We’re almost there…

In just a few days time it will be 2020.

And for those of us old enough to remember it’s quite a shock to realise we have hurtled past the date Blade Runner was set (November 2019)…

I can remember thinking how far away that seemed!!

The turn of the decade is a huge psychological opportunity for us all.

Try and think of this new decade as a clean slate.

A chance to reset to ‘0’, restart the clock and fix your mind on new goals.

Whatever has happened in the last decade – the good, the mistakes and dead ends, disappointments and setbacks – you now have the opportunity to draw a line under them.

This next decade will be different. It will be better.

If you make a plan.

And this is where so many people go wrong.

Because a ‘plan’ isn’t a vague wish you have on New Year’s Eve or an idea you’ve talked to a friend about.

A plan needs to establish a clear path towards your ultimate goal, with steps and deadlines all written down in advance.

This is something I have learned the hard way…

The power of a written plan

Back in our early days, my husband Nick and I used to write down proper goals once every year.

At the time they seemed like pipe dreams. We were scrabbling for our first mortgage, working all hours and on set salaries.

We had no customer list, no capital and no idea!

But we did have big dreams.

A house in central London, a beautiful car, sending our kids (that we didn’t have yet) to private schools. Enjoying holidays to places we could only imagine visiting.

And having our own business to give us the lifestyle and revenue to achieve those dreams.

So we wrote them down.

We put deadlines on them.

We even put pictures next to them.

And it seemed like a funny and audacious plan.

But it happened.

We achieved them all.

Yes, there were bumps along the way. Babies don’t come to order, there were challenges and backsteps all the way through.

But we got there.

And then something strange happened.

We got lazy….

We stopped making our annual list of goals.

We just trod water.

Because of this, we simply didn’t achieve as much.

Without there being a clear target, there was nothing specific to aim for… nothing to hit… so we kind of drifted.

It took a while to notice but when we did we took proper action and got back on track.

Setting audacious goals for our income and business. And personal goals too.

We saw substantial increases in our company turnover year on year, instigated a four-day working week and moved our business into new areas that we both enjoy working on.

In short – planning works.

This is why it’s essential that you plan properly.

Without a written plan you may as well head across the Brecon Beacons in a thick fog with no map.

Since those early days, I’ve studied planning in depth. I’ve tested methods from all the big names (Michael Hyatt, Todd Herman et al!). Some great, some not so good.

I’ll share with you what I’ve found works for me in the hope it will help you.

Of course, we are all different and you will want to adapt what I show you so it works for you!

So over the next two blog posts I’m going to give you a crash course in planning, based on the techniques we use to plan not only our business but our lives – and this is important because the two are completely intertwined.

I’ve also created a (free) workbook for you to help you plan – I’ll tell you how to get hold of that in just a second but before that…

There are two stages to the process:

• BAG (Big audacious goals) – these are the ideal outcomes you would like to achieve.
• SAG (Small achievable goals) – these are the specific steps that need to be carried out in order to hit that big goal.

You can’t have one of these in place without doing the other.

So let’s start at phase one…

How to Set Big Audacious Goals

The first thing you should do is to book a planning day – around four or five hours in which you have time to yourself, in peace and quiet, to think properly.

A whole day might seem a lot, but think of it this way…

You’re basing a whole decade of your life on this plan, with your future (and that of your family) at stake.

A day seems the least you can offer in preparation, right?

I’d also recommend that if you have a spouse or important person in your life, you should include them in this early stage, even if they don’t intend to help with your moneymaking or life project.

Because this first phase is about what your life is going to looking like in five to ten years’ time.

It’s about what kind of hours you will work.

What kind of home you live in.

Where you will live.

What kind of lifestyle you enjoy.

How much time you will spend on hobbies or with family.

What you do in the next decade will affect other people in your life so get them involved.

This way they will support you because they’ll know what it is you’re striving to achieve.

But (and this is a big but) if you have someone in your life that isn’t interested in it don’t let that stop you…just do it. Once they see it working I suspect they’ll want to join in soon enough.

So the first hour of your planning day should focus on your ideal life.

To do this, take a big piece of paper and put the heading BIG AUDACIOUS GOAL on it.

Now think of audacious goals you’d like to achieve in the next decade.

Don’t worry yet about specific ideas or earnings figures yet.

Just focus on life goals.

Write them down without prejudice.

Ignore the little nagging voices in your head that say ‘no, can’t be done’ and let yourself dream.

Some examples might be…

• I want to live in a beautiful mortgage free home in the city/town/area I love and be able to easily afford to adapt and decorate it to the style of my choice.
• I want to have the means to look after the people I love in the way that I want (and never have to be restricted by lack of cash)
• I want to enjoy three luxury holidays a year.
• I want to be able to eat out every night at my favourite restaurants with my husband (if I want).
• I want a cleaner/housekeeper/team to keep my life running smoothly so I can enjoy doing the things I love.
• I want to live in a five bedroom sea view house on the coast so I can be near my grandchildren.
• I want to give up my job and work for myself a two-day working week so I can spend my free time as I wish.
• I want to buy a second home in Los Angeles, where the family and I will spend Summer.
• I want to write and illustrate that series of children’s books I’ve long dreamed about
• I want to clear all my debts and the university debts of my children.
• I want to build my own home, with a pool, in my favourite piece of countryside.
• I want to send both of my children to private school for their secondary education.
• I want to own and run my own business and have a team that looks after the things I’m not good at.

These are very general examples, so try and make them specific to you.

Once you have written down your big audacious goals, you need to make an equally big decision.

Which are you are going to go for?

Which are the most important (7-10 max)

Now put a deadline on those goals.

It could be ‘by the end of the decade’, giving you the full 10 years to achieve it.

But it could also be a one year, three year or five-year plan.

And change the focus of your wording. Make it real.

So instead of ‘I want’ say ‘I am’

“It’s Dec 2022 and I am enjoying Christmas in my beautiful new home in Rye. The interior designer has filled my brief to perfection and I’m looking forward to a happy and stress free Christmas break with those I love”.

Next, you need to think of how much money you’d need to make in order to achieve this goal.

Don’t just pluck figures from the air – do some research.

For instance, if you want to build your own home, look at how much the land might cost, how much the build might cost, how much contingency money you would need to have in case of emergencies, and how much you would need to cover your living costs while you worked on the project.

If you want to retire ten years yearly you need to think about how much you would need to make as an income to replace the old one, and how much you might need to save up for your retirement fund.

If you want to send your kids to private school, how much would that cost per year?

At this end of this process, what you should end up with is a set of costings for your BAGs.

These are crucial because now you have a target that you can work towards when you create your courses. You’ll know exactly how much you need to make, and by when.

I know this all might feel silly. You will start doubting everything you put down. How can I do this?

But don’t limit yourself. This should be fun – it’s your chance to dream.

Once you have done this, you are ready for phase two of planning, which I’ll come to in my next post.

To help you get started I’ve created a 48 page planning workbook you can download for free at by clicking here (it will download the PDF for you).

Here’s that link again.

Enjoy!