Seven Days of Strategic Planning: Day 6 Scheduling

Day 6 of Strategic Planning. 

All this goal setting is stimulating but its time to make sure that the goals that have been chosen are going to fit during your busy schedule. What I like to do is break my goals down into smaller bit sized steps. The more you break it down, the easier the goal seems. So instead of imagining yourself trying to tackle a solo exhibition, you a quietly working on updating your resume and printing new business cards to send to gallery exhibition calls. Your big goal can turn into a long list of tasks. Pick a couple of tasks to do each month or week. Write these in your calendar or planner! Give yourself deadlines and make sure you see what you are doing and when you are doing it.

I found this To-Do list journal at Office Max.

It has a column to list tasks to do and then tear out ‘Action Item’

carbon paper sheets to take away from the journal

and leave as reminders or to delegate tasks.

If you took a look at my blog post about the book, The Right Brained Business Plan, you will see a photo of my project planner. Its a blank four week calendar. The major projects I am working on get a certain colored Post-it note. I write my tasks and to-dos on the Post-it notes and stick them under the day of the week that I schedule to work on that step. Whats great is that it allows for changes in my schedule, I can pick up and shift my calendar and goal schedule as needed by moving the Post-it note a few days or until next week.

There are numerous methods of time management to help you focus and achieve your goals. Have your digital calendar email you reminders or tell people your deadlines. Have you considered having an accountability buddy? Working with another artist and talking about your goals and deadlines can help you and them reach your goals by making sure you both are accountable to what you say you are going to do. Consider choosing one day (or two) out of the week to focus on your goal during a certain time of day.

Here is an image of my actual planner!

Every month has a short list of goals that I want to accomplish.

While goal setting and planning your career for the next year seems like a long time frame, I promise you it will zoom by. Half of the goals I wanted to accomplish in 2011 I didn’t succeed at, but I left time and room for my goals to change. I ended up achieving additional goals that I didn’t put much focus on initially. For example, I wanted to write one grant, an Artist Initiative grant. Instead, I managed to write 5 grants. Changing scope of project affects the time allowed for other goals. While I greatly succeeded with this goal, my desire to write a business plan was pushed aside. Schedule but allow for change!

My last blog post about my Seven Days of Strategic Planning is tomorrow!