When things don’t go according to plan

I had big plans for 2017.

I intended to:

• relaunch my signature program
• email my list regularly blog more often
• launch a Youtube Channel
• do more joint venture webinars

and
and
and…

I even hired a marketing strategist to help me put together a plan.
(What?? But aren’t you a marketing strategist?)
Yes.
And I wanted an outside perspective.
So I got a year-long fancy marketing strategy.

But the problem is, it was too ambitious.
I received a 30+ page spreadsheet with plans and ideas and tactics, and instead of chipping away at the plan, I ignored it. I got overwhelmed.

There were simply too many pieces to manage, and the idea of hiring a team to implement was not even remotely appealing.

It was too unrealistic for the stage of life/business I was in (you know, buy a house, move to the woods, get married, grow your own food…); I was re-setting, and re-settling.

Not only that, but shortly after receiving “the plan”, it became clear that I needed to pivot.

I took a break.
Unsubscribed from all the things.
I stopped reading business books and started picking up some permaculture books.
I stopped updating my website(s) and sales pages.
I went quiet for a while.
I took a much-needed break from the relentless hustle and bustle.
(Not to mention some of my feelings about the political environment and state of the world… it was difficult to imagine doing any kind of marketing or “business as usual.”)

For 6 months, feelings of failure began to creep in, and I started feeling like I hadn’t really accomplished anything because I didn’t launch my program as I had intended.

Not only did I not do all the things in the fancy marketing plan, but I was starting to feel like I’d stepped backwards, doing even less than I had intended before I got the plan. Blarg.

F*** the plan.
I blew up the plan, and took a step back.

Here’s what I did do:

• Picked up more consulting clients (specifically, clients who are launching new products, services, or courses)
• Challenged myself with 100 Days of Video for the #100dayproject (I still can’t believe I pulled it off.)
• Hired Instructional Designer Stacey Howe-Lott to help me strip and rebuild my program from the ground up (and yes, it’s taken way longer than I expected!)
• Launched a free Bootcamp with Stacey for people wanting to launch the very first version of their course, a Learning Launch (I will relaunch this as a self-study and group program this fall)
• Was interviewed on a few podcasts, including Profit, Power Pursuit, Clients From Hell, She Means Business, 100k Freelancer, Nikki Groom’s Movement Makers, among others
• Attended MicroConf and the Call To Action conference and got inspired all over again
• Bought a house and moved to the Sunshine Coast
• Started an 18-month Permaculture Design Certification
• Built a Square Foot Garden, and grew my first ever vegetable garden
• Got married in our backyard

Now, looking at the list of things I’ve done this year so far (which feels like a lot!), I’m reminded of a few things.

• It’s really easy to forget to track your progress and accomplishments
• We tend to treat plans as rules instead of guidelines
• We forget to recognize our “life” achievements

Make your goals large, visual, and visible.

My goals using Todd Smith’s visual layout

Last year I started using this visual layout by Todd Smith to plan my yearly goals. At some point when I was reorganizing the office, I put it away and into a drawer and forgot about it for a few months.

Taking it out again and really giving it a review, I realized that I’d actually crossed more things off my list than I’d realized. Of course I’d added new things to that list as well, and entirely shifted the focus for certain goals, but all in all I wasn’t as far off the rails as I’d thought, and I’d even left more time to enjoy life than I ever had before.

I’m now revising my visual layout, printing one out with my new goals, and putting it back up on the wall where it belongs.

It’s way easier to remember your intentions for the year when you keep them accessible and easily visible.

Plans are simply a hypothesis

We’re really hard on ourselves when things don’t go according to plan. Plans change, and they should change. Most of the time our plans are based on limited information, and as information becomes more clear, we can adjust accordingly. Life happens. Moods happen. Shit happens.

Don’t be afraid to let plans deviate (and let go of the associated guilt).

Guilt takes up precious mindspace.

When plans change, it gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate.
Why did the plan change?
Is this a better plan?
What would I have done differently?
Does this new plan feel better?

A little self-compassion goes a long way.

Celebrate life AND business wins

One thing I’ve started doing with my partner is keeping a “Highlights” jar. We write down our highlights, achievements, and favourite memories in a jar throughout the year, and open them on December 31 with a bottle of champagne.

It’s a great way to celebrate and track successes, wins, and highlights in an unconventional way. It was so fun to read some of our favourite memories, some of which were so easily forgotten. In some cases the memories were of something unexpectedly mundane, but was a good reminder that they’d had an impact, and brought us joy.

You better believe that finishing the #100dayproject is going in the jar, as is, “biting into the first tomato that we grew from seed!”

Progress doesn’t always have to look like an epic product launch.
Sometimes the little wins make all the difference.

Have your plans shifted since you first started planning your 2017?
Are you tracking your progress somewhere so that you can celebrate your wins?

Try the highlights jar — you won’t regret it!