I have to admit, I always get a little giddy at the end of November and beginning of December. It's the holiday season. So of course, it's just filled with light and love. But I am also really excited about everything that's yet to unfold in the new year that's right around the corner. I carve out plenty of time in my calendar in the final six weeks of the year. So that I have space to bring a sense of intention and excitement to my preparations for the next year. And so that's what we're going to talk about in today's episode and also in next week's episode. Now there are a few reasons I'm breaking this up into two parts. The first is that I take a two part approach to my own planning. The first part, and that's what we're going to dive into today, is actually a review of everything that I've accomplished over the last year. Doing that review prepares me for part two, which is the actual planning for the year to come. Now, I know a lot of people who actually go straight into part two, who are more than ready to leave the year that they've just lived through in their rearview mirror, they don't want to think about it, they want to create something new for the year to come. I completely understand that inclination. And there have been years where I have not really looked forward to doing an annual review. But what I have found as a coach and as a business owner, is that when I take the time to do that annual review, even if it's uncomfortable, even if there are some data points in there that I don't really want to remind myself of, doing that review sets me up so beautifully to really create a clear plan for the year to come. So if you are one of those people who prefers to dive right in and be completely future focused with your annual planning, I'm going to invite you to try something a little different, I'm going to invite you to kick things off with an annual review. And that is what we are going to cover in today's episode. So that's the first reason I divided this into two episodes instead of one big one, I really want to give the annual review peace it's due. And then secondly, I'm also aware that these episodes are dropping during the holiday season. This is a time where most of our calendars are filled to the brim. And I recognize that the fact that you're even carving out time in your day to listen to this podcast- well first off that feels like a gift you are giving me I am so grateful for that I do not take it for granted. So thank you for sharing your time with me. And I feel that in order to respect that gift of your time, it would be best for all of us if I make these next two episodes pretty short, pretty succinct, so that you can get everything you need in a quick amount of time. And then you can take action on it. That is my goal for this two part series. I want you, not just listening to this episode, but actually applying the things that we are talking about. And I'm going to share some tips and tricks along the way to make that easier for you both this year, and next year when you repeat the process. Now I titled today's podcast episode, “Planning to Plan”, and if you know, you know this is my little hat tip to the cult classic Office Space. This is a movie that came out back in the late 90’s when I was in college. It features Ron Livingston and a younger Jennifer Aniston. It is hysterical. And it really takes an excruciating look at corporate life circa 1999. And there's a scene where one of the characters is meeting with some consultants. And in the background, there's a whiteboard with this incredible flowchart. I mean it is just filled with boxes and lines and so forth and at the very top it says “planning to plan”. And that tickled me back in 1999, when I saw it as a 20 year old, and I still find that really amusing now. Because we can overcomplicate this if we choose to, we can make planning to plan, this laborious time consuming, multifaceted process. And that's not what I want for you. It's certainly not what I want for me. So as much as I find the humor in planning to plan, I'm also mindful that I want this to be a simplified process that you will actually use. So let's hop to it. Let's kick off our annual review, which is the first step of creating your annual plan for the coming year. And I really do want this to be a successful experience for you. So let's think about all of the things you need. In order to complete a full review of the preceding year. Some of these things will be tangible, you're definitely going to want your calendar. If you keep a journal, you're going to want to have access to that. I'm also going to recommend that you have any sort of data that will help you take an honest look at what you've accomplished over the last year. So from a financial perspective, you're going to want your profit and loss statements, or your P&L’s, on hand. For me, because I run a podcast, I find having my podcast download numbers to be very helpful, both month to month and episode to episode. It's always helpful to have an idea of how your accounts have grown. Those might be your financial accounts, but it can also be your social media accounts. So pulling those reports from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, wherever you are engaging with your audience, let's take a look at what the data show there. I'm also looking at my email list, subscribes and unsubscribes. So you get the idea. These are hard data points that show either a growth a decrease or a leveling off. And that information will be helpful when we get to a specific part in our review process. So you want to gather all of that in advance so that you're not searching for it when you need it. So we want to have those kinds of tangible things at the ready. And I'm going to encourage you to really take time to create the physical space you want to be in for this planning, what is going to best serve your process?  

