A Notebook!

Thank you to Irene from AdminArmy.co.nz for my current Business Planning Notebook.

I hate wasting time. So as not to have you waist any, I figured the number 1 tool should be the 1st thing I wrote.

A notebook dedicated to your business ideas, development and implementation is the number one planning tool. Hands down.

Best foot forward

You can supercharge it by selecting a notebook you’ll love to carry around with you, cosy up with on the sofa and be your faithful ideas watchdog for those random nighttime golden nuggets.

TopTip

If you’re a visual, mind map note taker, consider one without lines.

You have to want to use it.

Nothing boring, you need your notebook to be easily identifiable to you & special. After all quality business ideas for your quality business deserve a quality notebook.

Pair with some lovely ergonomic pens and you have your winning planning team.

Strict rules…

1. You’re only allowed to write for your business in here, no emergency shopping lists!
2. You want one where you don’t want to remove pages, for reasons above about shopping lists and because this notebook is yours, there are no grammar or spelling police and your ideas deserve exploring without judgement, even yours.
3. You must make yourself look back through your notes and implement them! The true value of your business planning notebook will be the results of your business growth and development.

The 2nd best tool is

….drum roll…

Phone message squares or post-its!

This is my go-to resources for Brain-dumping (How to Brain-dump video coming soon to The Business Owners Hub group).

The basic premise is;

• Write everything on your mind down, business-related or not (focus is hard when your mind is elsewhere).
• Decide what is serving you, bin (recycle, re-use) whats not.
• Put them in a priority action plan order.
• You now have a plan you can implement.

If I am being really organised, tool 3 – envelops.

Great for storing Brain-dumps.

Adding the date to the envelope helps you look back. Plus when I do this exercise with clients on retreats, I can log the Who, allowing me to type up effective tailored notes for them to use after the Retreat Weekend. Want to keep that drive and excitement from the Retreat going as long as possible.

“Hey AJ with all the tech available now, why the pen and paper focus?”

• There is something very visceral about writing over typing that helps you remember what you’ve written & what you intend to do.
• You’re not limited by a programmes layout… I don’t know about you, but my note-taking ends up with arrows, footer notes, margin notes, above the title notes. You get the idea.
• Doodles and doodling. No need to say more.
• Time-saving – No need to wait for apps to load… You can capture an idea as soon as you have it (especially if you keep pens to hand as well).
• No autocorrect editing as you go. The possibly of distracting you from the vital task of capturing your genius is not worth the risk.
• No battery to run out or update to wait for.
• Get in a rut, throwing a notebook doesn’t break it or cost quite as much as an anger targetted Mac.

Tool 4 …..Testing, testing 1, 2, 3

Get yourself a soundboard. This can be a small group of people you trust to ask questions and give you helpful answers. Or from a dedicated support person (or a few for advice on different areas) for you on your business journey. Or a combination.

To sum up

With just these 4 “Old Skool” tools you can nail your business planning and development.

Now, what are your favourite business planning tools? Please comment.

Looking for a soundboard? Book a 1:1 session with me at ajpipe@aj-pipe.com put Tool Blog in the subject line for $50 off your 1:1.