Week 3: Goal Setting Part Deux: Your Artful Implementation Plan

Last week’s post seemed to be really well received (thanks for all the kind comments), so I thought I’d follow up with a part 2 focused on the implementation of your goals.

A Quick Summary of Week 3

Alongside wrapping up my own goal planning work, there was a big focus on optimising occupancy across our existing SA portfolio.

As many of you know, January is never the kindest month in the SA industry, so all the more reason to dig deep.

We took a three-pronged approach:

• Optimising our presence on OTA’s, from tweaking pricing to adding new listings through our Kigo channel manager
• Going back through past guests and companies that could potentially book again and making contact
• Exploring brand new avenues in our areas, identifying sources that may attract people locally that we hadn’t yet spoken to

Whilst we know some of these avenues will be slower-burn opportunities, I feel like we had a pretty successful week, securing a few longer stays, some extensions, and several short stays.

The other curveball this time of year when managing multiple properties is potential boiler issues.

We’ve had our fair share of boiler challenges, but each member of the team has learned (or is learning) how to repressurise boilers and restart them. Most importantly, however, is having a reliable engineer who can respond when needed.

We’ve also learned it’s worth investing in backup electric heaters to have ready, just in case.

Turning Goals Into Action

In the last post, I wrote about how to set psychologically optimised goals that are congruent — where your conscious and unconscious mind are aligned in relation to the goals you set.

People often get excited about setting big goals, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty of actually doing the work, this is where many let themselves down.

They tell themselves they’ll come back to it later.

Don’t be that person.

Instead, you need to take your Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) and translate it into a project plan.

This part of the process is uncomfortable, which is exactly why so many people skip it.

But having a plan keeps you aligned, focused, and clear on what needs to happen next.

BHAGs don’t manifest on their own. They require intentional work to define, map out, and execute.

When you invest in this process, you gain:

• Greater clarity through structured planning
• The ability to connect your ambitious long-term goal to daily action
• Freedom from sitting at your desk wondering what to work on
• Reduced overwhelm through clear next steps
• A strong foundation for the year ahead

The Goal Implementation Process

Here’s a quick summary of the process I’ve been taught and use each year.

Step 1: List Your Potential Projects

Taking everything into account, list 5–20 projects that would have an immediate impact on your business.

Think through all the strategies and tactics that could create a positive net result.

If a project has a cost, such as marketing or advertising spend, consider whether the likely outcome justifies the investment.

Step 2: Narrow It Down

Eliminate all but three projects.

Ask yourself:

• Can each project realistically be completed within 12 weeks?
• Can you complete them with your current resources — time, people, and money?

Step 3: Build Your Implementation Plan

For each project, answer these four key questions:

1. What specifically needs to happen?

What needs to happen to:

• Get started?
• Continue?
• Finish?

2. How will you measure progress?

Examples might include:

• Number of viewings or offers per week
• Booking revenue
• Occupancy rates by month

Think about what can be ritualised and repeated.

3. What deadlines need to happen within 12 weeks?

Think it through carefully and allocate deadlines you can commit to in your diary.

4. How will you build accountability?

Who can you involve to help you follow through?

This could include:

• Mentors
• Family
• Advisors
• Peers

Repeat this process for Projects 2 and 3.

Step 4: Create Your 12-Week Project Plan

The final stage is creating your 12-week project plan.

Create a grid covering 84–91 days, then populate it with:

• Key dates
• Specific actions
• Milestones
• Deadlines

Schedule everything using the tools that work best for you:

• Your phone
• Outlook Calendar
• A wall planner
• Any system you consistently use

Allocate sufficient time and protect it in your diary.

Final Thought

As a closing note, make sure you define your very first step towards your big goal — and make it achievable.

One of the fundamental requirements for change is taking action.

That becomes much easier when you know exactly what your first step is.

Have a great start to next week.

‍