I treat this process almost like a ritual. And so I want to be surrounded by the things that make me feel good and that are important to me. So I light a candle, I have soft lighting, I have music in the background, I'll have a cup of tea by my side, I will probably be in my most comfortable sweatpants, wrapped in a beautiful blanket that I received from my friend Lisa Koosman. I am very specific about what I want my physical environment to look like because that will support me, as I complete this review. Now you may be completely different. You may be someone who really wants a clean space, clean lines, minimal distractions, so that you can focus. That's okay too. There's no right or wrong here. This is about creating the environment that will work best for you. So think about that, and then do what you can to create that space and carve out the time to do this work. This does not have to be an all day experience, you can do this initial step, probably in 30 to 60 minutes. So carve out the time on your calendar, create the space that will serve you, and then create the intention and the energy that will support you in this process. How do you want to feel as you reflect back on your past year? What energy will support you as you take a look at all that you've accomplished over the last year? Perhaps there's a word or a phrase that you can use as a touchstone to center you and bring you into the moment. Maybe you might want to engage in some form of mindfulness activity, whether that's taking a quick mindful walk before you sit down, or even engaging in meditation. But taking a little bit of time, not just to create your physical environment, but also your internal landscape and being really thoughtful about the energy and the intentions around your annual review. For me, one of the key things I want to bring into my planning time is the spirit of gratitude. I am so grateful for everything that I have accomplished in 2021 and the ways that my business has grown. I'm equally as grateful for the things that didn't go well. And there were some things that didn't go according to plan that were in the moment quite disappointing. And yet already new, exciting ideas and innovations have come forth because those things did not work according to plan. So there was a lot that I learned about myself and my business in 2021, because of those unexpected and even unwanted outcomes. And yes, I am grateful for those too. So gratitude is something I plan to infuse into my annual review experience. And so I would encourage you to think about what will serve you. If you want to use gratitude as well, by all means, please do. And if there's another feeling or emotion or sentiment that will serve you better, take some time to ground down into that. And then you'll be ready to start your annual review. So now let's talk about what your annual review can look like. I'm going to walk you through my process. And I encourage you to take what works, leave what doesn't, and feel free to modify it so that it serves your business needs. Now, I know I asked you to gather all of that data. But before you even look at it, I want you to set it aside, trust me, don't look at it yet, we will in a minute. But first, I want you to do some reflection, whether free writing, or speaking out loud, or maybe into a voice memo recorder. But I want you to reflect on some broad questions that I'm about to ask you. First, what did you love the most about the past year? What really stands out to you as something that you're proud of? If you could summarize the past year, in a word or a phrase, what would that be? What didn't work as well over the last year? What challenges, or even disappointments, did you experience? What lessons did you learn along the way? When you pull back and take a 30,000 foot view of the year, how do you feel about it? How do you feel about yourself? I'm asking you to start by reviewing these broader questions because I want you to get the lay of the land first, I know I have a tendency to get sucked into the data immediately. And please understand, data is important. And we will be talking about them in a minute. But I want the data to support and enhance your review process. I don't want it to dictate it. And that's why I start with a broad general review of the year from my perspective and my vantage point, to kind of create the beginnings of a roadmap. This is the foundation of my annual review process, and it is my process. So I wanted to start with my reflections. Once I have that lay of the land, then I move on to bringing in the data. This is now the time where you can pull out all of your reports and all of the data that you have, and I invite you to view it through an objective lens. And I know that's hard, because this is our business we're