Mastering Year-End Goals and Holiday Planning
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Audio Only - All Participants: Hello, Bold Goal Crushers. Welcome back to the Bold Goal Crusher podcast. I'm your host, Sara Mayer, and today we're going to talk about managing one of the most exciting, magical, and challenging times of the year, the last quarter. It's a time when we need to wrap up all our year end goals. It's a natural thing that many people want to do, and while we're also preparing for the holidays and then trying to start the year off strong.
Audio Only - All Participants: So whether you're a business owner, an entrepreneur, or someone just trying to stay on top of your goals, this episode is for you. Today, we're going to discuss how to effectively maintain and plan. So that you can keep the momentum going in your business and make sure you truly enjoy the holiday season without feeling overwhelmed.
Audio Only - All Participants: So as the last quarter can feel overwhelming, especially as we [00:01:00] approach the holiday season. But before you get into the hustle and bustle, it's important to take a step back And review your quarter four goals. What did you set out to achieve this year? How much progress have you made? And where do you stand on those goals?
Audio Only - All Participants: So here's a simple three step approach to reviewing your goals. First, assess your progress. Take a look at these goals you set at the beginning of the year. Are you on track to meet them? If not, calm down. Don't stress. Just evaluate where you are. Prioritize what's left. There's only so much time in any month, but especially in quarter four when you're adding the holiday pressure.
Audio Only - All Participants: It's essential to focus on the high impact objectives. Which objectives will give you the best return? Which will move you closer to your goal? And maybe The goal doesn't always have to be finished by the end of the year. Maybe this goal is a longer term goal and it wasn't [00:02:00] realistic to finish in one year anyway.
Audio Only - All Participants: Maybe it's time to adjust the knobs on your goals. It's okay to modify plans. If something no longer feels relevant or achievable, adjust your strategy. So the goal is to finish the year strong. not burnout, but also remember you don't have to finish the year strong. This could be a season of rest and refocus for you as well.
Audio Only - All Participants: You need to decide how you want this season to be. So it's time to reflect on what's worked well and where you need to make changes. So you can go into Q4 with a clear plan. All right, once you've renewed your goals, the next step is to really get strategic and realistic about your time. The holiday season can eat up a lot of time with events, shopping, family obligations, and all the things.
Audio Only - All Participants: So it's critical to block off time for your most important projects, but also [00:03:00] block off time for the magic of the holiday season. So you want to set some non negotiable work blocks. First off, look at your calendar, block off time for your most critical tasks, whether it's a marketing campaign, client work, or year end accounting, schedule those tasks first.
Audio Only - All Participants: And then you want to plan for your holiday time. Be realistic. There are going to be days when you're out shopping, attending events, or you simply just want to hang out and relax. So you want to block that time out too. Because when you purposefully put these things on your calendar, when other things come your way, you know that you are busy.
Audio Only - All Participants: It's a signal. So planning for downtime in the magic of the holidays will keep you from feeling guilty about not working or keep you from feeling Like you're overwhelmed. And we always talk about batching. So if you're managing several projects, [00:04:00] batch your tasks by type. For example, set one day for all content creation, another for all administrative work, another for meetings, and this reduces the task switching and it helps you stay focused.
Audio Only - All Participants: So by getting ahead of your schedule, you can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed and make sure the most important tasks get done before the holidays hit full swing. All right. For entrepreneurs and business owners, Q4 is prime time for sales and promotions. People spend money during the holidays.
Audio Only - All Participants: People are in buying mode, whether it's for gifts or services to finish the year strong. Or just looking for a good deal. This is a great opportunity to maximize your business impact. And so here are a few tips for managing your holiday promotions. One, plan your sales early. Decide now what promotions or discounts you want to offer during the holiday season.
Audio Only - All Participants: Maybe [00:05:00] it's a Black Friday event, a Cyber Monday event, a last minute holiday offer, a 12 days of the holidays. thing or a New Year's party like mine. And then you want to automate a lot of that whenever possible. So use technology to your advantage. Schedule email, social media posts, and ads if you're running ads in advance so that when the holidays get busy, your marketing still runs smoothly.
Audio Only - All Participants: It's always great to create a holiday gift guide or bundle. Many businesses find success by bundling products or services into special holiday packages. So think about what you can offer your clients or customers that feels festive and pull provides value. And don't forget, people love to support businesses.
Audio Only - All Participants: Small business Saturday. And other things they love to show appreciation. So consider adding a thank you note or small business bonus for loyal customers. The holiday season doesn't just mark the end of the [00:06:00] year. It's also the time to start thinking about what's coming in 2025. And so while it may be tempting to leave the planning for January.
Audio Only - All Participants: It's actually smarter to start laying the groundwork now. So here's how you can get ahead of the year. Year end reflection. I have a great worksheet on my website and I'll show you how to get that in the show notes. And you can also set some goals early. Start by mapping out the big picture, especially if you have goals that are longer term goals that take longer than a year and you haven't wrapped them up this year.
Audio Only - All Participants: It's great to start thinking about them last year, the next year. And so you really want to plan for your holidays and for your new years. This is where it's really important just to really think about how you want to enjoy the magic of the season. All right, bold goal crushers. It's time to get out there and crush your goals.
Audio Only - All Participants: The [00:07:00] holiday season can be magical and it's time to take the time to really plan for what you want your holidays to be. So don't be afraid to set some down time to really craft the magic of the season. Now, if you're looking for some tips, I do have a free guide. On my website, go to saramayer.com/freetoolsandresources.
Audio Only - All Participants: And I have a guide to the season for success, a comprehensive guide to holiday offers for small business owners. And I also have a yearly reflection book sheet. I hope you check it out because you truly can decide how you want your holiday season to be. All right. If you love this episode, don't forget to smash that subscribe button.
Audio Only - All Participants: If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, please share it with somebody else or join us on YouTube so you can see me in real life. All right, bold gold crushers, it's time to crush your goals [00:08:00] and everything that gets in the way because you don't have to work double time. So let's get to it.
