All the Things! All the Things!

In the first year of owning our business, I physically showed up to work every week—and almost every weekend. But really, I worked every single day. When I went to sleep, I was still thinking about work.

SO MUCH STUFF TO DO.

Even now, years later, I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and text our office cell phone to remind myself of something I randomly thought of (whether in my sleep or upon waking is debatable).

SO MUCH STUFF TO THINK ABOUT.

It’s absolutely overwhelming at times—all the things there are to do. And because I seem to love chaos, I fill my not-so-much-free time with education, friends, family, volunteering, and a second job or two.

So I add to ALL the things. (In a future post, we’ll dive deeper into this habit.)

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Keeping It All Straight

Everyone is different, but I think the number-one thing that is essential is planning.

Create a business plan.
And before you roll your eyes—no, it doesn’t have to be perfect, pretty, or even spelled correctly. What matters is that you understand it.

Your plan can live in a notebook, a Word document, or even just in your head (though I commend you if you can keep it all there). Mine lives in a folder on my computer with subfolders for marketing, human resources, and all sorts of random notes—some that will never amount to anything and others that remind me what not to do again.

When I make notes, I start with a simple framework:

• Problem or Goal
• Solution or How to Reach the Goal
• Timeline
• How to Measure Progress
• When to Check Back
• Notes

Keep your notes organized in a way that makes sense to you. The goal is to take all those swirling thoughts and put them somewhere until you can deal with them. Assign each idea a timeline and a way to monitor your progress. This approach may develop and change over time. I used to keep notes in Excel, then a notebook, and sometimes in my Apple calendar. I still use various methods that work for me.

Not only does this help clear your mind, but it also creates a running record of your growth, changes, mistakes, and any pertinent information. Later, when you’re ready to build a comprehensive business plan, you can pull this material together, adjust it as needed, and incorporate it.

If you want a starting point, download a free business plan template from SCORE.org and fill in what you know—or what you’re just thinking about. Remember, it’s a work in progress. A business plan should evolve just like you do.

Think of it as journaling for your business: a simple, ongoing process that supports your strategy and organization.

Because if you don’t find a way to capture all the things, they’ll keep swirling in your mind until you hit that point of madness.

Need some help? Contact me to talk about your strategy for ALL THE THINGS!

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