talking about. And if you're like me, it's very personal. You know how they say it's not personal, it's business, it's very hard for me to separate the two because I love the work I do. I'm passionate about it. It's very much connected with who I am and my values. And so it does feel so personal. But when we're doing a review and we're looking at the data, we really want to bring a sense of objectivity to it. So as we're looking at the data, we can kind of cross reference it with those general reflections that we started with. So I'd be curious to know what data support your reflections. Now, sometimes that may be fairly cut and dried. For example, if you're really proud that you doubled your email list, well, the data will show that because you'll see the actual number of email subscribers that grew from the start of the year to the end of the year. So that data supports that reflection. But what about something a little more nebulous? What about, “I really feel like I connected with the people I serve in a deeper way”. What data points can you reference to show that? So for example, did you conduct more connection calls? Did you bring on more clients? Did more people listen to your podcast or read your blog? So what data can support your sense that you created deeper, more lasting connections with your audience? I'm also going to invite you to notice if there are moments where the data contradict your reflections. Perhaps you didn't feel that great about your audience growth. And yet when you look at the data, you can see that the number of your email subscribers or social media followers increased. Perhaps things happened that you weren't even aware of. This is why we want to take an objective view when we're looking at our data. Because yes, it is helpful to see how it supports our thoughts and our beliefs, but data can also open us up to other opportunities, other reflections that we didn't see. And so that's the other thing I want you to consider as you're taking a look at your data. What new insights do they show? What patterns or themes emerge from the data? When you're reviewing your data, there are essentially two main types. I mean, this is very general, but data will either be quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative data tends to be numbers driven. So we are looking at clearly measurable outcomes, number of email subscribers, revenue generated expenses, things that we can define quite clearly and put a specific data point on. Qualitative data, on the other hand, can be a little more free flowing. So one qualitative data point that I look at are my testimonials or my reviews. What are my clients, my members, my students, and my listeners saying about the work that I'm doing? I keep a, I call it a warm fuzzy file, it's a folder on my desktop. And anytime I get a lovely email, or a nice review, I take a screenshot, and I save it in my warm, fuzzy folder. I do go to that folder when I'm having tough days, or I'm feeling kind of down. But I also go to it when I'm doing my annual review. Because that feedback is data. It may not be numerical, it may not be a hard data point like a quantitative piece would be. But it is important, and it tells me a lot about my performance and how my business is doing. So as you're reviewing your data, I encourage you to think about the quantitative data. But don't overlook the value of qualitative data. Because that matters too. Early in my business, I'll be honest with you, I was not great about tracking data. I either didn't have it, or I didn't know where to find it, or it was really hard for me to pull it all together. So if you're listening to this, and you're having a thought, “Oof, that sounds like a lot, I don't even know where to begin”, then I have a strategy that may work for you. And I want to thank my friend and colleague, Raina Pomeroy, who introduced me to the concept of a CEO Report. A CEO Report is quite simply a form that you fill out on a regular basis. So ideally, you're doing your CEO Report every week. But if you find that it makes more sense to do it every two weeks or every month, that's okay, too. But that forum includes questions that invite you to track specific data points. On my CEO Report, I am including the number of podcast downloads that week, I'm including the number of new social media followers, I am tracking the number of email subscribers, and unsubscribes that I got in that given week. I'm looking at revenue, I'm tracking the number of connection calls I've made, I'm tracking the number of new clients. These are key performance indicators or KPIs that are very important to me in my business. And so when I have a CEO Report that I complete every week, it's an opportunity for me to pull that data. And then at the end of the year, I can review my CEO Reports, and I have it all in front of me. And I can notice trends and I can track changes, and it makes life so much easier. Now my CEO Report does include that quantitative data. But I also have questions that are more qualitative in nature. I'm asking myself questions on my CEO Report that reflect how I feel about the given week, how I did in terms of managing my time. I also include some aspects that are not directly business related, but that I know go into making me a healthy, well adjusted person. Am I drinking water? Am I