Red Frog, Inc.

by Charlon Bobo, Red Frog, Inc. © 2006

It seems inevitable. With every new year comes the innate desire to shake things up; to develop an innovative plan, to set in motion fresh ideas, to set out in an inspired new direction, to breathe fresh air into the focus and spirit of your business.

However, the foundation must be set first. And January it seems is the perfect month to do just that. The rush of the holiday is over and although it seems there is never enough time, it is important to take the time now to lay a solid foundation for the New Year.

One tool of highly efficient and successful business owners is to map out in January one or many facets of business for the full year - month by month. The 'Calendar Concept' is a detailed yearly plan broken down into daily tasks that allows you to maximize your efforts and always be 2-4 weeks ahead of your delivery/deadline dates.

Why the entire year?

Wise entrepreneurs know that an investment of time now saves indefinite amounts of time, money, and effort later!

This is how the Calendar Concept works:

In the case of a newsletter, if the focus of your April edition is 'direct marketing,' one of the huge benefits of having a plan is that as you discover materials in the regular course of business, you can handwrite a note, print the piece or clip the article and place it in your 'April Newsletter' file. (In addition to a calendar you will have created a set of 12 manila folders each labeled with the name of a month; January-December.) This saves a great deal of time when you actually need content.

Using the monthly email newsletter as an example, in January you invest the time required to develop your yearly calendar. Your March calendar might look like this:

March 2006
Prep Dates for April Newsletter (Theme = Direct Marketing)

1st - Compile content for main article-"What is Direct Marketing..."- 60 minutes
3rd - Search for graphics appropriate for theme - 30 minutes
7th - Write note from editor-"The Magic of Direct Marketing" - 30 minutes
9th - Find helpful tip/hint for applying direct marketing principles - 30 minutes
13th - Locate one direct marketing technique used by a "master" in the industry - 30 minutes
15th - Detailed email to designer with all specs - 15 minutes
17th - Layout finished
20th - Proofread newsletter - 30 minutes
21st - Final changes
22nd - Newsletter ready for distribution on April 1

Notice the very relaxed schedule? The pace of preparation has been methodical, deliberate and leisurely and the resulting newsletter will be superior to any rushed piece that may have been compiled.

All of these tasks could have been completed over a few days if you desired. The point is that whatever the schedule you have set, the newsletter is ready and waiting to be sent BEFORE the deadline date (a full nine days in the example above!).

And after the April newsletter is ready and waiting, now is the perfect time to begin working on the newsletter for May! Pull out your April calendar now to jump on the first task.

In sharp contrast to the Calendar Concept, the following describes the process without pre-planning:

The day before the newsletter is scheduled to be distributed, the entire day (or more) is spent accumulating content, interacting with your graphic designer (incurring rush fees for him/her to set aside other projects), hastily proofreading the finished newsletter (maybe missing a few things), making any necessary changes and finally, sending it.

If this happens every month for one year, can you see the implications of the last-minute approach? It costs you time, money, and effort (or energy) and quite possibly, diminished quality of the finished product. Last-minute preparation drains your energy and creative resources and leaves you always in a reactive mode instead of a responsive mode.

The Calendar Concept allows you to always be working weeks in advance of due dates. It puts you ahead of the game! And it is simple:

1. Decide which business activities would be most enhanced by having a detailed month-by-month schedule.

Examples are manufacturing, production, promotions, advertising, campaigns, shows and newsletters.
Any activity that occurs on a regular basis should have a yearly plan mapped out. It's fine to start with one activity, however, just to get the feel of the highly effective Calendar Concept.
If you want to create a calendar for more than one activity, begin and complete them one at a time so the task does not become overwhelming.

2. Choose the best type of calendar for you. For example, you may choose a computerized version or a desktop version or both for maximum efficiency. Another option may be a desk calendar that shows a full month on one page. The type of calendar you use doesn't matter; the exercise does!

3. Make time. Set aside a block of time or an hour a day for at least a week, but take as long as you require formulating a specific plan.

4. Map out details. Using your calendar, make notes for specific tasks as well as a time estimate to complete each. Don't edit at this time. Just get your ideas onto the calendar.

5. Take a break. Finish your yearly calendar and leave it for a few days.

6. Make final changes. After a few days have passed, edit and finalize your calendar. You may come back in the future to make minor changes, but even if you don't, you have a rough draft of your entire year!

7. Begin prioritizing your days by following your calendar(s)! At first you may be challenged by balancing your 'old' way and the 'new' way (Calendar Concept), but it doesn't last for long. You will soon enjoy having a visual guide to what needs to be accomplished each day.

Preparing your yearly calendar is helpful in many ways, but mostly it forces you to think about what needs to be done daily, weekly, and monthly to accomplish your monthly and yearly goals.

Embrace the Calendar Concept for 2006 and see if it doesn't result in the most efficient year yet!

Charlon Bobo is the Virtual Assistant to Red Frog, Inc., the Portland, Oregon ad agency that provides worry-free experiences and powerful results in the areas of Marketing, Print design, Web/CD-ROM development, and Video production.

Learn more at www.RedFrogInc.com or by calling 888-955-0550.

© 2006 Red Frog, Inc. You have permission to distribute this article as long as all of the text contained herein remains intact.