Strategic Planning for Q4 – Where Exactly Are You Going?

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | September 8, 2021 |

Do you ever feel like you spend so much time dog paddling, doing your best to keep your head (or at the very least your eyes and nose) above water, focusing on that to do list every single day (hoping to knock out at least a few items)…that you never pause to lift your head and neck up out of the water and ask yourself,

“Where exactly am I going?”

Right now is a perfect time to do this! We’ll be ending Q3 in just a few weeks. This means Q4 – the home stretch of 2021 – is just around the corner.

Where exactly are you going?

If you want to dive into this strategic planning for Q4 a bit more, here are a few specific questions to ask yourself:

What is one thing I got done (no matter how big or small) yesterday?

What is one success/accomplishment/win I had last week?

What is one success/accomplishment/win I had last month?

What is one success/accomplishment/win I had in the past quarter?

Celebrate your accomplishments! Then continue with your strategic planning:

What is one goal or objective I would like to accomplish by the end of this quarter?

What steps will I need to take to accomplish this goal?

What information, resources, materials or support will I need to complete each step?

When will I complete each step?

What is the first step I’ll take today? (Wait, you already accomplished this! You’ve answered these questions!)

What is the next step I’ll take tomorrow?

Did you just skim through these questions because you read the phrase “strategic planning for Q4” and immediately tensed up? Don’t let that phrase scare you!

If you don’t like the phrase strategic planning, call it something else:

Roadmap to more happiness

Path to even more success

Goal measurement

Project management

Actions to take

When you pause to ask yourself where you’re going and how to get there, you’ll find that you live more intentionally and productively.

For the complete guide to improving your time management – including strategic planning – be sure to get The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.

time management tactics for working smarter

About Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO®

As The Inefficiency Assassin™, Time Management Fixer Helene Segura empowers professionals on the go with the tools to slay lost time. Personal inefficiency at work leads to increased stress levels, lower morale, higher absenteeism, more turnover – and rising spending on employee health care and hiring. Why not improve productivity, decrease stress levels, and increase profits instead?The author of four books – two of which were Amazon best-sellers – Helene Segura has been the featured organization expert in more than 200 media interviews. She has coached hundreds of clients to productivity success and performance improvement by applying neuroscience and behavioral modification techniques to wipe out destructive, time-wasting habits.Helene turns time management on its head by sharing both client case studies and pop culture examples to teach her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue.

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