Most businesses start out with a dream and an inspiration, but that is often where it ends. Even the most innovative businesses can wind up closing their doors because a good plan of action and a focused timeline were not in place from the very beginning.

There are many benefits to creating an action plan and a good solid business timeline. When you have a plan in place, are following it regularly and continue to focus on the deadlines that you created for your business, things will run much more smoothly for you and most importantly, your customers.

Top Tips for Creating a Powerful Action Plan:

#1. Streamline your path – If you have a dream and a vision – excellent. Now, you must figure out where you want your business to go. It is important to focus on a streamlined path when you first start your business. Otherwise, you are likely to find that you are “all over the place.” Try to be specific in where you expect your business to go.

#2. Put it in writing – In the early stages of creating your business, it is important to write down your action plan. Without this piece of the puzzle, it can get messy quite quickly. Having an action plan in your head or verbalizing it with other team members is not nearly as efficient as putting it down in writing or entering it into your calendar on your phone (If you need some inspiration for staying motivated and productive check out this post: 7 Productivity Hacks for Creative Businesses)

#3. Measure your goals consistently – Make sure that you review your goals often. By measuring goals, you will be able to gain an understanding of where you are right now and whether you need to make some adjustments to your timeline. Don’t let any missed deadlines stress you out, just rearrange your timeline to suit you and keep moving forward.

#4. Break down bigger goals into more manageable tasks – When you create your action plan, make certain to break down bigger projects into more manageable ones. This way, you will be able to get the whole job done without it feeling overwhelming.

#5. Delegate – Do not be afraid to delegate some of the tasks that you don’t feel are your area of expertise. If you try to do EVERYTHING all on your own, chances are all those tasks you are juggling will make you feel stressed out. Do what you love to do and delegate the rest. Trust me! You will be glad that you outsourced.

Top Tips to Create a Business Schedule:

#1. Create a timeline for every task – You may think it is not necessary to create deadlines but doing so is super important if you want to succeed. Creating a timeline of tasks will help you to manage your time a lot better as well as help you manage your business more effectively.

#2. Keep it real – You need to make sure that you attach manageable dates to your tasks. If you create a timeline goal too soon, then you might be setting yourself up for failure. By being realistic, you are going to set yourself up for success.

#3. Differentiate your tasks – Make certain that differentiate your short-term tasks from your long-term tasks. For example, a short-term task would be to hire someone to build your website and a long-term task would be to improve your social media status. Think about things more logically, group tasks together and don’t force yourself to take on too much so the sake of getting it done faster.

#4 Stick to your schedule – You have to have integrity. You need to stick with your timeline as best that you can. Get an accountability buddy if you need to or ask us to keep you on track.

#5. Stay Focused – It is very easy to let a task go because other “stuff” gets in the way. Stay focused and stick to the schedule where you can. Check your progress as you go along the way. If you struggle with holding yourself accountable check out this post: Staying Motivated & Focused on your Goals.

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