Do you know that December 31, 2015 is just 10 short weeks away?  As Halloween approaches, many people turn their thoughts towards holiday shopping and a rigorous search for winter gear. (Especially after the record snowfall we had in Boston last year!) There is so much to do during the holiday season– it is easy to lose focus on business goals.

I encourage clients to engage in an annual business reflection around this time of year… time to review the last 10 months. I think most of us want to complete the year on a strong note and are checking off some of those proverbial “boxes” along the way. But what if you haven’t been so diligent about checking your progress during the year? Where do you begin so that you aren’t overwhelmed, or worse… disappointed?  Here are a few suggestions for making the most of these last ten Mondays:

• Review your marketing plan. Establish what you have accomplished and what is left on your plan.  Trust me on this one, but no one has accomplished their entire marketing plan!  There is always more to be done, but take a moment to recognize what you have done.
• Now that you know what you have and have not accomplished, prioritize your goals for the last ten weeks. Don’t try to take on too much in this timeframe, but rather select one or two priorities and create an actionable plan for working towards those goals.
• Book ten, thirty minute time slots in your calendar, one each week. Spend those precious minutes forwarding your marketing and business development plans. Do not reschedule these ‘meetings’ with yourself.  Make them a priority!
• Review your contacts list; make sure it is up to date and get it ready to use.
• Reach out to one or two of your contacts each week. Email or call specific individuals to see how they are doing, ask about their year and offer helpful information.
• Decide how you will reach out to your contacts this holiday season. Do you have an annual holiday message?  Start writing it now. Make a date on your calendar for sending out your communication.
• Revise your current marketing plan and position yourself to get started right in 2016. Embrace your previous success and expand upon it for 2016.

If you haven’t made the impact you hoped to achieve last year, it isn’t too late. Choose to make the most of these last few months of this year. Ten weeks is plenty of time to set yourself in motion if you are consistent and committed.  Happy Fall!