October is here and so is the fourth quarter but don’t be frightened! This week our #TuesdayTip for you is how you can most effectively plan and prioritize your fourth quarter goals. Each year there are times when we like to sit down, evaluate our goals, re-work our objectives, and refocus our efforts. Fourth quarter brings us a time when we can plan out not only our final three months of the year but also take the time to look ahead at 2020. Let’s take a look at how we can all end 2019 on a high note and set up our business to rock 2020.
Setting Your Fourth Quarter Goals
If you have ever looked at how to plan goals, you more than likely have heard of SMART goals. You can tell if your goals are SMART if they are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Timely
We could take up the whole article today talking about how you can set SMART goals, but we wouldn’t be able to cover the rest of the information. However, we have a entire separate blog coming out soon to talk in more detail about SMART goals; keep your eyes out! SMART goals are important in many different business and life areas!
To make the most of your fourth quarter, set aside some time to plan. You’ll probably need a couple hours to brainstorm the goals you want to accomplish. Once you have a list of all your goals, it’s time to prioritize them.
Time To Prioritize
So you have your list of goals for the fourth quarter, great! You probably have anywhere from three goals to five, ten, or even more. The number of goals doesn’t matter because what you do now is organize your goals starting with the most important to the least important. How do you know what which goals are most and least important? If you don’t know where to start, focus on three goals, at most, for the next this quarter.
Narrowing Down Goals for Success
Here is where things can be a little tricky. It can be hard to see what goals are the most important and what goals are not as important. One way we like to decide is by grabbing our calendar and plugging our goals into our workday. For example, do you have a Christmas or holiday-themed sale coming up in December with a stated amount of expected revenue? If so, you want to plug in all the steps needed into your calendar so you accomplish your goal. You’ll want to have a sales page, social media posts, a specific product or code for discounts, email campaigns, and much more. A goal of $10,000 in December is an important goal and having your calendar out helps make sure you can accomplish your goal.
Other goals might be to release a new product or a coaching program. You might want to bring on three more clients in a month. Maybe your goal is to bring in 100 new email subscribers. For those of you writing, you may want to finish your first draft or finish your last round of edits. There might also be goals which intersect with each other such as a product lunch might include a deadline for the product and a deadline for marketing materials.
There will probably be a few goals which immediately stick out to you as important and others which you might be able to cast aside until next quarter. Now it is time to list out your goals in order of importance. Here’s a hint: Take these goals and map them out, individually, on your calendar. You should plan out what work processes are needed to accomplish your goals, day-by-day.
Planning Your Q4
Take a look at your quarter four this week and make sure you are set up to properly accomplish all of your goals. Whether you are looking to make $20,000 or if you are looking to write your book, your goals are important. If you are looking for more guidance on how to plan out your Q4, let us help you. We have a number of VIP Day spots available from now until the end of October! Send us a message today and schedule your time for a successful fourth quarter!
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