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Business Blasphemy
Sarah Khan, Business Advisor and Leadership Consultant, is calling B.S. on the hustle-focused status quo of business and entrepreneurship, and getting real about what it takes to grow a business or career and NOT become a statistic. In each episode, Sarah helps navigate the rampant B.S. that permeates business strategy, marketing, operations, and mindset that has business owners hustling and pivoting themselves into burnout. She cuts through the noise and gives you guidance on how to view the status quo with a more discerning eye. If you're ready for success without the B.S., buckle up for hard truths, fun rants, terrible puns and (more than) the occasional curse word.
Business Blasphemy
EP95: Why Planning in December is Unhealthy for You and Your Business
In this episode, I’m challenging the productivity status quo by declaring December a no-planning zone. Instead, I’m sharing why it’s the perfect time for reflection, rest, and celebration to set the stage for an intentional and powerful new year. Join me for actionable tips, inspiring insights, and a reminder to reclaim your energy before diving into the next chapter.
Happy holidays to all of you, and I'll see you in 2025!
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Welcome to the Business Blasphemy Podcast, where we question the sacred truths of the online business space and the reverence with which they're held. I'm your host, sarah Khan speaker, strategic consultant and BS busting badass. Join me each week as we challenge the norms, trends and overall bullshit status quo of entrepreneurship to uncover what it really takes to build the business that you want to build in a way that honors you, your life and your vision for what's possible, and maybe piss off a few gurus along the way. So if you're ready to commit business blasphemy, let's do it. Hello, hello blasphemers, welcome back.
Speaker 1:This is the last episode of 2024. And it's because I have decided that I need a clean break. Not a clean break as in cutting things off, but like I need a clean break where I'm not worried about my business or my podcast. I really need to take some intentional rest because I got to be honest with you. The last few months have been absolute chaos and I wanted to talk to you today about something that is probably going to ruffle some productivity feathers. But let's have this conversation because I think it needs to be had and I think a lot of you will probably benefit, I guess, from hearing me say this out loud Because I know you feel the pressure, and the reason I know this is because I have had conversations with some of you around this. I have seen your posts, I have felt your energy and this is that you really need to stop trying to do your planning in December. Yeah, I said it, december is not for planning. I know a lot of people love to plan in December. I know that some of them have been doing it for you and that's great, like if that is something that you have traditionally done, because you have a solid strategy. You know exactly how every year is going to be panning out, and it's not just what I think a lot of people do planning from a, you know, from a place of. I need to get my shit together. December is not that month, and I'm going to tell you why, and I'm going to tell you what you need to be doing instead. Okay, so grab your coffee, kick up your feet and let's get into it.
Speaker 1:The reality is, december is absolute chaos. Let's call it what it is between work deadlines, business goals, family obligations, holiday shopping. If you're in Canada, the postal strike right and trying to maintain some shred of sanity, you're probably spread pretty fucking thin. And yet what happens every single year? You get bombarded with plan your best year ever content, and keep pushing. You still have time to meet those goals content Everybody and their left uncle is selling a planner or a goal setting workshop or a vision board kit or whatever like.
Speaker 1:There is some mad dash race to January 1st. And I have said over and over again there is no magical boundary between December 31st and January 1st, that if you don't get everything done right now, somehow everything you've done this year no longer is valid or has no value. Right? The message that we keep getting is that if you're not planning, you're falling behind. But let me be very, very clear with you Trying to force clarity in the middle of December madness is a waste of your time and energy.
Speaker 1:Trying to plan your next move when your mind is spinning in a dozen different directions that is not strategy, that is desperation. Planning requires focus, clarity, yes, and what a lot of people don't talk about a rested mind. December gives you none of that, whether you celebrate the holidays or not. And it's not because you are somehow lazy or disorganized, it's because your mental bandwidth is maxed out. Think about it. How often have you sat down in December, tried to you know, quote unquote map out the year, only to feel overwhelmed, distracted and more stressed out than inspired. Yeah, probably a lot, right? The reality is that most of us need space to think clearly. Not just physical space, but emotional space, mental space December this holiday season. Mental space December this holiday season is anything but spacious. So why fight the natural rhythm of the month? Instead, let's start embracing December for what it's actually good, for Reflection, closing loops and celebrating how far you've actually come. We do not do this enough, so I want you to shift the focus from planning to reflection. Here's what I want you to do instead.
