I have a pretty good memory, which makes the hospitality business really fun for me and for a long time I didn’t need a thoughtful weekly and monthly planning system. I could always remember most of what I needed to do on time or figure out a quick fix for things that I forgot with a simple To Do list on some scrap paper or various notebooks. The one exception was that I loved creating methods to complete annual planning. I also tried to do as much as possible on email so I can always look through my inbox.
As a project manager staying on track meant creating a solid detailed calendar at the start of the project. That initial attention to detail helped me get things done in a thoughtful manner on time. But as my role has shifted to leader of a business those little tricks were no longer able to get me where I wanted. They simply helped me to manage my tasks not stay on track to create something bigger.
Over the past seven years, I’ve slowly created a system of daily, weekly, quarterly, annual and a three and five year planning process. This has evolved a lot and took so much trial and error. It really works for me and has allowed me to accomplish so much more and to see where I’m going, even if my destination changes. In fact last year, I added another college degree to my 5 year plan and have integrated classes successfully and not so successfully into my daily things to do.
In order to create the business I want and to accomplish all the big goals I set out for myself, I really had to make sure that they all fit my lifestyle. That the habits I have and life I want to live are in congruent with what I am doing. Staying organized is really a series of habits that you build into your calendar. Going to the gym and cooking healthy meals at home are also included in my calendars.
My year and days look something like this:
December: Sit down for a few hours over a period of 10 days to think through what worked, what didn’t work, and what I would do differently next year. I spend several days looking over and refining this document because ideas and memories come up in different ways. This ensures I’m not rushing this process and forgetting important things. I go back through my financial statements and my financial monthly round ups I do to review the year in hard numbers. Then I create a short narrative. What are these numbers telling me? I review employee notes and look to see what holidays impacted us positively or negatively. Then I assess. Assess again. And assess again. This helps me get ideas for what I need and want to accomplish in the next year. Review three and five year plans. Make adjustments.
January: Change out calendar on desk. I use a paper calendar at my desk that all employees have access to and where we write schedule changes. We have permanent schedules at the shop, so everyone can plan around their workdays and times. We make adjustments well in advance. In a blank gridded notebook I write January, February, and March at the top of separate pages. I list a few things I already know about those months that need to be accomplished, like taxes, important dates like Mardi gras and vacations. I look back at my year in review document and my three and five year plans. I write out any other tasks or goals I want to accomplish in the first quarter. Tasks that lead me towards my 3 and 5 year goals.
Everyday and Week: Bullet Journal: Last year I started using the bullet journal style of planning. That’s also where I got the quarterly To Do pages. I don’t follow it to a T, but it is the foundation for my planner. You can learn more here.
I create three weeks at a time. I fill in what I already know is going to be on my plate for each week. Then I fill in the days. On the To Do section of each week, I put little o next to an item. Each o represents 25 minutes. I try to guess how many 25 minutes it will take to complete each task. I first began working in 20 minute intervals through my use of the Productivity Planner. You can learn more about Productivity Planner here.
I needed more big picture way of looking at my weeks and months, so I added a second planner style called Passion Planner, to use with my the Productivity Planner. Yes two styles at once! It was really helpful to look at the information in different ways. It really helped me not get overwhelmed by each task and keep my brain sharp throughout the day. You can learn more about the Passion Planner here.
I eventually switched to the Bullet Journal style. I kept the things I liked about the Productivity Planner and the Passion Planner into this other Reneé created style where I drew out my planner Bullet Journal style each week. And I’ve used this blended style of all three to this day.
It was important for me to keep The Pomodoro Technique. That is when you stay on task for 25 minutes (or shorter), rest for 5 minutes and then get back to it. By using this technique within my planning system I have found that I am not brain dead at the end of the day and I get so much more done. I’m not advocating for the stay busy, do it all culture. I sure wouldn’t live in New Orleans if I did! I’m saying I get what I want done in a shorter amount of time because I’m able to be more focused and then I’m off for the day and I feel alive not drained. You can read more about this technique here.
Before I created this style I was simply managing the things I needed to get done. Now I’m following other passions and getting things accomplished I never thought I would have time for but always wanted to do.
Almost two years ago I decided to go back to school. My business was running smoothly enough for me to do other things and I was experiencing some serious burn out. My creativity for the business was pretty much non-existent and my body was exhausted. My brain was craving something new. I wanted new problems to solve. I decided to take classes at the local community college a few blocks away. I thought a degree in Dietetics would benefit me personally as well as my business. I am extremely interested in nutrition, anatomy, and physiology after having suffered from all kinds of health setbacks, I thought why not! The first semester I took 1 class and took on 2 contracts to help other businesses creating their own coffeeshops. Staying on task and on schedule was crucial and really difficult. It was during this time that I streamlined my planning system into what I still use.
Sunday & Mondays: I take 15 minutes or so to look at the next two weeks and build out those pages. I also review the month in the quarterly section and make sure I’m staying on task for the month. I add or eliminate tasks that may have changed. As a visual person it really helps me to draw and write out my calendar in advance and I can make sure I’m moving forward with the goals I want to achieve.
For me the trick was trying a ton of different things until I found a system that worked for me. I focused on what I already know about myself. I need something visual, the brain works best in short bursts of concentration, and I like to plan my vacations way ahead of time so I always know when I’m going to go on some kind of grand adventure. This type of planning allows me the lifestyle that I want and that’s the whole point of owning your own business anyway.
Reneé is available consultations on this topic or other topics related to your business for up to 5 hour sessions. Email churchalleycoffeebar (at) gmail.com