exercising? What fun things did I do that week? That qualitative data, when paired with the quantitative data, can really help me see “Hmm, when I do this, then that happens. Or if I don't do this, then I notice it affects other data points in this way”. It helps me identify correlations and patterns. And it helps me see how my current efforts influence my future outcomes. For example, one of the things I track is the number of podcast pitches I send out to be a guest on other people's podcasts. When I go through a period of time where I'm consistently pitching, and then booking those podcasts, I notice 60 to 90 days later, I have an increase in podcast downloads. It's typically because it takes about 60 to 90 days oftentimes from the time I pitch to the time a guest podcast episode is aired, but then it results in people coming and discovering my podcast. So I can see that when I put in the time and effort at one point, then down the road, it results in an increased measure. And that helps me decide how to prioritize my time and my actions. Having that weekly CEO Report helps me with my annual planning, yes, but it also gives me a sense of direction and purpose, and helps me decide where I want to focus my time and energy in a given week or given month. Now, creating a CEO Report does not need to be complicated, you can create a Google form, or you can create a spreadsheet or use a program like Air Table, you can even use Excel. If you want to go old school, you can just write it down in a journal. There's no right or wrong way to do this. But I would encourage you to create a process that is simple and repeatable. So perhaps it's something you do every Monday morning, or every Friday afternoon. Make it a part of your routine so that you know it gets done, you might want to set an alarm on your calendar. Or maybe you can set it up so that you get an email every week reminding you to complete your CEO Reports. There's all sorts of hacks that you can use. But the beauty of the CEO Report is that when you do it consistently, it really shows you what's working, what might need to be tweaked. And then it makes the annual review process so much easier. So if you're not doing a CEO Report, I invite you to consider incorporating that into your business practices for next year. So at this point, in your annual review, you've taken a broad look at how you feel about the year and what your thoughts and takeaways are. You've examined your data, and you've noticed any themes, patterns, or key points worth noting. Now I'm going to ask you to broaden and back out once more. What are your key takeaways from your review? What really stands out to you? And then from that, you get to decide what you want to bring with you into the next year. What systems, what processes, what offers worked well for you that you want to continue to do in the year ahead? And then on the flip side, what will you leave behind? What didn't serve you? What didn't go as well as you'd hoped? What would you like more of in the next year? What new things might you want to incorporate into the year to come? With those questions answered, you will be at the perfect place to start planning for your next year. That is what we are going to talk about next week. But first things first, it's time for this week's Clarity in Action moment. This week's Clarity in Action moment is pretty simple. I want you to open up your calendar. And if you haven't already, I want you to carve out some time to do this annual review process that I've just outlined for you today. I would encourage you to block off at least an hour, you may not need all of that time. But I also don't want you to feel rushed through this process. Give yourself the luxury of time. So carve off an hour, maybe carve off an entire afternoon, and decide at what point you want to do this annual review. Once you've got that on your calendar, then you can follow the steps that we talked about in today's episode. And position yourself perfectly for step two, which is actually planning the year to come. Bonus points if you go ahead and schedule time for that today as well. And if you don't already use a CEO Report or some similar regular reporting tool, another bonus activity might be to start thinking about what questions you would want on your CEO Report to make your end of year reflection that much easier. Well, my friend that is a wrap on this week's episode of the Coach with Clarity Podcast. But you know, I'm going to be right back in your feed next week with part two of our discussion about planning for your best year yet. So if you are not already following the Coach with Clarity Podcast, go ahead and hit that follow or subscribe button wherever you listen to your podcasts. And that way next week's episode will drop automatically in your feed. And we'll continue our discussion next week. Now in the meantime, if you have any thoughts, questions, or insights you want to share with me, come find me over on Instagram. I'm @CoachwithClarity and you are welcome to comment on any of my posts or send me a DM and let me know what really stood out to you from today's episode. I am already looking forward to continuing our conversation next week. But until then, my name is Lee Chaix McDonough, reminding you to get out there and show the world what it means to be a Coach with Clarity.