Business Planning

The Power of the 90-Day Plan for Freelancers: How it can Work Wonders for Your Venture

  • What is a 90-Day Action Plan?
  • What are the Benefits of a 90-Day Action Plan?
  • How to Create a 90-Day Plan as a Freelancer?

Imagine you’re going to climb Mount Everest. And Mount Everest is 8,848 metres high, right? Will you make it to the top in a couple of days? Never.

You need to plan how much height you can cover in a day. Let’s say you can climb 12 metres a day. Climbing 12.1 metres is easy for the average person. Unfortunately, this means it will take you two years to climb Everest: perhaps a bit too long. You revise your calculation so that you’re looking at a couple of months instead of years and guess what. You’re able to make it to the top because you divided the ultimate goal into more manageable targets.

Your business can feel like Mount Everest more often than not. You need to treat it the same way: break down your annual goals into more workable, and more actionable, time blocks.

This is where a 90-day plan comes in.

It is all about breaking down your goals into smaller tasks that you can measure and monitor easily, such as daily or weekly tasks.

This type of plan lets you focus on achievable goals in a short period of time, unlike annual goals which can sometimes feel inaccessible early on.

In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of a 90-day plan and how can create one for your freelance business. Let’s get started with this quick definition of a 90-day plan.


What is a 90-Day Action Plan?

A 90-day plan is a strategy designed to help you break down your annual goals into achievable tasks and measurable objectives that can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.

This type of planning allows you to break down an overwhelming goal into smaller, more manageable pieces so that you can create a timeline for completing each objective.

It’s a popular goal-setting method for businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals alike. A 90-day plan can help you stay focused on achieving your goals by ensuring that you keep track of your progress and make adjustments as needed.

When creating a 90-day plan, it’s important to remember that the key to success is to make sure your goals are realistic and actionable.


What are the Benefits of a 90-Day Action Plan?

Giving You Enough Time

A 90-day plan offers a great solution by allowing you to break down long-term targets into achievable chunks. Having the goals spread out over three months makes them more manageable, motivating, and measurable.

So instead of getting overwhelmed with a yearly income goal that feels too far away, you can focus on modest progress each day or week and re-evaluate your progress every 3 months. This way, you stay motivated and work towards your goals.

Setting Clear Expectations

Freelancing can be a tough job, with lots of different tasks to juggle.

To help you stay organised and execute your goals, it’s useful to have a plan.

With a 90-day plan, you’ll be able to clearly articulate what you want to accomplish in that period of time. You’ll see each step needed to reach those expectations in manageable chunks, making it easier to break down the big tasks into smaller ones.

Having a plan will also ensure that the time management aspect of freelancing is taken seriously and that your clients get the quality work they expect. Plus, it’s a great way to make sure progress is being made while still offering enough flexibility when unexpected changes come up!

Letting You Get Creative With Your Plan

A 90-day plan gives you the perfect opportunity to experiment and understand what works for your business. It is a manageable length of time, so it’s easy to adapt if you need to make changes quickly. Plus, with measurable goals that are broken down into achievable chunks, tracking progress and making adjustments becomes much simpler.

Celebrating the Positives Every 3 Months

Finally, having a 90-day plan gives you something to look forward to every quarter.

Every three months you can take time to reflect on the progress you have made, celebrate your wins and identify areas for improvement. Doing this will give you the motivation to keep going and help ensure that you are always aiming for more ambitious goals.

 


How to Create a 90-Day Plan as a Freelancer?

Consider Each Aspect of Your Solo Business

A good 90-day plan should include a careful examination of all key business areas so that changes can be prioritised and implemented to create the desired effect. Each element of the freelancer’s business should be considered, from marketing and client relations to financial management and operational efficiency.

The plan should also take greater ambitions into account, mapping out activities that are going to move the freelancer closer to their long-term goals.

All this requires clear objectives and action points, plus regular review and course corrections.

With dedication and focus on the details, a freelancer should see measurable results in just 90 days.

Don’t Put Too Much In

When creating your 90-day plan, it’s important to be realistic and not put too much on your plate. Focussing on too much can be stressful and lead to burnout or giving up altogether. The best way to make sure you stay on track is to break down your goals into manageable chunks that are realistic and achievable.

Start with one or two key objectives, then break them down into smaller tasks that can be done within a shorter time frame. This will help you focus on what’s important and prioritise your tasks.

Breaking Down Your Goals into Manageable Chunks

The key to a successful 90-day plan is breaking down your goals into smaller, more achievable chunks. This will make it easier to keep track of your progress and adjust your plan if necessary.

It will also help you stay motivated and on track, as you’ll be able to see how close you are to achieving each smaller goal.

For example, if your goal is to increase sales by 10% in 90 days, break it down into 10%, 5%, 2.5%, and 1.25% increments so that you can track your progress and adjust accordingly.

Having a Timeline for Your Goals

Creating a timeline for your goals is a crucial part of the 90-day plan. Setting dates and times for when you want to complete each task gives you something tangible to strive for and helps you focus on the short-term goal instead of getting overwhelmed by the big picture.

It also allows you to see exactly where you stand in relation to the timeline, so you know when you need to be working towards certain milestones and can adjust your plan accordingly.

Having Accountability with Your 90-Day Plan

Staying accountable is key to success with a 90-day plan. It is easy to lose motivation and focus if you are not held accountable for the goals that you set.

To ensure that you are meeting your deadlines and achieving your goals, it is important to have an accountability partner or group who can help motivate and push you to reach your goals.

This can be a colleague, a family member, or even an online group of peers with similar goals.

Checking In On Your Progress

Making sure you are on track with your 90-day plan is essential to its success. It helps you track your progress and make required changes as well.

Take the time to celebrate when you reach milestones and make sure to take note of what is working and what isn’t. Adjusting your plan as needed will help keep you motivated to reach your goals.

Making Adjustments to Your Plan

Once you’ve begun working towards your 90-day goals, it’s important to be able to make adjustments and revisions as needed. After all, sometimes the tasks we plan out may take longer than expected or something else may come up that affects our timeline.

It’s vital that you remain flexible with your plan and be willing to adapt when necessary.

Don’t be afraid to move goals around or adjust the timing of certain tasks to ensure that you’re still working towards the same outcome. Additionally, if you find that a goal is no longer relevant or applicable, don’t be afraid to let it go.

A 90-day plan is an effective way to set and accomplish goals in a short period of time. By breaking down your big annual goals into smaller, more achievable tasks, and having accountability in place, you can ensure that you are working towards success in the long term.

(Click HERE to Get Your Free 90-Day Plan Template Now!)

 


The Bottom Line

With a 90-day plan in place, you as a freelancer can break down your goals into smaller yet manageable tasks that can be easy to measure and monitor.

It offers enough flexibility to adjust when unexpected changes arise, while still giving you the structure and focus needed to achieve long-term goals. Achieving the goals is important for your business as a freelancer, just like your bigger and established counterparts. Best of luck!

 

 

The Virtual COO was founded to help small businesses access expertise to deal with operational problems and more, without having to hire or pay for a full-time Chief Operations Officer.

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