at WorkflowCon last year, this is the “12 Box” I presented on)
Schedule Next Month (30 min)
Schedule specific time blocks on my calendar for the priorities I’ve set for the upcoming month
Note: I also have a standing planning time block at the end of every week to check in on these monthly / quarterly goals
Anything Else (45 min)
All those things I never seem to have time to do: submit travel reimbursements, like mileage (I’m an S-corp), plan my marketing schedule, or just go for a walk / grab a snack / read something inspiring
Looking at everything above, it kind of seems like overkill.
Except, I’ve been doing it for years, I rarely feel rudderless, and it becomes very easy to say No to anything not aligned with what I decided in this meeting. It’s not overkill.
Need a rudder for Q4? Feel free to swipe mine.
Cheers,
Erica
What’s Happening in Aligned
MeetUp: Hot Seat w/ Hannah Coyle - Workflow Efficiency: Wed, Oct 1 - 11am MST
Demo: Gusto Money: Tue, Oct 14th - 3pm MST
Workshop: Annual Pricing Increases (Part 1): Fri, Oct 24th - 12pm MST
Office Hours w/ Erica: Thur, Oct 30th - 10am MST
Question of the Week > Going into next year, do you expect to: (a) keep your current service mix, (b) raise prices, (c) drop a service, (d) add a new service, (e) no clue
Current Discussions On > project accounting & job costing, QBD-to-QBO conversions, member win on updating his website (congrats Peter!), reporting platforms, member win on working less and making more than her W-2, Keeper vs Financial Cents for client communication, and more!
Join the discussion with 150+ like-minded, non-scaling accountants / really cool humans in the link below.
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