Episode 158: How to Use Strategic Planning to Get the Biggest Results with Less Stress in 2020

written by Kate Northrup

I love the smell of new office supplies. Going back-to-school shopping at Staples was my heaven. And I love planning so much that I plan my planning.

How about you? Do you use an intersecting system of 3 different color-coded calendars, or are you holding on tenuously to your “keeping it all up here” [points to brain] system?

Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

We officially have 7.5 weeks left, not only in this year but in this decade.

I’m officially naming 2020 the year of clarity because…you know…20/20. 👀

One of my favorite quotes is:

Money loves clarity.

I’m pretty sure my friend Barbara Huson, author of Sacred Success, was the one who coined that phrase. (Although I see it used without credit a lot on the interwebs. Side note: credit your sources folks!)

You know what else loves clarity?

Your goals! Your dreams! Your desires!

And you know what you need for clarity?

A plan.

Mike and I are already doing some strategic planning for 2020 (super exciting things coming down the pike for you!), so we thought we’d let you in on the behind-the-scenes of some of our process.

Today on the podcast we’re sharing 3 ways you can use strategic planning to get the biggest results with the least stress in 2020.

Listen in for:

The most important question you need to be asking yourself as you plan 2020
The map we create for the year to ensure we don’t overschedule ourselves
The formula we use for a pre-launch runway and why it will make all the difference in your launch results
The exact calendar and planning system I’m using in 2020 to ensure we have the biggest results with the least amount of stress possible

Once you’ve listened, we’d love to hear from you:

What are your tried-and-true planning practices? What calendar and/or planning systems do you use? Which one of the 3 planning tips are you the most excited to implement?

Here’s to making 2020 the best year ever and the start of the most incredible decade so far!

In This Episode

How our planning differs now from when we first started our business [21:10]
Why Kate loves planning so much [22:20]
The benefits of planning with your spouse, even if you’re not in business together [23:12]
What tools we use to plan [24:20]
Questions to ask yourself to subconsciously tap into possibilities [26:50]
Why growth is more than just the revenue your business generates [30:20]
3 action steps you can take now for effective planning [33:16]
What are runways and how you can use a long one to increase the results of your next launch [47:22]
What to do if you find content creation difficult, but still want to provide value to your audience [61:15]