Speaker 1:December is your chance to hit the pause button, to take stock of the year. Chance to hit the pause button, to take stock of the year, not from a place of judgment or I didn't do enough, but from a place of curiosity. Right, asking yourself questions like what actually worked this year? What didn't work this year? What lessons am I taking into next year? And don't forget to ask yourself what you're most proud of having accomplished. This is where the magic happens, because a lot of the time, first of all, reflection tends to be what did I screw up. What didn't I do, how much did I miss, what goals didn't I hit? That's not what you want. You want to actually reflect in a way that is constructive, that you can build upon, and when you reflect first, you set the stage for a much more intentional and aligned year ahead.
Speaker 1:January is for planning when you're rested, when you're recharged and you're ready to start actually thinking and dreaming big. Because I know personally, when I try to plan in this frenetic energy of December, I'm still stuck in the space of all the things I didn't do, all the mistakes I made, the revenue numbers. I didn't hit the goals that I set in January, I didn't hit them exactly the way I'd planned to. And when you're planning from that space, it is really hard to go into next year with hopefulness, with clarity, with anything even relating momentum to momentum. Right, december should be for acknowledging your wins and clearing the clutter from your mental, physical and emotional spaces.
Speaker 1:I also want you to try to avoid that plan your best year ever bullshit. Because all of those posts and workshops look, I'm not saying they're all bad and I'm not throwing shade. What I am saying is you've got to be really clear on whether or not they're designed for you. Okay, they're actually designed to sell you something. Let's be completely honest. They're not really designed for you to thrive, because they thrive on making you feel like you're behind before the new year has even started. You're not behind. You're exactly where you're supposed to be. But if you spend all of December in a frenzy trying to map out the perfect plan for 2025 or whatever year you're listening to this in, you're going to miss the bigger picture your own needs, your energy, your priorities. So instead, I invite you to step away from the noise and give yourself permission to plan on your own terms.
Speaker 1:You not having your first quarter planned out before the New Year's Eve celebration is not a bad thing, and it's not about ignoring strategy. It's about timing it for when you're actually equipped to make bold, intentional moves. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking okay, sarah, I get it, but how do I actually reflect, without spiraling into a highlight reel of everything that I didn't do? Three easy steps.
Speaker 1:Number one something that a lot of people actually don't give enough credit to, and that is starting with gratitude Writing down at a minimum, three things you are really grateful for. It doesn't have to be big, it can be whatever comes to mind small, big, medium, whatever right. This helps shift your focus to what's working Now. If you're struggling to find things to be grateful for, well, that's a clear indication you shouldn't be planning, because I'm sure there are lots of things you can be grateful for this year if you really sit down and intentionally think about it. And here's a bonus tip with number one One of the things that I make a habit of doing every Friday, because every Friday I sit down, spend an hour.
Speaker 1:I pay all my bills that are coming up in the following week. I look at my content. I do all my reviewing that week, but what I also do every Friday is I spend 15 minutes and I write down my weekly wins. This is anything that happened that week that I felt good about. That I am proud of, that made me happy, that brought me joy. It could be something that happened in my business, like a client win a new contract. Or it could be something really small, like had a great time with my daughter at drop-off this morning. She was happy. Or my coffee was really freaking good, like anything that makes you feel good.
Speaker 1:I write these down every Friday. They are my weekly wins, and I've been doing this for a few years now, and what is wonderful about this is, when you're having a really shitty day or you cannot think of anything to be grateful for, you go back and you read those wins and you remind yourself that things actually have not been as bad as you think, because our brains love to catastrophize, our brains love to focus on all the negative. It's what our brains are designed to do to keep us safe, to keep us, like you know, alert. Reminding yourself that things are actually pretty darn good is a wonderful way to keep yourself in gratitude. So start with gratitude. Write down the things that you're grateful for this year.
