In this post I am walking you through my quarterly planning process, the fast version. You can do this one in 30 minutes or less using a single exercise. If you want the complete, deep-dive process with the financial review and the full worksheet, that lives in my complete guide to quarterly planning. This post is the quick method for when you just need a plan and you need it today.

So often when I bring up business strategy or planning, the first thing I hear is, "oh, that is so hard." But it is a simple process, and it is one of the most beneficial things you can do to reach your long-term goals. You might not be used to it yet, but it is simple.

Why quarterly planning matters

Before we dive in, a quick reminder of why this is worth 30 minutes:

1. If you do not know where you are going, how will you get there? You can say "let's take a vacation," but there are a million places you could go. You have to narrow it down so you know where to focus. Quarterly planning is really a vacation planning strategy for your business.
2. Success is 80% strategy and 20% skill. That is a line from Jim Rohn. Sure, you know how to read, but when is your plan to actually read the book? See the difference?

A vision without a strategy is just an illusion. A quarterly plan helps you choose what to do, and just as importantly, what not to do. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you reach your long-term goals? One daily income-producing task at a time.

Quarterly planning is essentially mapping out the next 12 weeks. To start, I set an intention and go in with an open mind. Ask yourself:

• What do you truly want to achieve?
• If you could eliminate every obstacle and excuse, where would you be in three months?

The first 10 minutes: Be, Feel, Do, Have

One of my favorite exercises for this is the Be, Feel, Do, Have approach. Take five minutes and map out the following:

• Be: Who do you want to be? Maybe a more present mother.
• Feel: How do you want to feel? More energized, less tired and overwhelmed.
• Do: What do you want to accomplish? Take that vacation, or launch a course.
• Have: What do you want to have? A new house? A Hawaiian trip?

Now, in the next five minutes, think about one or two tasks in each category that take a step in the right direction.

For example, in the Be category we had "be a more present mother." Something you could do: turn your phone off at 5pm every weekday.

Now a business example. Say in the Do category you want to launch a course this quarter. What are three or four things you can do to actually launch it? Maybe take a course on launching, outline your own course, and film your content. Now you have a real list of things to get done this quarter, and you built it in 10 minutes.

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The next 10 minutes: connect it to your long-term goals

Now think about how this connects to your 3, 5, and even 10-year goals. If you do not have those yet, use these 10 minutes to brainstorm them. Even though this is quarterly planning, you need long-term goals in place so you are planning your quarter with tasks that gain momentum down the road.

Ask yourself: do these activities move me in the right direction? And does my list include business, personal growth, family, and all the buckets that fuel me?

The final 10 minutes: break it into months and put it on a calendar

For the last 10 minutes, do two things:

1. Break it into monthly goals. If you have 10 items to accomplish this quarter, which months are you doing them? Spread them out so it does not all land at once.
2. Write it on a calendar. I love our quarterly planner, but I also write it on a big wall calendar in my office so the whole family knows the plan. No surprises when mom is launching and things get busier, or when we are traveling. My girls actually love seeing the dates because it gives them something to look forward to.

Slow down to speed up

So this week, slow down. Slow down so you can speed up, and use this process to make sure you are working on the right things.

The Be, Feel, Do, Have method is a simple, fast way to plan the next three months. And if you love how easy it is, the whole thing is built into our planner with extra steps that make monthly, weekly, and daily planning easier too.

Frequently asked questions

How long does quarterly planning take?

With this method, about 30 minutes. You spend the first 10 minutes on the Be, Feel, Do, Have exercise, the next 10 connecting your quarter to your long-term goals, and the final 10 breaking everything into monthly goals and putting it on a calendar. If you want the deeper version that adds a full financial review and a copy-and-use worksheet, that process takes closer to two or three hours and is worth doing at least once. This 30-minute version is perfect for a fast reset at the start of any quarter.

What is the Be, Feel, Do, Have exercise?

Be, Feel, Do, Have is a simple planning exercise that starts with who you want to be instead of your to-do list. You map out who you want to be, how you want to feel, what you want to do, and what you want to have this quarter. Then you choose one or two concrete tasks under each that move you in that direction. Starting with the person and the feeling first, rather than the tasks, keeps your quarterly plan tied to the life you actually want, not just a longer list of things to check off.

Can you really plan your quarter in 30 minutes?

Yes, if you keep it simple. Quarterly planning gets complicated when people try to map out every detail of the next twelve weeks in one sitting. The 30-minute method works because it focuses on the what and the why, not the how. You decide what you want and break it into monthly steps, then let your weekly and daily planning fill in the details later. Doing a fast version consistently every quarter beats doing an elaborate version once and never returning to it.

Keep reading

Want the full process? Start here: Quarterly Planning: How to Plan Your Quarter in a Few Simple Steps.

If this one helped, here is where to go next:

• Goals vs Standards: Why Standards Win Every Time
• My #1 Planning Hack: The One Notebook Rule
• How to Identify the High-Impact Activities Growing Your Business

Want a business that runs in 8 to 10 hours a week?
That is exactly what we map out in CEO Week, my free training on running your whole business in part-time hours, no social media required. Come join us.

Looking for more on this topic and your high-level action items? Check out the Strategy Lab in the Crush the Rush Club. 💛

XO, Holly