How to Decide What You Want For The Fall
Fall may be the best time to launch, finish, promote and research new ideas. But what if you aren't sure where to focus? Read on for questions that can help you decide what's next.
It’s August.
It was bound to happen, I know that. The river of time only goes in one direction, after all.
August is when teachers of all stripes— including university professors, like me— have to stop pretending the school year will never come and start organizing syllabi, reviewing old assignments, and checking that all the details have been ironed out at the University level.
It marks the beginning of the end of my sabbatical, and I’m having all the feelings.
“Just because you love sabbatical, doesn’t mean that sabbatical will last forever, Amanda,” I said to myself on July 31st, as I was doing my morning pages. “Nothing lasts forever, that’s why you need to savor it.”
Just to be clear, resignation isn’t my only feeling.
For the past month, I have had to sit on my hands to stop taking on new projects. I have actively NOT started new writing projects and I absolutely DID NOT launch any new products or services for my business.
Instead, I have reminded myself of the unique opportunity these last days of sabbatical provide to focus on wrapping up existing projects. I’ve created an expanded version of the Great Work Journal that is more explicitly aligned to Great Work, the book (that took long enough, amirite?), and I am finally (finally!) recording the audiobook.
(You’ll hear more about those two projects since they both launch this fall!)
And now, with the decks cleared, and the gates opening to a new era, I’m excited to return to the river of Great Work. I’m happy with how I spent my sabbatical, and now I’m ready for what’s next.
August is for Scheming and Dreaming
My friend, Julie Ellis, said to me the other day: “August is for thinking, and September is for doing.”
And she’s right.
I like more dramatic language, so I have translated her wisdom into “August is Dreaming and Scheming”
For people like myself and my clients (the infamous Accidental Entrepreneurs who were only trying to help and woke up one day in a business), we need to think hard about when to offer new products, services, and events.
I’m just here to tell you, that trying to launch something in August is a losing battle. DO NOT DO IT. People are distracted by squeezing in vacations and preparing to get their kids back to school; they are not thinking about overcoming their imposter syndrome, fixing their finances, or sitting down to finally finish their website. So my advice is not to try to convince them to invest right now, but instead prepare to offer them what they need when their brain is back on board.
And do not worry, people ricochet hard from this time of rest and relaxation! Our culture is so overly fixated on accomplishment that the respite of August seems to pull on people like a rubber band, and September comes in STRONG. They’ve been sitting on their hands, and come September 12th, they want to GO.
If you offer expert services designed to help people and you aren’t ready to lay down track as soon as Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, you will miss one of the very best launch periods of the year.
Whatcha Scheming?
If you haven’t made a plan for the fall yet, don’t worry! That’s what August is for! And I’m here with some questions you can ask yourself as you sit poolside and ponder your plans!
First of all, let me just remind you that I recommend ONE stretch goal at a time. That is, pick one big push for fall, and then surround that stretch goal with a support goal that makes it easier and a sanity goal that keeps you resourced and resilient. This is the 3S Goal Structure I designed for the Great Work Method, and it keeps things reasonable, even when it’s “Go time.”
(Want more on the 3S Goal structure? Read Chapter 4 of Great Work!)
“But what should that stretch goal be?” you ask.
Here are some questions that can guide you in picking an aligned stretch goal:
Given that we have about 90 days of effort at our disposal until the holidays swoop in and redirect attention (September 12th through November 18th, ish):
What do my people need? This is probably the best question to ask if you provide services for a living, as it will reveal the best possible products and services for you to launch. Is there a problem or an opportunity that people in your audience/pool of potential clients experience in the fall (or always)? How can you help them with it?
What gets me excited? This one should go hand in hand with number one. You should meet your people’s needs…. but you need to do so by developing projects that excite you! Think about things that make your face light up, get your mind racing, or make you stop and exclaim in wonder: “Me? Really?!” Remember: your potential is limitless, but your time is limited. It matters that you are excited about your stretch goals.
What could I finish? Is there something hanging over your head like a half-done website, an 80% draft of a book, or a fully outlined course that just needs to be recorded? If there is, this is a great stretch project. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, more satisfying than a project that has been eating away at your equanimity for half a year finally getting crossed off your list.
What can I come to understand? Have you had a great idea but haven’t yet figured out how to approach it? Very often, the first mini-goal you need to set is to commit to conversations, research, or completing a course that gets you informed enough to start. This may not be your entire 90-day stretch goal, but it puts you on a path to understanding the landscape well enough to take those first few steps.
These four questions will reveal a number of potential projects. As you dream and scheme, pay attention to what keeps popping up. Something with a lot of energy that continues to draw your attention is a great place to put down your anchor. Once you have your stretch goal, your support goal and sanity goal will follow with more ease, and then when September get’s here, you will be ready!
I would love to hear what you have in mind for the fall! If you want to scheme WITH ME, let’s do it! I have one coaching spot that is open for the fall, and if you’ve been wondering whether a little bit of help, and a whole lot of accountability and cheerleading might be just the thing you need, reach out! I’d love to hear more about your Great Work.