Can’t see the forest…

Sometimes there are just too many trees, and because of them, you can’t see the forest.  In business, sometimes there are too many fires to put out, and you are so busy taking care of these critical tasks that you don’t have time to think strategically.  However, if you want your business to move ahead and avoid pitfalls, you really need to take the necessary time to make plans for your business.

The most obvious time to take time for strategic planning is at the turn of the new year.  Since that is where we are right now, I will shortly be doing this myself.  It is something that I do every year in January.  Every year, I take a little trip for 2 or 3 days by myself.  I go somewhere that is quiet where I can get away from everything and just think to myself. When I choose where I will go for my getaway, I have a few rules:

1. The place must be quiet. No traffic, kids playing, wild parties and such.  If it was like that, I could not get the quiet time that I need to consider what I will do in the coming year.
2. The place needs to have WiFi or some kind of Internet connection. I certainly prefer that there is WiFi available in my room so that I can stay in my room alone and not be disturbed.  The thing is that in order to research my business moves, I often need access to the Internet.  It’s important, though, to keep from getting involved in time-wasting activities on the net, otherwise, you might as well just stay home.
3. I prefer a place where I can be away from everything, so it’s better if I can even eat in my room. Avoid all possible distractions.

I spend my time thinking over what I have done in my businesses over the past year.  What things worked for me?  What things didn’t work so well?  How can I enhance those things that worked well, and also either forget about the things that didn’t work, or refine them to the point that they can still pay off for me?

I spend these days mostly planning for my businesses, but I also take time to plan personal and family issues this way too, because honestly all of this is tied together.  If things are not working in your family life, you will be distracted from your business.  So, it is important to get all of your issues worked out.

This little activity which I do every year is not so uncommon.  Have you heard about it before?  I got the idea from reading that Bill Gates does this every year.  I know that when I have done this myself, it has worked great for me, and produced some very good results!

Make sure that you can always keep on top of your business.  If there are too many fires that are keeping you busy, maybe you should consider hiring somebody to take care of these issues, so that you can concentrate on the more important things!