The Tactical Plan
I’m very excited to see you back again for Step 4 in From Vision to Execution. This is probably my favorite step because it involves a year-at-a-glance wall calendar and a whole bunch of post-it notes. I love office supplies and in this part of the process, we get to use them in a fun and effective way.
Let’s review where we are in the overall process before we dive into Step 4. You remember that From Vision to Execution involves these 5 steps:
· The Tactical Plan (we are here!)
· The Daily Execution
If you need to review any of the prior steps, click on the titles above to go straight to the appropriate blog post. If you prefer to watch the videos, pop over to my YouTube channel. Please subscribe when you get over there. I’d really appreciate it.
So where are we? You’re clear on your vision. You broke that vision into 3 key goals and made those goals S.M.A.R.T. We dove into how to make those goals even more actionable and real by adding key assumptions around time and resources. You are now ready for Step 4: The Tactical Plan.
Step 4: The Tactical Plan
Now comes the fun part! Let’s move to the wall calendar and start mapping everything out.
Gather your supplies and decide on your color-coding system
To get started, gather your calendar and your post-it notes. Give each one of your goals a color. For example, if one of your goals is to build your website, decide that everything you put on the calendar that relates to building your website will be captured on orange post-its.
Pro tip: as we dive into this exercise together, you’ll find that using different colors and sizes of post-it notes really liberates you. You’re not making any marks on the calendar. You’ll be able to move the post-it notes around as you discover overlap or weeks when you’re trying to accomplish too much. It’s a great way to get over the fear of starting.
Write down your tasks
After you’ve decided on your post-it note colors, start putting tasks associated with each goal on them. Write out each task from your S.M.A.R.T. goals on separate post-its. Remember your color-coding system so that each task is in the correct color. As you go, add more tasks that come to mind now that you are really focused on each goal and the steps required to accomplish it.
Place the post-it notes on the calendar
Start placing your post-it notes, one by one, on the calendar. Don’t sweat it too much at this stage. This is your first pass. Start with one goal and all the tasks associated with it. Then move on to your second goal and then the third. It’s okay if it’s a bit rough. That’s the beauty of using post-it notes because you can move them around. This is an iterative process and the good news is that there is no wrong answer!
Step back from the calendar and review your work.
Now that you’ve placed everything on the calendar, step back and take a look. Things that you’ll want to change will pop up right away. Ask yourself these questions:
· Am I doing the steps in the right order?
· Am I giving myself enough time between tasks?
· Have I included time for my family and other activities?
· Where do you see overlap or a large number of tasks in a row?
Move things around as necessary
Once you’ve answered those questions, walk back up to the calendar and start moving some of the post-its around. Space them out more so that you’re giving yourself a reasonable amount of time to complete each task. Don’t forget to block out vacations or other family activities.
Step back again and see if you’re pretty happy with how you’ve laid everything out. You may need to do this 2-3 times. You’ll know when you’ve created a reasonable and actionable roadmap. Getting there is so satisfying. And sets you up for success when we dive into Step 5: The Daily Execution next week.
Let me know how it’s going. I’ll be LIVE tomorrow, Wednesday, August 5th at noon pacific time on my Facebook page, Anne LaFollette Art. You know the drill. I’m LIVE every Wednesday at noon pacific on Facebook to review this week’s blog with you and answer your questions.
I’ll see you there.
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
