Last Monday I shared my 2009 Lifework Review. It was supposed to be part 1 of a 2-part series, but it’s grown, so instead of telling you my 2010 Lifework Plan in this post I decided to share with you a bit more about my review process because I think it will help you grow your business (or self-employed endeavor…whatever you want to call it.)

Throughout the article there are eleven questions to help you review your lifework.

As an aside, you don’t have to be self-employed to benefit from doing a Lifework Review and Lifework Plan. Both can help you create more joyful work, life, and relationships.

Detail from my planning journal.

2009 Lifework Review

Observe Yourself

As mentioned on Monday, I reviewed how I excelled and fell short of my expectations in 2009. This helped me learn three important things:

1) I can accomplish far more than I imagined possible

2) In order to have 6 identical programs in one year (like the 12-month marketing program) I have to do a lot more marketing and increase my mailing list by about 500% (something I had no desire to do in 2009).

3) Launching a 12-month program the day before leaving for Ireland is a really bad idea. My trip was an unexpected opportunity I couldn’t pass up, but my marketing launch, which started with a teleseminar, was already in the works when I decided to go to Ireland. I could have postponed the program start date, but I decided not to. I should have.
Instead, I worked many 18-hour days in order to get everything done on time. Needless to say, when the teleseminar rolled around I was exhausted. (Miraculously, it was well received.) Also, I had to do the rest of the launch in Ireland, which didn’t go smoothly at all.

Questions

1) What can you learn from 2009 that can help you in 2010?

2) What do you need to change? (Think of habits, processes, programs, marketing strategies…)

3) What do you need to stop doing altogether?(!)

Observe Your Clients

Throughout the year I noticed most of my clients had common challenges, specifically how to take many talents and turn them into a cohesive lifework path. Many were having trouble marketing their work because they didn’t know what to market. Considering this revelation, I shifted my work and am designing a new program called (for now) “One Woman, Many Talents.” Look for it later this year.

What can you do?

Pay attention to the people who show up in your life. See if your clients have similar problems, patterns or challenges. Of course, they may have differences, too, but noticing the common needs of the people who are drawn to you may help you develop successful programs.

Questions

1) Who was naturally drawn to your work in 2009?

2) Were there any noticeable patterns with clients, like similar needs or goals?

Survey Your Clients (or Prospective Clients)

While observation is important, it’s best to ask your clients what they need. Here’s an example to illustrate why:

In mid-2009, I decided to create a program that would teach people how to use social media as a marketing tool. Later in the year I did a surveyed to ask my clients, readers and colleagues how I could help them grow their lifework. Here’s what I discovered:

10% of them wanted to know how to use social media for marketing

90% wanted to know how to use their writing for marketing

Needless to say, I dropped the social media project. Guess what I’m doing instead?

Questions

1) Are your current services and products in alignment with your clients’ needs?

2) How do you know the answer to number 2?

Detail from my planning journal.

Evaluate Your Ideas

Throughout 2009 I had a lot of ideas for projects, services, programs, etc. Since I was creating original content for my marketing program, though, I put all of my ideas on hold. Now that I’m ready to dive in I have a long list of ideas to choose from. To help me move forward I did several things:

1) I selected my top 10 favorite ideas

2) I sorted them into 4 categories:

• Products for sale
• Products for giving away (free ebooks)
• Services
• Free teleseminars

3) I reviewed my survey results and thought about what my community needs most. I’m still planning the details, but one of my ideas is about to become a reality…Grow Your Lifework Workbook will hopefully be available soon. I’ll tell you more about it in my next post.

Questions

1) What ideas do you have for your lifework?

2) What categories might they fall into (products, services, freebies for promotional purposes)?

3) Are your visions in alignment with your clients’ needs?

4) How do you know the answer to number 9?

5) What steps can you take to turn your visions into reality?