The end of the year is right around the corner. Are you ready?
While you might be itching to take some time off over the holidays, December can also be a busy time for work. Freelance clients often order more to use up the current year's budget. You're probably at the end of the fiscal year for your writing or publishing business. And it's time to think about the New Year and what changes you need to make to stay on track for your long-term goals.
It's never too late to work to improve your writing business. And here are three things you can do this month to make the most of the time you have left in the year.
1.Reevaluate your business and marketing plans.
Go over your business plan and marketing plan. What worked? What didn't? Are there new marketing tactics that would better serve your overall strategy? Do you need to adjust your marketing, publishing, or other budgets? Do you need to re-think your target market?
Ask yourself questions like these as you review your plans, and make any adjustments you feel are necessary.
2. Come up with yearly goals.
Don't wait for the New Year to come along to set new goals. These should fit within your larger business and marketing plans, but they should be things you can realistically tackle over the course of a year. For example, you might set a target launch date for your next book. Or you might set new yearly income goals for your freelance writing services. Or you might set traffic goals for your blog for the year.
3. Get organized.
Hit the ground running in January by getting your writing business organized ahead of time. Re-organize your office or other work space. Clean up your computer files. Make improvements to your bookkeeping system. Organize your client files and contact information to help you target past clients with pitches easier in the New Year. Consider new software purchases that might help you organize and streamline your work. Come up with an editorial calendar for your blog.
This way when you get back to work after the holidays, you can jump right in and push forward towards your new goals.
These are some of the things I'll be doing this December before taking my yearly vacation time. What about you? How are you taking care of business this month to get yourself ready for the New Year?
Great advice! I love getting everything organized and ready for the new year even gets here.
Same here. 🙂 I’d be lost in January if I didn’t have a fresh plan in place and ready to go.
Jennifer,
Great post. Organization is something I should do before the holiday hits. I tend to use paper to take my notes during the day and now they are piling up on my desk!
As for re-evaluating your marketing plan, that’s something I’m doing at the moment and making adjustments for the new year.
Thanks for the tips.
Elna
Innovative Ink
I’m with you about hand-taking notes, though most of mine are on index cards. I just eliminated half of the pile on my desk today. And somehow it still feels like a small mountain. 🙂
Best wishes on the new marketing plan. I know they can be a lot of work, but they are so worth it! 🙂
Right! Time for those goals to get re-evaluated. Get it taken care of first before getting drunk.
Probably a wise decision. 😉
I keep pads of sticky notes in the places I frequent most in my house so that when I come up with a new goal, I can jot it down and then slap it on the bottom edge of my computer. That way I don’t lose track. 🙂
Sounds like a good strategy. 🙂
Hi Jennifer,
Big fan of trimming the fat here. I’m doing less of what I’ve outgrown and more of what vibes with me. Feels fun! Both freelance wise and life wise. Letting go too much time spent on social is the way to go for me, as it helps me streamline both my blog and business with greater ease.
Few enjoy releasing non productive acts at first, but in time, you see what you need to let go to make your business go 😉
Thanks Jennifer!
Ryan
It’s great that you know where you have room for optimization. 🙂