Working with business owners and entrepreneurs is a thrill!  It is a joy to spend time with clients as they discuss their business plans, new ideas and challenges.  We all have different skills and talents and it is interesting to watch how business owners and entrepreneurs develop their skills and talents and compensate for their strengths and areas of weakness.  Many of these clients work tirelessly as they prepare to grow their business and their on skills.

Being prepared is an important key to success.  Preparing for the next big event takes time and thought. There is no greater feeling than knowing you are prepared for the next challenge, event or opportunity.

How do you plan and prepare?  How do you best plan for your next big event?  Where do you do your best thinking?

It is amazing to see the results of taking time to think and plan.  Really taking time to think about a situation or opportunity generally creates great clarity!  Often time when I am driving by myself and the phone is not ringing, this time creates such great opportunity to actually think and plan.

Several years ago, I came across an article that encouraged business owners to take time to plan their business strategy, business goals and personal goals.  The advice was to take several days and to actually get away from others in order to have solitude to think and plan.  I started doing this about 7 years ago.  This is a time I look forward to each year.  This escape or time away to plan and think creates the opportunity to assess what is working and not working in your business and your personal life.

A good friend recently gave me the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown.  My friend told me that this book had changed his life.  His core business leadership group read the book too.  They have changed their business management style how they run their business and make corporate decisions.  I now know several people that have read this book with similar results.

Chapter 5 of Essentialism mentions the idea of taking time to plan and think about your work.  Life is busy but taking time to actually plan and think is essential!  McKeown encourages his readers to think about their work and challenges the reader to look into what really matters about their work.

Why is this important?  Owning and/or running a business is great fun.  It also is requires a great amount of time and energy.  We all know that planning business growth, problem solving and goal setting pays off.  There may not be a lot of people around you that encourage you to get away and take time to plan and think.  However, that may be the best thing you can do for your business and your life.

Take time to think.  Take time to plan.  Enjoy your business and personal growth.