Speaker 1:The next thing I want you to do and a weekly wins list is really helpful with this as well highlight your wins right. List five, six, ten things that you're proud of Again, whether it's landing a big client, setting better boundaries or just having gone through really a tough situation or circumstance or experience this year. And then I want you to identify something that you're ready to leave behind, something that you don't want to take with you into next year. Thank it for the lesson and let it go. Thank it for the lesson and let it go. These things are a great place to start in your reflection, because when you're able to clear that mental clutter, it opens up your brain for solutions, for new ideas, for all of the things that you cannot force it to do, but so many of us try to force it to do.
Speaker 1:When we sit down and try to plan out the perfect year in December, when the dust settles in January and you've given yourself some time and I know some of you are like, okay, I'm putting it in my calendar, january 2nd, I'm going to start planning. No, I don't actually even consider planning until like the second week of January. Now you can do whatever feels good for you, but I'm going to again encourage you, invite you, to consider easing into the new year and allowing yourself to come up with what you want to do. Because here's the other thing too when you plan in the chaos of December, you bring with you all of the disappointments. You bring with you all of the things other people are doing right now. Like honestly and I'm speaking for myself, this isn't me having a go at anybody in particular I actually had a moment last week where I was like you know what I should probably plan for at least my first quarter, and you know what happened.
Speaker 1:I started to feel the pressure of what everybody else was doing and I put a program together that, on reflection now I don't even really want to do, and the only reason I was able to stop myself is because I have traditionally left my planning till January and it was my brain going. But you don't need to commit to this right now. I really, really want you to consider putting everything away for a couple of weeks, and I know, given the state of some businesses, some of you may not be able to do that, and that's fine. If you can't completely shut the business down, just continue doing what you're doing. Don't try to introduce anything new. Don't try to force yourself to solutions. Don't try to come up with an entire strategy. Let's go into 2025 with intention and in full control of our power, because the minute you start planning from a place of desperation and fear, you give away your power and walking into a new year powerless is not what I want for any of you.
Speaker 1:So the bottom line December is not your month for planning. It is your month for reflecting. Do not let the noise convince you that you are behind or that you need to hustle your way into the new year. Take this time to pause, reflect and celebrate yourself. You have done more than you think, I promise you, and when January comes, you'll step into it with clarity and confidence, not burnt out, not second guessing.
Speaker 1:All right, if this episode hit home for you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And I'd love to hear from you. If you go to your show notes, whatever platform you're listening to this on, you will see a link to send me a text message. I would love to hear from you and I'd love to hear about what you plan to do to reflect this month. Oh, and, if you're listening to this before December 18th, send me a text message and I'll send you an exclusive invite. It's a free event that I'm doing.
Speaker 1:It kind of came out of nowhere. I decided, you know, I wanted to do my reflection this year, but do it in community, because community is really important to me and it's something that I really do want more of in 2025. And I just put the call out on social media to anybody who is interested to come and do this reflection with me on a Zoom call for free. So we're doing it on December 18th at 10 am Eastern time. You don't have to bring anything. There's no cost involved. There's no sort of preamble. Just come, we're going to walk through my 10 reflection questions that I do at the end of every year and we're just going to do some soul searching in community. If this sounds like something you want to do, head to the show notes, hit the text link and send me a message and I will make sure you get those details. If you're listening to this after December 18th, no worries, send me a text message and I will send you my reflection questions so that you can do them at your leisure. All right, I will see you in 2025.
Speaker 1:I'm going to spend the next few weeks just thinking about my business, where I wanted to go and the podcast too. So something else. If you're bored and you're interested in sharing the details, send me a text and let me know what you've loved about the podcast this year, what you haven't loved and where you'd love to see it go in 2025. I appreciate you. I am so grateful that you've been here with me week after week. You have no idea how much it means to me that you trust me enough to bring me into your space every week. I love you guys, I mean it. Have a wonderful holiday season and I'll see you in the new year with others. Head over to businessblasphemypodcastcom to connect with us and learn more. Thanks for listening and remember you can have success without the BS.